Nation's talented young animators are entering their works in international competitions, to get ahead at home. Chen Nan reports.

There was a time in the not too distant past when Chinese animation talents on the international scene were few and far between. But this has changed thanks to the emergence of bold and pioneering animators. Exploring the country's cultural heritage and the complexities of modern life, these young animators are standing out, at home and abroad.

Lei Lei, is one of them. A graduate of Tsinghua University, Academy of Arts & Design, he drew world attention with his romantic short animation film, This Is Love, which won the 2010 Best Narrative Short at Ottawa International Animation Festival, becoming only the second Chinese animation film to bag the award, after Monkeys Fishing Up the Moon walked away with the honors in 1982.

Prizes at the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film, Germany, and Melbourne International Animation Festival followed, enabling him to make the opening animation film, City Village City, for the Shenzhen Expo Hall of the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The wide acclaim this drew won him other opportunities such as cooperating with Nike.

"China has talented young animators. The problem is there may not be enough competitions or platforms where they can further develop their talents," Lei, 26, says. "Entering international competitions is one way of showing our capabilities. Then people at home take notice."

Lei has been invited to show his animation films at venues such as the Ullens Center for Contemporary Arts (UCCA), and also to give lectures on independent animation filmmaking.

With growing recognition, Lei has One Man's Animation Film Studio, from Ray Design Studio, which he set up in 2005.

"Ever since I started making animation films, I have done it on my own, right from the idea to the final production stage," Lei says. "It's an independent studio and the animation films are (a reflection of) my own voice.

"People invariably assume that animation is hard work and requires a team. But to me, animation is a kind of language I can use to express myself. It's free and easy. I want to tell this to more people," he says.

Lei, born in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, made his voice heard in 2007 with his graduation work, The Face, which won the Best Art Design Award at the First China (Beijing) International Student Animation Festival.

For the past few years, Lei has been working at a stable pace, finishing two to three independent animated works a year and screening them at international animation festivals.

He says the best of Chinese animations are still the Monkey King series and animations of the early 1980s. Today's films are good commercial products, but not good animation works, he says.

"Take a look at the Monkey King series. Every detail has been well produced, from the drawing to the music. Today's films are way behind. I want to take viewers back to the golden age of Chinese animation."

Being an independent animator is not easy, he points out. Like independent movie makers, independent animation works cater to a minority, he says.

Shanghai Animation Film Studio, the nation's first animation studio, founded in 1949, has made hundreds of animation films which have won applause at home and abroad. However, amid the nation's rapid economic and social changes, the studio has slowed down and been transformed.

"Many animation film bases in China are actually production bases. They lack good ideas and detailed productions. All they want is quick output and financial rewards," Lei says.

Wang Bo, the co-founder and curator of the First China Independent Animation Film Forum, which was held earlier in October at 798 art district, says he has noticed a steady improvement in the independent animation scene.

"Technically, young animators are on a par with international ones," Wang says. "They are proving that animation filmmaking is more than just child's play. Like any contemporary art form, it has its value."

The rapid transformation of Chinese society is a popular theme with many young animators. For example, Lei's award-winning Magic Cube and Ping Pong was inspired by his childhood experiences.

"More young people and artists are expressing their concern over the disappearance of traditional Chinese values," Wang says. "Their works tend to have a strong local flavor and deal with contemporary life."

The country's growing concern with identity has seen more young artists expressing their own ideas and more companies supporting independent animators.

For the Shanghai Expo in 2010, Swedish company Absolut teamed up 29-year-old Chinese animation artist, Gao Yu, to launch its limited-edition bottle called 72 Transformations, that features an image of the mythical Monkey King.

Lu Ming, one of the most successful young comic book artists in China, was commissioned by adidas to produce billboards for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Although cooperation with international brands has brought them reputation and financial rewards, the artists say these are just jobs and not their passion.

"I want to tell contemporary Chinese stories, my own stories and stories I care about," Lu says. He points out that independent animators struggle to compete with Japanese animations and US companies, such as Disney.

Xue Yanping, a professor from the Animation College of China Communication University, however, sees a bright side for the local animation scene, and points out that the country has the talent in terms of character and plot development. Young Chinese animators who have won international recognition also have better leverage while negotiating with investors, he says.

"This is the age of multimedia, and when we talk about indie animators, it is not just about their shorts but also their distinctive visual style and their take on local life," he says.

"China is on the brink of a creative outburst. I believe more creative and original artists and artworks will explode on the scene."