学进去

Watching animations is a childhood memory for every generation (一代人), but the shows are different over time.

Some animations not only allow us to enjoy classics from different times, but also give us a taste of Chinese culture. From the story to visual effects (视觉效果), they have a real Chinese flavor.

The story The Legend of Sealed Book (《天书奇谭》) comes from Chinese legends. Yuangong, who comes from heaven (天庭), finds a book with amazing tricks and lets the boy Dansheng practice them.

“Unique (奇特的), funny and beautiful”— these are what the artists worked hard for at the time. They borrowed cultural elements from traditional opera and painting. The looks of many characters come from Peking Opera face makeup, showing their personalities. Lovely Dansheng looks like wawasheng, roles for kids in Peking Opera. A cunning (狡猾的) fox wears huadan makeup to make her more attractive. Huadan is the young female role in Peking Opera.

Customs like walking on stilts (踩高跷) and lion dancing are shown vividly (生动地). Animation artists painted in both realistic and poetic (诗意的) styles. Simple and thin lines are used to paint characters, while the ink wash painting style was used for mountains, trees and water.

Another animation, Little Tadpole Looking for Mummy (《小蝌蚪找妈妈》) was totally drawn with ink and brush. The designers learned from the great artist Qi Baishi. The black tadpoles, pink lotus flowers, yellow chickens and red goldfish … all come to life!

“Classic Chinese animations show us how colorful and rich our cultures are. I want to show respect to the artists who made them!” said actor Li Zonghan at a preview (提前放映) of Legend of Sealed Book.