Praised by international community
In "Baby Tadpoles Look for Their Mother" there is only one color figure, a red goldfish. When a copy of the film was sent to an exhibition in Czechoslovakia, the scene was hailed for its excellent painting technique and kept as a permanent exhibit.
Successful as the first ink-and-wash painting animation was, even more ambitious works were soon to follow, including "The Cowherd's Flute," "Uproar in Heaven" and "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King."
Some of these color films received international praise. In 1981, "The Cowherd's Flute" was screened in Japan, which lured many Japanese cartoon makers to China to learn the art of ink-and-wash painting.
Phasing out
Before the revolution in the movie industry in the 1990s, funding for ink-and-wash animation came from the government, but producers were soon forced to find capital themselves.
The cost of producing an ink-and-wash animation was three times higher than a normal animated film, causing many small studios to stop making them – and directly resulting in the unemployment of many specialist artists.
"People these days are no longer like the youngsters of the past," said Duan Xiaoxuan, a 79-year-old ink and wash animator.
"They rely too much on computers, and hardly have the patience to learn the techniques of ink-and-wash painting," added Duan.
Although computers can also make similar paintings, there is something different from the original ones, according to Duan.
"True ink-and-wash animation is dying, and if there are no more people to carry on the art form, its future is doomed," said Qiao Fengtian, a professor from the Communication University of China.
Recently, debate and criticism have plagued the domestic animation industry. Having said that, as a unique form of animation completely developed in China, focusing more on the ink-and-wash painting style may light the way for today's Chinese cartoon makers.
