Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
In summer of 2025, the Beijing edition of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”, co-hosted by Taikang Art Museum, Shanghai Animation Film Studio Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum officially opened at Taikang Art Museum. As an animation documentation exhibition focusing on the development and visual archives of Chinese animation films represented by Havoc in Heaven, Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, Tales Demon, Inspector Black Cat, Calabash Brothers and so on, the exhibition has been localized to align with the urban cultural context of Beijing, offering audiences a refreshed viewing experience with over 1,000 precious exhibits and more than 100 original manuscripts of classic animation characters.
Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
Being a large-scale, comprehensive documentary and art touring exhibition about Shanghai Animation Film Studio (SAFS), it is organized logically from “frontstage” to “backstage” with five sections: “Preface”, “A Tour the Classics”, “Exploring the Media”, “Contemporary Echoes” and “An Animated Journey”.
Upon entering the exhibition hall, audiences will walk through a forest of colorful classic animation posters, forming a distinctive visual prelude to the exhibition. A wide-screen video greets visitors at the entrance, showcasing a collection of opening credits of “Shanghai Animation Film Studio” from different periods, with dynamic silhouettes of classic animation characters projected behind it. On the walls on both sides, approximately 200 completed storyboards of animations from SAFS are neatly displayed, paying silent tribute to animation films and their creators.
Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
In the following sections of “A Tour the Classics”, “Exploring the Media”, “Contemporary Echoes” and “An Animated Journey”, exhibits including signed storyboards, storyboard sketches, art design drafts, models, tools, working photos, cel animations, and audio descriptions are systematically sorted out to showcase the development history of SAFS, their unique creative system, demonstrating their influence and shaping role in social life and contemporary culture.
Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
The “A Tour of the Classics” section, considering the popularity, artistic value, and quantity of exhibits, takes works such as Havoc in Heaven, Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, Three Monks, Monkey King Conquers the Demon, Tales about the Heavenly Book, Calabash Brothers, Inspector Black Cat, Dirty King Adventure, and Lotus Lantern as cases. Combining documents, physical objects, and interviews, it presents the production process and scenes of these animations, interpreting the exploratory and pioneering spirit of SAFS creators.
Poster of Havoc in Heaven, 1960s, 290×208mm, Collection of Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
A Still from Three Monks, photo, 1980s, 225×196mm, Collection of Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
A Still from Episode 2 of Inspector Black Cat, 1984, Qiu Xiaoping's collection, 127.5×88mm, Collection of Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
After 1960, the Shanghai Animation Film Studio established independent production departments for hand-drawn animation (including ink wash animation) puppet animation, paper cutout animation, and paper folding animation, with each department having its own independent production processes and creative personnel (the modelling and production of paper folding were grouped with puppet animation). The “Exploring the Media” section introduces the characteristics of hand-drawn, ink-wash, puppet, and paper-cut animations based on their respective creative methods. Meanwhile, the section also leads audiences to gain an in-depth understanding of the production techniques of animation films using different media by restoring the working scenes of various types of animation films, allowing audiences to feel the craftsmanship and passion of SAFS creators. Several old workbenches which have a slightly retro work process on the scene, provide contemporary audiences with a material experience of different media art film production techniques.
Monkey Fishing for the Moon, character paper puppet, 1980, Design by Ada, Collection of Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
Fox Hunter, character paper puppet, 1977-1978, modeling design by Han Meilin, Collection of Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
A series of masterpieces, including Where is Mama?, Feeling from Mountain and Water, Avanti, and Fox Hunter, reveal how different media characteristics affect the artistic styles of various films. The interdisciplinary interaction between artists, arts and crafts artists and animation creators, such as ink wash animation draws on the artistic style of art masters such as Qi Baishi, artists such as Han Meilin has created modeling designs for films, and paper-folding animation and paper-cutting animation extract aesthetic interest from arts and crafts...This benign interaction provides a steady stream of impetus for animators to boldly explore artistic languages and styles.
Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
The “Contemporary Echoes” section selects animations of various styles created by teachers and students from animation schools and contemporary independent animators, tells their creative processes, responds to the history of Chinese animation films through contemporary animation innovation and practice, and fully demonstrates the historical inheritance among animators.
Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
At the end of the exhibition hall, the “An Animated Journey” section uses a timeline to connect documents, physical objects, images, and chronological events, presenting a panoramic view of the century-long development history of SAFS.
Photograph of the former site of Shanghai Animation Film Studio, mid-20th century, Collection of Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
Poster of Shanghai International Animation Film Festival, Collection of Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
Installation View of “Animating China: A History of Shanghai Animation Films”
In the context of the rapid development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, Taikang Art Museum, an institution that has established “media” as one of its core academic directions, responds to the changes in the media environment brought by technological transformation by focusing on animation as a dynamic image medium, aiming to inspire the public’s imagination about the possibilities of future image expression and artistic creation.
About the Exhibition
Exhibition Dates: July 13 - November 2, 2025
Opening Hours: 10:00-17:30, Tuesday to Sunday (last entry at 16:30)
Venue: Floors 1-2, Taikang Art Museum
Co-organizers: Taikang Art Museum, Shanghai Animation Film Studio Co., Ltd., Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum
Special Support: Shanghai Film Infinity, Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive
Courtesy of Taikang Art Museum, edited by CAFA ART INFO.
