The Lingnan Water Town International Cartoon & Animation Week kicked off on the morning of August 23 in Hongmei Town, Dongguan City. A series of events also kicked off and will continue until August 25, including face-to-face sessions, award announcements, thematic exhibitions, trendy market events, and industry matchmaking sessions. The aim is to promote cultural and tourism exchanges, as well as the development of the local animation industry.

Top talents gather to deepen the integration of art and industry 
The three-day Lingnan Water Town International Cartoon & Animation Week was organized to celebrate the first-of-its-kind national animation pavilion themed on "100 Years of Chinese Animation".

During the event, the "Old Master Q 60th Anniversary Comic Exhibition" and the "Lingnan Water Town International Animation Week Thematic Exhibition" were officially launched. Ten industry organizations jointly signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement for the National Animation Alliance.

Renowned figures such as Sekiguchi Mitsugu, the original design director of Hello Kitty, cartoonist Zhong Mengsun from Taiwan province, and cartoonist Wong Yuk-long from Hong Kong SAR, gathered in Hongmei to discuss the development trends of the animation industry and promote international cooperation and exchange.

New exhibitions and popular IPs captured the attention
On the opening day, the Cartoon & Animation Week rankings were officially unveiled. The rankings, which had been collected globally over the past year, awarded prizes in categories such as "Top 10 Comics & Illustrations," "Top 10 Animations," "Top 10 IPs (Intellectual Property-driven products)," and "International Works Recommendation Section," featuring many popular animation IPs.

The Cartoon & Animation Week Thematic Exhibition showcased all the winning works in the competition, including animations, comics, illustrations, and IPs, totaling 66 entries.

During the event, the first China-West co-produced animated film "The Dragon Keeper" will be screened in a special session, with the Chinese lead director Li Jianping sharing the stories behind the creation.

Experts offer insights, exploring new directions for the industry

Dongguan has a significant concentration of trendy toy industries, with a complete industrial chain. The city is home to over 4,000 toy manufacturing enterprises and nearly 1,500 upstream and downstream supporting companies, making it the largest toy export base in China.

One-fourth of global animation derivative products are produced in Dongguan, and around 85% of China's trendy toys come from Dongguan. In 2023, Dongguan was officially awarded the title of the "China Capital of Trendy Toys" by the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association.

With the opening of the animation week, Dongguan has become a focal point for the animation industry.

This collaboration not only signifies the deepening of the "animation+" and "+animation" strategies but also injects new vitality into Dongguan's efforts to build a strong cultural city.

Reporter: Xie Maishi, Zhang Shanshan

Photo: Sun Junjie

Editor: Nina, James