Chinese Animation and Socialism

299 Pages·30.882 MB·English

by  Daisy Yan Du

Chinese Animation and Socialism
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China Studies

published for the institute for chinese
studies, university of oxford
Series Editor
Rana Mitter, University of Oxford
volume 43
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ chs
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Chinese Animation

and Socialism
From Animators’ Perspectives
Edited By
Daisy Yan Du
LEIDEN | BOSTON
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Du, Daisy Yan, editor. | Association for Chinese Animation Studies |
Association for Chinese Animation Studies. Animator’s Roundtable Forum
(1st : 2017 : Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
Title: Chinese animation and socialism : from animators’ perspectives /
edited by Daisy Yan Du.
Description: Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2022. | Series: China studies, 1570-1344 ;
volume 43 | Includes bibliographical references and index. | This work consists
of expanded versions of the animators’ roundtable presentations translated
into English. | Summary: “This volume on Chinese animation and socialism
is the first in English that introduces the insider viewpoints of socialist
animators at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio in China. Although a few
monographs have been published in English on Chinese animation, they are
from the perspective of scholars rather than of the animators who personally
worked on the films, as discussed in this volume. Featuring hidden histories
and names behind the scenes, precious photos, and commentary on rarely
seen animated films, this book is a timely and useful reference book for
researchers, students, animators, and fans interested in Chinese and even world
animation. This book originated from the Animators’ Roundtable Forum
(April 2017 at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), organized
by the Association for Chinese Animation Studies”– Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021036881 (print) | LCCN 2021036882 (ebook) |
ISBN 9789004499591 (hardback) | ISBN 9789004499607 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Animated films–China–History and criticism. |
Animators–China. | Animated films–Social aspects–China. | Socialism and
motion pictures–China. | Shanghai mei shu dian ying zhi pian chang–History.
Classification: LCC NC1766.C6 C48 2021 (print) | LCC NC1766.C6 (ebook) |
DDC 791.43/340951–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021036881
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021036882
Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”. See and download: brill.com/b rill- typeface.
issn 1570-1 344
isbn 978-9 0-0 4-4 9959-1 (hardback)
isbn 978-9 0-0 4-4 9960-7 (e- book)
Copyright 2022 by Daisy Yan Du. Published by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill nv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Hotei, Brill Schöningh, Brill Fink,
Brill mentis, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Böhlau Verlag and V&R Unipress.
Koninklijke Brill nv reserves the right to protect this publication against unauthorized use. Requests for
re- use and/ or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke Brill nv via brill.com or copyright.com.
This book is printed on acid- free paper and produced in a sustainable manner.
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Contents

A cknowledgments ix
L ist of Figures xii
L ist of Contributors xvi
I ntroduction
Chinese Animation and Socialism 1
Daisy Yan Du
part 1
The Splendor of Socialist Animation
1 M ochinaga Tadahito in Early Socialist China 19
Mochinaga Noriko, translated by Nick Stember and Yan Chen
2 W alking Our Own Path and Innovating 28
Duan Xiaoxuan, translated by Nick Stember
3 A n Authentic Animator 53
Yan Dingxian, translated by Nick Stember
4 D ribs and Drabs 63
Lin Wenxiao, translated by Nick Stember
5 N ational Style and Characterization 75
Pu Jiaxiang, translated by Isabel Galwey
6 O n the Art of Papercutting Animation 87
Pu Yong, translated by Isabel Galwey and Eva Chang
part 2
The Transition to Postsocialist Animated Filmmaking
7 F rom Layman to Animator 103
Yan Shanchun, translated by Isabel Galwey and Eva Chang
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vi Contents
8 I n Love with Science Fiction Animation 115
Dai Tielang, interviewed by Daisy Yan Du, organized by Song Han,
translated by Yixing Li
9 T radition and Innovation 127
Chang Guangxi, translated by Sean Macdonald
10 Y ilimei and the Shanghai Animation Film Studio 138
Zhou Keqin, translated by Yixing Li
part 3
The Soundscape of (Post)Socialist Animation
11 S ynesthesia of Music and Image 147
Jin Fuzai, translated by Sean Macdonald
12 M y Career as an Animation Voice Actress 166
Ding Jianhua, interviewed by Daisy Yan Du, organized by Song Han,
translated by Yixing Li
part 4
The Literary Landscape of (Post)Socialist Animation
13 M y Career as a Screenwriter 179
Ling Shu, translated by Yixing Li
part 5
In Memory of Socialist Animators
14 T hose Who Should Not Be Forgotten 207
Yin Xiyong, translated by Eva Chang
15 I n Memory of My Father Wang Shuchen 215
Wang Yiqian, translated by Yixing Li
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Contents vii
part 6
More than a Fairy Tale: Politics and Chinese Animation
16 A Tradition of Political Propaganda 231
Fung Yuk Song, translated by Isabel Galwey and Shaopeng Chen
part 7
Chinese Animation Goes Abroad
17 C hinese Animation in Japan, 1940s– 80s 247
Ono Kōsei, translated by Isabel Galwey, Eva Chang, and Yan Chen
E pilogue
Socialist Legacy in the Digital Age 257
Daisy Yan Du
B ibliography 267
I ndex 270
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Acknowledgments

This book originated from a conference I organized at the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology (hkust) in April 2017. As this book came to frui-
tion, the first person I must thank is Duan Xiaoxuan, a renowned animation
camerawoman active in socialist China.
I became acquainted with Duan Xiaoxuan through the mediation of Japan.
When I was pursuing my PhD at the University of Wisconsin- Madison in the
spring of 2008, I took courses in Japanese animation, film, and history, and was
amazed by the popularity of anime studies in the United States. I kept won-
dering, though, why no one paid attention to Chinese animation. I therefore
wrote papers on the Japanese connection of Princess Iron Fan (1941) and the
Chinese connection of Mochinaga Tadahito. During my research, I fortunately
got the chance to know Mochinaga Noriko, daughter of Mochinaga Tadahito.
Through her, I came to know Duan Xiaoxuan. In the summer of 2010, I went
to Shanghai to conduct field study for my PhD dissertation and met with
Duan Xiaoxuan face- to- face for the first time. She walked me around the old
Shanghai Animation Film Studio (safs) at 618 Wanhangdu Road and patiently
explained the images, documents, puppets, sound- effect gadgets, and others
used in animated filmmaking. She invited me to her home, answered my ques-
tions, and shared her collection of photos and files. She also introduced me to
other socialist animators so that I could conduct interviews and browse their
family holdings.
In the spring of 2017, when I was planning the conference titled Chinese
Animation and (Post) Socialism: From Animators’ Perspectives, Duan
Xiaoxuan was the first to answer my call, even though she had surgery and
been discharged from the hospital. She helped me to liaise with other socialist
animators in Shanghai, exchanging dozens of messages and phone calls every
day. When I planned to include more essays to diversify the topic after the con-
ference was over, Duan Xiaoxuan helped again in introducing the voice actress
Ding Jianhua to me. Without her generous support, this book could never be
published in its present scope.
I am indebted to other socialist animators who came to the conference and
contributed chapters for this book: Yan Dingxian and Lin Wenxiao, Pu Jiaxiang,
Yan Shanchun, Jin Fuzai, Chang Guangxi, Pu Yong, Yin Xiyong, and others.
Most of them were in their seventies and eighties and some even had health
issues, but they came to Hong Kong by plane or train to share their insider
perspectives. They were serious about the art of animation and still passionate
about their work made decades ago. As renowned artists, they were extremely
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x Acknowledgments
humble, approachable, and considerate, exhibiting socialist stoicism. Jin Fuzai
even missed his birthday party with his family in Shanghai in order to speak
at the conference. I hope the party we improvised for him in Hong Kong will
be equally memorable. My thanks are also due to Mochinaga Noriko and Ono
Kōsei, who flew from Japan for the conference and wrote essays for this book.
I can never thank all the conference speakers enough for their sincerity, enthu-
siasm, and professionalism.
I extend my sincere thanks to Zhou Keqin, Ling Shu, and Wang Yiqian for
contributing chapters for this book even though they were unable to come
to Hong Kong for the conference. I need to thank Fung Yuk- song for kindly
connecting me with Wang Yiqian, the son of Wang Shuchen. I also thank Dai
Tielang and Ding Jianhua for kindly accepting my interviews, which were orga-
nized into essays, translated into English, and collected in this volume. Thank
you also to Chen Hailu, who liaised with the senior animators in Shanghai and
helped with the images and photos in this book.
The conference was generously funded by the Division of Humanities and
the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology. I am particularly grateful to our Dean, James Lee, and
Division Head, Billy So, for their enthusiastic and generous support. Rita Chui,
our division secretary, worked around the clock for this conference, even after
working hours and on weekends. Many graduate students from Hong Kong,
Japan, and Canada helped with the conference as volunteers and I thank them
all: Hang Wu, Hanyang Jiang, Min Qiao, Yiqiao Wang, Wing Sze Kat, Yunxian Li,
Mian Chen, Ying Chen, Yuji Xu, Huanyu Yue, Shasha Liu, Yan Chen, and Terrie
Cheung. I especially thank Yan Chen for working as a Japanese interpreter for
this conference.
I began to work on this book project during my stay at the Harvard- Yenching
Institute (2017– 2018). I thank Elizabeth Perry and the institute for providing
a much- needed haven for me. I am also indebted to the institute for screen-
ing the socialist animation classics to the Harvard community. Melissa Brown,
Francesca Coppola, Tanaka Yoko, Deng Fei, and many others came to the
screening and shared their diverse views on the animation classics. I especially
thank Ruohong Li for her advice on locating the translators for this book.
I thank all the translators for their quality work and professionalism: Sean
Macdonald chose the most challenging essays and finished the translations in
a timely way despite his busy schedule. Isabel Galwey, Yixing Li, Nick Stember,
Shaopeng Chen, and Eva Chang all delivered quality translations on time.
I thank Song Han for organizing my interviews with Dai Tielang and Ding
Jianhua into Chinese essays.
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