The three-day Changsha Cartoon Art Festival 2005 came to a
successful conclusion yesterday in Changsha, Hunan Province. The
festival attracted international and domestic cartoon
organizations, and resulted in the signing of agreements and
contracts worth 2.93 billion yuan.
Also called China's "cartoon center," Changsha's municipal
officials said this festival is part of the city's efforts to
promote China's cartoon industry and to develop Changsha into the
country's largest cartoon production base.
Thirteen local cartoon corporations and 40 foreign companies
have signed cooperation contracts worth 561 million yuan, and
agreements of intent valued at 2.37 billion yuan. These agreements
involve every phase of the cartoon chain including production and
publication, and related fields such as software, cartoon imaging
products, music and videos, comic books, mobile phone animations,
video games and cartoon talents.?
Sunchime Cartoon Group signed a 100-million-yuan contract with
international corporation Autodesk. According to Zeng Qiyou, the
head of Autodesk China Branch, this cooperation would promote
world-class 3D software designing, purchasing and talents
training.
Zeng said: "We hope this cooperation with Sunchime
revolutionizes China's animation industry, and makes it to the
world."
The Changsha Cartoon Art Festival 2005 opened on November 5.
More than 100 international and domestic cartoon celebrities made
an appearance at the festival including "Mickey Mouse," "Donald
Duck," "Ultra Man," "Blue Cat" and "BangBang."
A part of the festival included an exposition at the
24,000-square-kilometer Changsha International Exposition Center.
Nearly 30 cartoon organizations, companies, media, publishing
groups, magazines, websites, education institutes, investment
agencies from France, Canada, the US, South Korea, Germany and
Greece participated in the expo.
Also held during the festival was the 4th China Cartoon Industry
Forum, the focus of which was China's mobile phone cartoon and
animation market.
"One exciting device that holds great potential for animation in
China and around the world is the mobile phone," Sander K. Johnson,
president of International Television for Asia (ITA), said during
the forum.
ITA signed an agreement with the Beijing China Cartoon Media
Group Co Ltd (BCCM) to deliver cartoons, games, screen savers and
other content to China Mobile earlier this year. Some well-known
American cartoon classics such as Superman, Betty
Boop, Casper the Friendly Ghost and Felix the
Cat will soon be shot to China's mobile phone screens, Johnson
said.
By the end of September, China had 377 million mobile phone
subscribers, or an average of 29 mobile phones per 100 people, and
the number is still growing.
Changsha currently houses 18 institutions specializing in
research and development, production, publishing, distribution,
education and media promotion of cartoons, and 1,642 design
personnel. The city collectively produces 15,000 minutes of
animation cartoon, and 120,000 minutes of designs worth 1.3 billion
yuan per year.
China's animation products count for a third of the world's
total. Japan is the No.1 cartoon production country in the world,
selling US$9 billion worth of products annually.
(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, November 8,
2005)
