Letting Memories Speak: The Golden Time of Chinese Animation in Oral History

As audience pause in front of classic art designs from Afanti and Calabash Brothers, they will hear stories told by the creators of their beloved animations. The micro perspective of these interviewees will guide audience to gain deeper insights into the principles and techniques of art film creation, as well as the individual strengths behind collective efforts. The exhibition’s prelude hall, presenting nearly 200  completed scripts of art films, will serve as a significant testament to the work of oral history. These scripts accurately document the sequence of shots, framing, dialogue, and sound effects. They also feature signatures or inscriptions from over a hundred interviewees from the animation industry. Each signature corresponds to a confirmed creative identity and contribution from the oral interviews, becoming a medium for “silent dialogue” that transcends time and space.

This interview is co-hosted by the Taikang Art Museum and the China International Exhibition of Oral History. It features esteemed host and producer Wang Xuechun, alongside animation historian and project leader of the “We Animators” oral history initiative, Fu Guangchao. Together, they will guide the audience into the immersive memory landscape of oral histories in Chinese animation, related to the exhibition “Animating China—A History of Shanghai Animation Films.”

In this interview, Wang Xuechun will play the dual role of “participant in animation voices” and “media person” to share with us the stories behind animation and beyond the lens and microphone. Fu Guangchao, the co-founder of the Academic Group at Kongzang Animation & Comics Archive, also has stories to tell. His team has interviewed over a hundred witnesses of Chinese animation, valiantly “salvaging” the forgotten history of Chinese animation.

Moreover, Yu Yin, Secretary-General of the Organizing Committee for the China International Exhibition of Oral History and Director of the Cui Yongyuan Center for Oral History at CUC, is specially invited. Yu Yin will introduce the overall context of the Center for Oral History and the international exhibition, guiding the audience to understand the latest developments and international collaborative practices in this field.