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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Hangzhou cashes in on gaming, cartoons

By Xu Wenwen | 00:01 UTC+8 April 28, 2017 | Print Edition

CARTOONS and animation are not just an art form, they are also a promising industry. When it began in Hangzhou in 2004, the China International Cartoon and Animation Festival began with the slogan “to make Hangzhou the country’s capital of cartoon and animation.”

And it has achieved that.

Last year the city’s cartoon and animation industry pulled in more than 6 billion yuan (US$870 million) in revenue and contributed about 20 percent of the city’s GDP.

The 13th festival, which ends on Monday, not only drew leading domestic companies but also major international brands such as Facebook, Google, and the Cannes Film Festival.

Sponsored by the Hangzhou government, the festival aims to develop the industry its art.

Hangzhou, as a tourism city, has a long and splendid history and culture. But it has no mineral or oil resources. So, focusing on eco-tourism and innovation such as cartoons, animation and games is an ideal alternative.

Since it started, the festival has increasingly attracted big names from home and abroad.

Hangzhou Electronic Soul Network Technology Co, for example, recorded revenue of almost 500 million yuan last year.

The company’s core product, “Meng San Guo,” is an electronic game with more than 100 million users.

Hangzhou Versatile Media Co has so far produced and released two animation films and a TV series in China. The movies have been sold to 19 countries and regions.

“Good works need to go abroad,” said Li Lian, the CEO of Versatile. “Hopefully via more international cooperation we can reshape the Chinese animation’s international image.”

Held seven months after the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, this year’s CICAF is more focused on “internationalism.”

It invited companies and agencies from 82 countries and regions including America, Germany, Japan and Singapore.

Representatives from big names such as Disney, DreamWorks and BBC Kids, as well as brands of Star Wars, World of Warcraft, and Doraemon also showed up.

The festival is also the country’s first to hold cosplay competitions overseas. This year, it links to sub-venues in nine countries, including the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.

During the festival, young cartoon and animation fans in cosplay costumes are seen everywhere.

Since 2008, the local government has helped local enterprises visit international festivals to help them integrate into the international market.

As part of this effort, next month’s Cannes Film Festival will hold an MIPChina Summit Hangzhou, as first in Asia.

The trade event brings together foreign and Chinese companies to develop new programming across all genres and helps them find co-production or co-development partners.

“We are confident in the city that has held the G20,” said Kristian Kender, China representative of Cannes Film Festival.

“We looked for many cities in China and found Hangzhou is the most appropriate due to its many cartoon and animation companies, and the relaxing atmosphere.”

To encourage practitioners, the 13th CICAF also invited leading international animation and cartoon producers, directors and artists to give master classes.

Names include Sean Feeney, senior vice president of Prime Focus World; producer Paul Young, the chair of Animation Ireland; and visual effects artist Andrew R. Jones known for being part of the Academy award-winning team that did the visuals to “Avatar” and “The Jungle Book.”

Another addition this year is the China International Animation Business Conference, which consists of forums, meetings and introductions.

The rising electronic game market is huge. According to Meetsocial, an agency for Facebook marketing in China, more than 2,000 Chinese games were launched overseas last year. Chinese companies spent a total of US$1 billion on advertising to launch their gaming products abroad.

Frances Han, a Facebook Channel partner, encourages Chinese game companies to explore overseas markets.

“Don’t need to focus on overseas Chinese only, who only account for 4 percent of all players,” he said. “Developing global games is the trend.”

 

China International Cartoon and Animation Festival

Date: Through May 1

Website: www.cicaf.com

Hangzhou


 

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