The three-day Changsha Cartoon Art Festival 2005 came to a successful conclusion yesterday in Changsha, Hunan Province. The festival attracted international and domestic cartoon organizations, and resulted in the signing of agreements and contracts worth 2.93 billion yuan.

Also called China's "cartoon center," Changsha's municipal officials said this festival is part of the city's efforts to promote China's cartoon industry and to develop Changsha into the country's largest cartoon production base.

Thirteen local cartoon corporations and 40 foreign companies have signed cooperation contracts worth 561 million yuan, and agreements of intent valued at 2.37 billion yuan. These agreements involve every phase of the cartoon chain including production and publication, and related fields such as software, cartoon imaging products, music and videos, comic books, mobile phone animations, video games and cartoon talents.?

Sunchime Cartoon Group signed a 100-million-yuan contract with international corporation Autodesk. According to Zeng Qiyou, the head of Autodesk China Branch, this cooperation would promote world-class 3D software designing, purchasing and talents training.

Zeng said: "We hope this cooperation with Sunchime revolutionizes China's animation industry, and makes it to the world."

The Changsha Cartoon Art Festival 2005 opened on November 5. More than 100 international and domestic cartoon celebrities made an appearance at the festival including "Mickey Mouse," "Donald Duck," "Ultra Man," "Blue Cat" and "BangBang."

A part of the festival included an exposition at the 24,000-square-kilometer Changsha International Exposition Center. Nearly 30 cartoon organizations, companies, media, publishing groups, magazines, websites, education institutes, investment agencies from France, Canada, the US, South Korea, Germany and Greece participated in the expo.

Also held during the festival was the 4th China Cartoon Industry Forum, the focus of which was China's mobile phone cartoon and animation market.

"One exciting device that holds great potential for animation in China and around the world is the mobile phone," Sander K. Johnson, president of International Television for Asia (ITA), said during the forum.

ITA signed an agreement with the Beijing China Cartoon Media Group Co Ltd (BCCM) to deliver cartoons, games, screen savers and other content to China Mobile earlier this year. Some well-known American cartoon classics such as Superman, Betty Boop, Casper the Friendly Ghost and Felix the Cat will soon be shot to China's mobile phone screens, Johnson said.

By the end of September, China had 377 million mobile phone subscribers, or an average of 29 mobile phones per 100 people, and the number is still growing.

Changsha currently houses 18 institutions specializing in research and development, production, publishing, distribution, education and media promotion of cartoons, and 1,642 design personnel. The city collectively produces 15,000 minutes of animation cartoon, and 120,000 minutes of designs worth 1.3 billion yuan per year.

China's animation products count for a third of the world's total. Japan is the No.1 cartoon production country in the world, selling US$9 billion worth of products annually.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, November 8, 2005)