{"id":2485,"date":"2020-10-13T22:00:52","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T14:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acas.world\/?p=2485"},"modified":"2021-04-17T20:47:23","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T12:47:23","slug":"chinese-independent-animation-renegotiating-identity-in-modern-china-by-wenhai-zhou-palgrave-animation-2020-222-pp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acas.world\/zh\/2020\/10\/13\/chinese-independent-animation-renegotiating-identity-in-modern-china-by-wenhai-zhou-palgrave-animation-2020-222-pp\/","title":{"rendered":" Chinese Independent Animation: Renegotiating Identity in Modern China<\/em>, by Wenhai Zhou. Palgrave Animation, 2020. 222 pp."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Isabel Galwey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinese Independent Animation: Renegotiating Identity in Modern China <\/em>offers a systematic, academic study of contemporary Chinese independent animation theory and practice. Written by Wenhai Zhou as part of the Palgrave Animation series, intended to explore and theorize animation in an accessible way, Chinese Independent Animation <\/em>combines close case studies of individual animators and their works with a detailed, interdisciplinary theoretical underpinning. The final result is a cohesive and focused study of Chinese independent animation. The volume also succeeds in drawing meaningful connections between independent animation and other areas of Chinese animation, as well as Chinese visual culture more broadly. Zhou engages with China\u2019s complex post-socialist reality as reflected and interpreted in animation, as well as analyzing the creative and practical infrastructure \u2014 or, as he terms it, \u201cmedia ecology\u201d \u2014 which has allowed Chinese independent animation to grow steadily over the past two decades. While the choice to focus on well-known animators such as Pi San and Lei Lei (alongside non-animation artists such as Ai Weiwei) for his detailed case studies may mean that those hoping for a broader survey are disappointed, Zhou\u2019s approach has the benefit of allowing him to conduct closer analysis of the careers of his chosen practitioners, offering theoretical insights which are certainly applicable to other independent animators operating in (and outside) China today. <\/p>\n

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Like many academics in the burgeoning field of animation studies, Wenhai Zhou adopts a syncretic approach when theorizing contemporary Chinese animation communities and practices. However, Zhou\u2019s work departs from earlier studies of Chinese animation because he spends at least as much time analyzing the creative, socioeconomic, and political contexts which underpin Chinese independent animation\u2019s very existence as he does on the content of the animations themselves, drawing on media and communication studies methodologies to structure his content and arguments. Key to Zhou\u2019s conceptualization of Chinese animation is DeLanda\u2019s theory of assemblage, <\/em>as elucidated by Graham Harman: he argues that animation practice is constantly defined and redefined at an individual, national and global level.<\/p>\n

Another noteworthy aspect of Zhou\u2019s approach to writing about Chinese independent animation is that he combines both Chinese and English-language debates surrounding contemporary media practices to inform and balance his work. Therefore, this volume succeeds at \u201cfilling in the blanks\u201d around Chinese animation scholarship and promotes an intercultural understanding of the field.[1]<\/a> Zhou also emphasizes the need for a sophisticated conceptualization of \u201cindependent\u201d animation in a Chinese context, and the \u201cconstant negotiation\u201d (12) which animators and studios conduct as part of their existence and success in response to various external pressures.<\/p>\n

Zhou begins by describing the post-socialist context in which contemporary Chinese independent animation operates and outlining the usefulness of various definitions of \u201cindependent animation\u201d in the Chinese context. He then goes on to summarize the discourse surrounding national style or meishu<\/em> animation in the mid-twentieth century; the development of commercial animation in the reform period; and the uneasy but dynamic relationship which contemporary independent animation has with both. He lays out the theoretical concepts of the mediascape (Appadurai), imagined communities (Anderson) and assemblage (DeLanda) as a framework for understanding the Chinese independent animation ecology, redefining it as \u201ca distinct mode of contemporary cultural expression\u201d (53). The volume\u2019s structure allows Zhou to establish a solid theoretical methodology before applying it to a number of carefully selected case studies. It also sets Zhou\u2019s study apart from some earlier studies of Chinese animation, which take a more historical and \u201ctext\u201d-based approach to the topic.<\/p>\n

His framework established, Zhou then uses it to analyze, not only the work, but the entire creative ecosystem surrounding three media practitioners: Ai Weiwei, Pi San and Lei Lei, noting the striking similarities and differences between their roles in various media assemblages. Zhou then examines the career trajectories of Pi San and Lei Lei in more detail, conducting a close reading of individual animations as part of his analysis of their evolving media practice. This theme of evolution continues into the final chapter, which plots the future trajectory of Chinese independent animation.<\/p>\n

In the introduction to this volume, Zhou offers some valuable context by outlining the post-socialist environment and the large-scale commercial animation industry with which Chinese independent animation negotiates. He gives a brief overview of previous writings on Chinese independent animation, and the various lenses through which it has been studied. He observes: \u201cthe distinctive characteristic of \u2018personal\u2019 Chinese independent animation develops an alternative visual narrative in contrast to the mainstream animations that are always overly controlled and rather institutionalized\u201d (11). Zhou also delves into the definition of Chinese independent animation in more detail, assessing the usefulness of adjacent terms such as \u201cpersonal,\u201d \u201cunofficial,\u201d or minjian <\/em>(\u201cfolk\u201d or \u201cpopular\u201d) for understanding the contemporary Chinese animation scene. Rather than defining independent animation as an overtly oppositional force to \u201ccommercial\u201d or \u201cpolitically correct\u201d animation, he emphasizes that it is often produced in delicate negotiation with more mainstream works.<\/p>\n

In chapter 2, Zhou outlines the legacy of the meishu <\/em>style both on Chinese animation itself and on the discourse surrounding it. He charts the development of a nascent \u201cChinese animation industry\u201d in the final decades of the twentieth century, with transnational links to Hollywood and Japan through outsourcing networks. He contrasts these two animation traditions with the emergence of shanke <\/em>(flash) practice and aesthetics in the early 2000\u2019s, noting that its impact lasted beyond its initial moment in the spotlight: \u201cthe spirit of independence was irrevocably established and imperceptibly formed the basis of an independent ecology in the ensuing decade\u201d (35). Zhou uses Flash animation as a springboard from which to begin his interrogation of \u201cChineseness\u201d in mainstream animation as a hegemonic cultural construct, and establishes the need for \u201ca model of creative practice that not only acknowledges the historical and political reality but also frees up space for a more neutral conception of a creative community\u201d (39).<\/p>\n

In chapter 3, Zhou continues to build on the assemblage-based framework for understanding animation which he set up at the end of chapter 2, situated in the context of China\u2019s \u201cpost-socialist reality\u201d (53). He emphasizes the need to \u201cengage with this art\u2019s contextuality, even its interdisciplinary nature,\u201d (55) including its symbiotic relationship with social media and new technologies. Here, Zhou draws on the work of communication theorists such as Scolari, McLuhan and Fuller to emphasize the appropriateness of \u201cecology\u201d as an inclusive term to refer to the \u201ccultural community of practice\u201d surrounding Chinese independent animation (46). Zhou goes on to build on this idea of community through reference to Anderson and Appadurai\u2019s theorization of \u201cimagined communities,\u201d bridging the gap between \u201cecology\u201d and \u201ccommunity\u201d with DeLanda\u2019s \u201cassemblage\u201d theory. It is at this stage that Zhou introduces the first of his case studies: Ai Weiwei. He then goes on to apply his theoretical approach to two Chinese independent animators and their surrounding \u201cassemblages\u201d: Lei Lei and Pi San.<\/p>\n

In chapter 4, Zhou focuses on Pi San through the study of two of his most well-known works: Kuangkuang <\/em>and Miss Puff.<\/em> He highlights some key aspects of Pi San\u2019s distinctive style and analyzes the animator\u2019s engagement with China\u2019s social transformation through \u201cdeeply hybridized animation texts\u201d (78). He argues that the two animations present different methods of negotiating China\u2019s often challenging production environment. Kuangkuang, <\/em>which took off on social media, is the more daring in terms of content, while the Miss Puff <\/em>webseries offers a more subtle and commercially viable approach. Taken together, these two animations are representative of the way that Pi San and other independent animators respond creatively to China\u2019s post-socialist reality, combining elements of daring and pragmatism in an innovative and dynamic process of cultural production. The historical marginalization of animation as an art form often gives animators an ambiguous kind of freedom, especially when compared to their counterparts producing independent cinema who tend to be more overt in their social commentaries. While Zhou\u2019s insights regarding individual works are limited at times, he makes some interesting points about the themes and visual characteristics of Pi San\u2019s \u201cimaginative world\u201d (77). For example, he points out that although the bold, distinctive Flash aesthetic is foundational to Pi San\u2019s work, his animation also incorporates handmade and live-action elements, which contributes to their ambiguity as assemblages \u201canchored within an unstable \u2018postmodern\u2019 visuality\u201d (123).  <\/p>\n

As Zhou turns to Lei Lei\u2019s work in chapter 5, he reemphasizes the importance of Chinese animators\u2019 \u201cdistinctively light way\u201d (129) of contributing to the contemporary Chinese mediascape. He also highlights the importance of Lei Lei and other independent animators\u2019 light-weight production model, in which they work either solo or in small teams to produce works to be released on social media. Zhou, like Lei Lei himself, emphasizes the centrality of individual creative freedom of expression to Lei Lei\u2019s work, and argues that the distinctive visual and narrative style that arises from this freedom is a key factor in Lei Lei\u2019s popularity in China and internationally. He argues that \u201cLei Lei often describes animation as a kind of lifestyle rather than an occupation, which stimulates collective practices to be articulated with an individual ideology\u2026Such an independent and exotic style has become part of Lei Lei\u2019s personal manifesto that defines his personal contribution within the Chinese independent ecology\u201d (132). However, Zhou also emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary, collaborative practice to Lei Lei\u2019s work, including collaborations with brands. Despite Lei Lei\u2019s self-declared aversion to any kind of political interpretation of his work, Zhou draws out some social commentary in Lei Lei\u2019s 2007 animation Face, <\/em>comparing and contrasting Lei Lei\u2019s approach to animated self-expression with that of Pi San and other Chinese independent animators. From an artistic perspective, Zhou also argues that Lei Lei\u2019s animation pushes back against preconceived notions of what \u201cChinese animation\u201d should look like; rather than adhering to previously recognized schools of Chinese animation such as ink-painting or paper-cut, Lei Lei has developed his own highly distinctive visuality: he is representative of auteur animators\u2019 embrace of \u201cdiversified aesthetic styles and understandings of independence in the context of post-socialistic China\u201d (170).<\/p>\n

In chapter 6, Zhou draws on the works of several other animators to plot a trajectory for the future of animation in China, and to problematize the notion of animated \u201cCheesiness,\u201d especially in mainstream works (176). He compares and contrasts another well-known \u201cindependent\u201d animation, Piercing I, <\/em>and a roughly contemporaneous \u201cmainstream\u201d feature animation, Kuiba. <\/em>Through these two animations, Zhou presents both the opportunities and the shortcomings of the Chinese government\u2019s \u201csoft power\u201d ambitions for Chinese animation. He contrasts the official \u201cspotlight\u201d placed on commercial animation with the \u201cshadow\u201d status of independent animation (180) in a paradigm reminiscent of Lev Manovich\u2019s famous statement: that animation is \u201ccinema\u2019s bastard relative, its supplement, its shadow.\u201d[2]<\/a> However, Zhou argues, it is this marginalization that has in fact allowed independent animation ecology to follow a multivalent, \u201ctransformative trajectory\u201d (181), and engendered such darkly humorous works as Liu Jian\u2019s Piercing I.<\/em> Zhou underscores the differing priorities of Chinese mainstream and independent animation by contrasting the anime-adjacent technical spectacle of Kuiba <\/em>with Liu Jian\u2019s hand-crafted, \u201clow-budget\u201d aesthetic. However, he concludes the chapter by pointing to the creative prowess of recent high-end mainstream Chinese animations such as Monkey King: Hero is Back <\/em>and Nezha, <\/em>which may represent a bridge between these two apparently disparate paths.<\/p>\n

In chapter 7, Zhou concludes with a recapitulation of his earlier arguments, summarizing the historical development of Chinese independent animation and evaluating his own interpretation of the complex Chinese media ecology. He reemphasizes the importance of imagined communities and assemblage theory for \u201cfacilitating a nuanced and multi-directional account of the operation of the community of independent animators in a dynamic sense rather than as a static model.\u201d (204) He summarizes the multidisciplinary nature of independent animation as an art form and highlights the fact that many of the challenges it faces are representative of broader issues in the \u201cpost-socialist milieu\u201d (204). With reference to the case studies detailed in earlier volumes, he reiterates the diversity of independent animators\u2019 strategies when negotiating their creative, economic and political positions. Finally, he looks once again towards a future of continuous transformation, emphasizing the national and international impact which these animators are having on contemporary media ecologies. <\/p>\n

Chinese Independent Animation: Renegotiating Identity in Modern China <\/em>offers a much-needed close study of Chinese independent animation as a phenomenon. Wenhai Zhou uses an ambitious methodological framework to make sense of what can often seem a dauntingly nebulous new field, poles apart from the clear-cut canon of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. Rather than constructing an artificially static model, Zhou embraces the dynamic nature of contemporary Chinese animation and offers a number of useful conceptualizations through which to study it. Readers who are looking for a straight-forward survey of contemporary independent animation in China may not find it in this volume, focused as it is on a handful of relatively well-known animators. Nevertheless, Zhou\u2019s study of Chinese independent animation \u2014 and the theoretical issues surrounding it \u2014 is invaluable as a starting point for exploring the field, allowing readers to navigate this complex \u201cindependent media ecology\u201d with new confidence. <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Wenhai Zhou, Chinese Independent Animation: Renegotiating Identity in Modern China<\/em> (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), 5.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Lev Manovich, The Language of New Media<\/em> (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001), 298.<\/p>\n

Bio:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isabel Galwey is an MPhil student in the Division of Humanities at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. From 2015-2019 she studied Chinese at the University of Oxford and Peking University, graduating with a First. Before beginning her BA she completed a foundation diploma in Art and Design, specializing in moving image. Her research interests include animation studies, urban studies and twentieth-century mass media in China. <\/p>\n\r\n\t\t