With an eye on Asian Games, cartoon fest makes space for sports-themed events

Sales worth 1.485 billion yuan (US$206 million) have been signed at the 19th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in Hangzhou.

The festival attracted more than 10 million manga buffs online and offline, 567 enterprises and organizations from 67 countries and regions.

About 105 events covering forums, competitions, commerce activities, exhibitions and activities featured in the 65,000-square-meter venue in Baima Lake during the five-day event, which ended on June 24.

At the commerce conference, 4,682 industrial insiders and professionals from 448 companies attended 3,538 one-on-one negotiations, with the value of deals reaching 189 million yuan.

Also, the organizers built six sub-venues in Jiande County, Xiaoshan, Gongshu, Shangcheng, Yuhang and Lin'an districts. A float parade, fete, art festival and dragon boat competition were hosted in sub-venues during the CICAF.

To cater to manga buffs who could not attend offline events, the organizing committee also hosted online activities which attracted millions of clicks.

Themed on "Capital of Animation, City of Asian Games," this year the extravaganza was bigger than previous three years. In a bid to echo the upcoming Asian Games, the CICAF had set up space for sports events.

Mascots Chenchen, Congcong and Lianlian, cartoons and drawings were a big draw for children.

"These cartoon works were created by citizens," said Chen Ruzhe from Press and Public Relations Department, Asian Games Organizing Committee. "We want to encourage everyone to learn and create something about the Asian Games from the cartoon event. In return, these works can arouse people's interest in the Asian Games."

The Golden Monkey King Award, the highlight of the festival, received 620 entries from 15 countries and regions this year.

The "Yao Chinese Folktales" and "New happy Dad and Son 5: My Alien Friend" won the gold prize this year.

Prizewinners have the opportunity to obtain financial support, including office space, technical support and project investment. Deals worth 10.70 million yuan were inked between investment organizations and prizewinners on the spot.

Along with the rise of guofeng (国风) – a movement that celebrates Chinese designers' focus on their culture and the changing fashion market – domestic designers and cartoon makers have turned the tradition into avant-garde designs and works.

This year, the CICAF was teemed with guofeng styles and elements. It included a costume show, a cartoon promotion, and a traditional puppetry play.

After years of development, the CICAF has evolved into an extravaganza for cosplay aficionados. Cosplayers clad in traditional Chinese costumes became the new calling cards of the CICAF.

This years, the guofeng cosplay has had huge appeal to youngsters, which could be evidenced by the Cosplay Super Gala. About 40 teams of 300 cosplayers attended the competition. Each winning team was subsidized 100,000 yuan. The extravaganza lured leading domestic companies like Zhongnan Animation, which plays a prominent role in Chinese anime market.

Zhongnan has produced a variety of animations based on Chinese traditional culture, including "Biography of Su Dongpo" and Zheng He's "Voyage to the West."

The company also has participated in the publicity of the Asian Games, selling creative products like mystery boxes and key chains themed on the games.

"Zhongnan Animation is the manufacturer of a full range of Asian Games products," said Fang Xun, a manager from Zhongnan Animation. "Although our toy types are fewer than our counterparts, we can produce new types that other companies do not have."

Besides domestic companies, the event also attracted cartoon producers overseas.

In Zhejiang Digital Culture International Cooperation Zone, many Belt and Road countries showed their own animations and cartoons, seeking cooperation with Chinese counterparts.

According to Fang, their company has signed contracts with other countries during the event, especially the nations along the Belt and Road. It will be authorized to spread these foreign animations and build a bridge of cultural exchanges.

The festival is also a platform to find talented children.

The Tianyan China International Youth and Children's Caricature Competition attracted more than 17,964 drawings from 14 countries and regions. Around 3,500 paintings were awarded prizes during the festival.