Japanese broadcasting company NHK reached deal with a Chinese
company on Thursday to present a Chinese made cartoon to Japanese
viewers.
??
"This is the first ever agreement enabling a Chinese original
cartoon to debut the international market," said Cai Daming, an
official with the Yijing National Cartoon and Animation Industry
Base in south China's boom city Shenzhen.
??
Pacoo Fruit Tribe, produced by Dreamspace Digital
Entertainment Co. based in Guangzhou, features a group of colorful
fruit dolls of different personalities. Pacoo flashes are already
available at Pacoo.net to highlight love, humor and
imagination.
??
The company's website describes the Pacoo community as "tasty" and
"full of fun". "The characters are sweet, tasty and colorful and
they represent a long and blissful life."
??
Insiders from the Chinese animation industry hope the Pacoo's
presence in the Japanese market will be a starting point to reverse
China's heavy deficit with foreign countries in cultural
trade.
??
"For many years, China's animation market has been dominated by
imported products from European countries, the United States and
Japan," he said during the Third China (Shenzhen) International
Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF) that opened here on Thursday.
??
The annual event is aimed at bolstering China's cultural
development and promote trade of Chinese cultural products, said
Liu Binjie, head of the General Administration of Press and
Publications.
??
Organizers of the event said more than 9,500 overseas purchasers
were expected to attend the event, 2.8 times as many as last
year.
??
As the world's largest publisher of books, magazines and
newspapers, China has failed to make its publications as popular as
its toys, garments and electronic products.
??
Each year, China imports foreign publications worth of hundreds of
millions of dollars, but exports are scarce. While the country
reports an average one to 10 deficit in its international trade of
publications, insiders warn the gap with Europe and North America
is 1:100.
??
Even in Asia, where Chinese culture has had a historic influence on
many countries, the cultural role is overshadowed by Japan and the
Republic of Korea, who have risen as the pop-culture
trend-setters.
??
Japan and South Korea's cultural industries account for 13 percent
of the international culture market, while China and all the other
Asian countries make up just six percent, according to the Ministry
of Culture.
?
The Ministry of Commerce said it would work with the Culture
Ministry to boost exports of Chinese cultural products. "The
potential is huge, given China's ancient civilization and
profundity of its culture that still seems mysterious to many
Westerners," said Hu Jingyan, an official in charge of service
trade.
??
One example is a cartoon series featuring the ancient Chinese
philosopher and educator Confucius.
??
"Many potential buyers from the United States and Canada have shown
their interest in the series," said Zuo Jin, president of the
Shenzhen-based Shenbi (literally meaning "magic pen") Animation
Co., "The global network of Confucius Institute teaching foreigners
Chinese has certainly made the ancient sage more popular today," he
said.
?
(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2007)