【Editor's note】

Mr. Yan Dingxian, a member of the Communist Party of China, a famous animation artist, chief animation designer and first-level director of "Havoc in Heaven", died of illness at 4:24 am on December 26, 2022 at the age of 86. He was a director of the China Film Association, Director of Shanghai Film Association, vice president of China Animation Society, member of International Animation Association (ASIFA), enjoys special allowance from the State Council.

This article is an excerpt from "An Oral History of Shanghai Meiying People as an Animator (Volume 1)" edited by Fu Guangchao. The Paper is authorized to reprint and publish excerpts. Lin Wenxiao, another interviewee in this article, is also an animation director and the wife of Yan Dingxian.

"Where the Zha is in the Sea" poster

"Nezha Naohai" is only more than 60 minutes long, but there are 3 directors and 15 original paintings

Fu Guangchao : "Where is the trouble in the sea" is the first feature film made by the American Film Studio after the "Cultural Revolution". I heard that Mr. Te Wei originally wanted to make "Three Dozens of Bones".

Yan Dingxian : Yes, we want to make a feature film as a tribute to the 30th anniversary of the founding of New China, and it should be completed before the National Day in 1979. Mr. Te Wei mentioned that he wanted to shoot "Three Dozens of Bones", which later became "The Golden Monkey Conquering the Demon". Originally, we had set up a film crew and went on location in Wuxi and Yixing. As a result, Xia Yan, the leader of the Ministry of Culture at the time, felt that "Three Beats of the Bones" was too popular. Movies, Shaoxing operas, and various stage plays were being performed. Let us not Catch together, it is best to change the subject matter. And if it's too late to do "Three Beats of the Bone Demon", it has a lot of content and can't be completed within a year. Te Wei also hopes to grind the script in the early stage and finish the script slowly. At this time, Wang Shuchen said that he had a script of "Nezha Navigating the Sea", which he planned to cooperate with the Soviet Union in the past, but now he can shoot it with a little movement, so the factory decided to change to "Nezha Trouble the Sea". I remember that the time was quite tight. The preliminary work of directing and design was fine, and the original animation, line drawing, coloring, and shooting were all behind. The actual production time was only seven or eight months. Why is "Nezha Nao Hai" only 60 minutes long, but there are 3 directors and 15 original paintings? That's how it came about. Meiying Studio has never invested in a film like this before.

Fu Guangchao : The core point of the adaptation of "Feng Shen Yan Yi" from "Nezha Nao Hai" is to transfer the conflict between Li Jing and Nezha to the Dragon King.

Yan Dingxian : At that time, we divided the drama into four parts: "life", "death", "living" and "noisy". We changed the main conflicts to Nezha's struggle with nature and the dragon king. There are still shadows of father-son conflicts, but we have weakened them to the minimum. Because the time is too short, we have a regret. If this film can be shot for more than 70 minutes, it can be done better. Now some places are a bit simplistic, and some details are not expanded. Especially why the sika deer is so close to Nezha, I didn't make it clear. If you add a scene, Li Jing takes Nezha to hunt and sees a wounded deer, and then Nezha takes it back and raises it at home. That way, their father-son relationship can show. Out of gratitude, the deer tried his best to save Nezha when he was about to commit suicide, which enriched the plot again. This is of course a later story.

"Nezha Naohai" stills

Fu Guangchao : How did you decide to invite Mr. Zhang Ding to be the chief art designer?

Yan Dingxian : Because "Havoc in Heaven" invited Zhang Guangyu and Zhang Zhengyu, and everyone reported that it is good to express ancient myths in a decorative style. After discussion, it was decided to invite Mr. Zhang Ding. Mr. Zhang Ding's decorative painting is another type. In the end, the decoration of "Nezha Naohai" is closer to realism than the decoration of "Havoc in Heaven".

Fu Guangchao : Have you ever visited Mr. Zhang Ding in Beijing?

Yan Dingxian : I was the one who specially invited him. At that time, I happened to be teaching students at the Beijing Film Academy. Before the course was over, the factory arranged for me to go directly to Teacher Zhang Ding once. I took a leave of absence and told Teacher Zhang Ding about this idea. He was very happy, and he said that he also had great ideas about designing Nezha. Because "Havoc in Heaven" was done by Zhang Guangyu and others, so he also wanted to try "Nezha Havoc in the Sea" this time.

Fu Guangchao : In the later cooperation, is there anything that makes you remember more deeply?

Yan Dingxian : After the film was completed, I also took Mr. Zhang Ding to watch it, and he was very satisfied. At the beginning, he had some ideas, thinking that you can achieve the level of "Havoc in Heaven". As a result, when he saw it later, he felt relieved. Yan Shanchun once wrote in an article that when we went to Qingdao to go on location together, the old man was always painting, watching us wandering around, he had some opinions. Yan Shanchun's article makes it very clear that art and animation have different ways of observing life.

Fu Guangchao : I heard that the Nezha that Mr. Zhang Ding first designed was black and thin, which was very different from the finalized shape.

Yan Dingxian : Mr. Zhang Ding's wife thinks that Nezha is the son of working people and fishermen. He must be dark and thin, but not fat. If he is fat, he is like a doll in a New Year painting. However, after discussion, several of our directors decided to design according to the audience's aesthetics and people's traditional impression of Nezha. Moreover, Nezha is the son of the general soldier, and he does not necessarily have to be associated with fishermen, and the audience will not study Nezha's background. If it is too thin, the drawn animation effect will not be very good, and the original painters also feel comfortable to draw after modification.

Fu Guangchao : The location of the filming was finally decided on the coast of Shandong. I heard that everyone discussed it before deciding, right?

Yan Dingxian : Huang Wei said that when he was in school, he went to sketch in that area. He said that place was good, and after everyone discussed it, he chose to go there.

Fu Guangchao : Did the idea of designing the location of Chentangguan with reference to Penglai Pavilion come before or after going there?

Lin Wenxiao : After we go. When I got there, I saw that Penglai Pavilion is a pass of Haikou, and the architecture is also very spectacular, quite shocking. The three directors and art designers all felt that it was the most appropriate to refer to this design scene, and the photographer also took a lot of materials.

On September 21, 2017, animation designers Yan Dingxian (middle) and Lin Wenxiao (left) were interviewed by Fu Guangchao. Photo by Cai Jie

Fu Guangchao : What materials did the original paintings accumulate when they lived in the next generation?

Lin Wenxiao : Because there are many marine animals in "Where the Zha is in the Sea", we went to the aquarium to visit and learn about their living habits and movement rules. I did a lot of dynamic sketches of squid, we hadn't seen live squid before. We also went to Shidao to meet with fishermen, sketched and painted portraits, took a small fishing boat to the sea for a float, got off the fishing boat and went to the island for some activities. When I was on the shore, I observed the sea and recorded the movement of the waves when they approached the reef. Because the sea seen in Shanghai is very calm, without such momentum. After returning from life, they directed the sub-shots, and all of us who drew the action went to Dianshan Lake to soak in the water and experience the feeling of swimming. Because Fan Benxin couldn't swim, I took her with me and taught her how to swim. Most of the time, her skin was exposed to the water, and she didn't wear any sunscreen. That day, she felt that her skin was burnt after being exposed to the sun, and she couldn't lie down to sleep. It took about a week. Later, she painted the scene of Nezha playing in the water.

Fu Guangchao : Why did the shape of the water wave in "Nezha Nao the Sea" absorb Ma Yuan's painting style?

Lin Wenxiao : Scenes related to water occupy a large proportion in "Nezha Nao Hai", and the water in it is constantly moving. We believe that water should be in the national style, and the painting methods of water in Chinese paintings are also very colorful, but who paints water most suitable for the expression of cartoons? At the beginning, we saw a lot of water paintings by ancient painters. Later, art designer Huang Wei found a book about Ma Yuan's water paintings. I was very excited after reading it. Ma Yuan's water is the most diverse, with microwaves, small waves, big waves, and huge waves, which are very dynamic and provide us with a lot of material. I used to use folding paper to draw the appearance of each of his water waves as a reference, and then animate the shape of the water and transform it into moving water in the cartoon. After designing a set of drawing methods for water in cartoons, everyone drew according to this style, and the overall look is very unified and complete.

Fu Guangchao : Painting water should not only be a lot of work, but also relatively cumbersome.

Lin Wenxiao : Yes. There is also a technical problem here, if the shot is 10 seconds, if you draw water for 10 seconds continuously, you will be exhausted, so let the water movement cycle. It is also a difficult problem to continuously circulate the water in this style, so it has to be dealt with in many layers.

Fu Guangchao : Mr. Yan, the architecture, props, and costumes of "Nezha Naohai" refer to the style of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Why do you base the style on the Tang and Song Dynasties?

Yan Dingxian : It is mainly the scene of the General Military Mansion. When I first drew the design draft, I considered the style of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, but if I designed it according to the textual research, the interior environment would look too empty and the light would be very dark, so the whole tone might not be good after the drawing. The age in the cartoon is a bit symbolic, and the habit of sitting on the floor can be preserved, and other things should not be restricted by the age. This film is mainly for children, and it is better to have brighter colors.

Fu Guangchao : How long did it take to create the sub-shots of "Nezha Navigating the Sea"?

Yan Dingxian : In terms of shooting, it took less than half a month, only two or three weeks. After returning from the location, Wang Shuchen, myself, and Xu Jingda spent the whole day in a small room to draw storyboards, which used to be the office of the party branch. The three of them discussed and drew at the same time, and all the drafts came out in less than half a month. After the drawing is finished, I will sort it out again, and immediately ask the designers to sort it out according to the final draft of various backgrounds and characters.

Fu Guangchao : How did you and the other two directors divide the production process?

Yan Dingxian : Wang Shuchen is mainly in charge of the script, and he will also watch the original animation and scene design when it is finalized. The original animation was mainly captured by me, and Ada captured the scenes. When creating "Nezha Naohai", he put forward eight characters: "odd, unique, strong, beautiful; life, death, alive, noisy", "odd, unique, strong, beautiful" is the general style requirement, "life The four scenes of "life, death, life, and trouble" are the key points, which are studied by the three directors. It is more convenient to say this when talking about creation, every word is essential. Later, when I went to Japan for an exchange, when I talked about this, their reporters still kept notebooks. I felt that the Chinese people still do things in an outline.

Fu Guangchao : Do the three directors agree on the overall style of the film?

Yan Dingxian : Basically the same. But since it is a co-director, it is certain that everyone's style and viewpoint will inevitably be restrained. That's why Ada said that in the future, I will try my best to be an independent director, and I will be more free by myself. Later, he worked on "Three Monks", in the style of his own cartoons. This also shows that when a director matures, he is unwilling to be restrained by other styles. This is also true, otherwise your personal style will never come out.

Fu Guangchao : The music made by Mr. Jin Fuzai for this play is quite different from the previous series of works. What innovations do you think?

Yan Dingxian: Jin Fuzai has a relatively open mind, and he adopts the method of combining Chinese and Western styles. The combination of Western orchestral music and national musical instruments has a richer and fuller effect, and the sound of the chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng was also used. At that time, the chime bells had just been unearthed, so they could not be struck casually. We had to bring back every monophonic material that had been recorded, and then put them together into a tune.

Fu Guangchao : What are the main pre-music fragments?

Yan Dingxian : Sections with strong beats are generally pre-music, such as the scene of "Dragon Palace Celebration". This scene was drawn by Pan Jiyao. He also suggested that the pre-stage should be done, because the rhythm of the dance should be consistent with the tempo of the music. Emotional paragraphs are case by case.

Lin Wenxiao : "The Rebirth of Nezha" is also the early music.

Yan Dingxian: Oh, "Rebirth" was painted by her (Lin Wenxiao ). Generally, before doing pre-music, the original painting should be discussed with the composer, and the movements designed by her should be communicated with the composer first, and talk about the changes in the rhythm of the movements.

Fu Guangchao : And the scene where Li Jing plays the piano.

Yan Dingxian : Yes, this scene is in advance, and the original painting was drawn by Mark Xuan. The fingering and movements of playing the piano should be in sync with the music. Ma Kexuan went to practice the piano, and he also sat by the side during the recording.

Fu Guangchao : Mr. Lin, at that time you were the original painting team leader of "Ne Zha Nao Hai", what kind of work would you be responsible for?

Lin Wenxiao : Like everyone else, I accept a division of labor after returning from location shooting, and each original painting has to complete its own scene. In fact, the team leader does not have a special task, the main thing is to care about comrades who are relatively new to the original painting. For example, one of the 15 original paintings is Jiang Caifan from the Beijing Film Academy. She was studying as a teacher of the Film Academy at that time. She is still relatively unfamiliar with the creation and production of animation. After coming to Shanghai, she fully participated in the original animation work of "Nezha Nao Hai". There was a scene of the general in the General Military Mansion that was assigned to her to paint. She would encounter some difficulties during the painting, and we often had to communicate.

There are also other excellent original paintings that often exchange creative ideas together. This is very frequent. Sometimes it is a group discussion, and sometimes it is an individual exchange of ideas. For example, Chang Guangxi was in charge of painting the scene of "suicide", and we communicated many times. In fact, it is not appropriate for the behavior of "suicide" to appear in cartoons, but we must use this behavior to show Nezha's spirit of self-sacrifice. At the beginning, I actually thought about showing the self-killing action positively, but it would be cruel if a lot of blood flowed out, so Chang Guangxi used a turning action to show the process of wiping his neck. In order to let the audience feel the excitement of the character, Chang Guang wanted to make Nezha's hair stand up all of a sudden, and then use several consecutive stops to show that life is ending little by little. But this may make people feel that there is something wrong with your technique, so I suggest that after a pause, let the hair fall slowly. This lens can achieve the current effect, and editing is also very important. Originally, this act of killing himself was shown in one shot, but the editor cut this shot into two sections—Nezha turned around and cut himself off, then suddenly stopped, and first inserted close-ups of the sika deer, Li Jing, and the general, which gave people the feeling of The air in the entire space froze, and time stood still, and then jumped back to the scene of Nezha committing suicide, waiting for his hair to slowly float on his shoulders.

Another example is Zhuang Minjin's painting of the scene where little Nezha was born. In one scene, Nezha stretched out and yawned after coming out of the meat ball. I happened to have a photo of my son yawning when he was a child, and I brought it from home to her for reference. In the end, the yawning in the scene she drew was really realistic. The same is true for other original paintings. If you encounter any troubles or need to study things, you will always come to communicate.

Fu Guangchao : Mr. Lin, what techniques did you use when creating the two scenes of "Rebirth" and the subsequent "Entering the Sea"?

Lin Wenxiao : I just drew a version of the scene of Nezha's rebirth, and I showed it to the director. I was not satisfied, so I overturned it and started over. Later, I thought, Nezha was revived by Taiyi Daoist, so his actions should be different. So I designed more than a dozen movements, absorbing some beautiful dynamics from Dunhuang art, Buddhist sculptures and dances, and a little childish. These more than a dozen dynamics are expressed in a long stacking method, one dynamic after another, until he wakes up. The technical processing of this shot is also relatively complicated. How many frames are stacked for each frame, how to control the rhythm, and the original painting must be clearly written in the photography sheet. Photographers sometimes come to communicate, and multiple exposures are required when shooting.

There is also the scene where Nezha and the real Taiyi embrace each other, which needs to be expressed with a 360-degree rotation effect. If it is a live-action filming, the lens will revolve around the actor, but it is impossible for the camera lens of animation to rotate, so the 360-degree movement must be drawn by the original animation. The long shot of Nezha entering the sea is also relatively cinematic. First, it is a shot looking up. Nezha enters the deep sea from far to near. . In fact, it is a panning effect, which needs to be drawn one by one in the original animation.

"Nezha Naohai" stills

Fu Guangchao : The production cycle of this film is so tight, so the work intensity should be very high, right?

Lin Wenxiao : I have to work overtime, because everyone has a goal in their hearts to catch up with the National Day and present gifts, so they are very busy. But we don't relax our spare time activities. During the break, even if it's only 15 minutes or 20 minutes, we dance ballroom dancing. At that time, I had just liberated my mind and could dance ballroom dancing and listen to Teresa Teng's songs. After some popular songs from outside were heard, everyone was very excited and their emotions were very high. So when it was time for a break, the film crew put the table aside to leave a space for dancing, and Ada also came from the painting room to our studio to dance. After the break, we sat down immediately and drew again. It was a very happy time.

Fu Guangchao : Did you celebrate after the film production?

Lin Wenxiao : We went to Changfeng Park for a picnic. The film crew of more than 20 people brought dry food and bought vegetables. They had dinner, played and took some commemorative photos in the park. It was very interesting. In a photo, there are more than 20 of us standing on the stairs, including the director, original painting, animation, matte and so on. After several years, we took out this photo and looked at it. Many people have left the Meiying Studio, and we were a little sad to see it. What a huge team we were at that time, the largest film crew, and everyone was a master.

Could you invite the Wan brothers to come to the factory once, there is a manga artist in Japan who wants to see them

Fu Guangchao : Teacher Yan, can you talk about Osamu Tezuka's first visit to Meiying Studio in 1980?

Yan Dingxian : In October 1980, he brought a delegation of young animators to Shanghai and stayed at the Jin Jiang Hotel. The factory asked me to receive them. I took a taxi to the Jinjiang Hotel, and when I got there, I saw Tezuka sitting there. This is the first time I see him, and I feel that he is older than me. How can he be a young animator? It turned out that all the young people went to Nanjing Road and the Bund, so he stayed here. They went to Beijing before, and they will go back to Japan after staying in Shanghai for three days. Then he told me about his experience, especially that he became interested in animation after watching "The Iron Fan Princess" by the Wan Brothers.

Fu Guangchao : Was he the one who offered to see Wan Lao?

Yan Dingxian : Yes, he said he wanted to meet Wan Lao. I made a phone call from the Jin Jiang Hotel to the personnel department of the factory and asked if I could invite the Wan Brothers to come to the factory once. A manga artist in Japan wanted to see them. The factory is also very serious, and quickly replied to me that yes, I will see you tomorrow afternoon, and Dawan, 20,000, and 30,000 will be invited by then. The next day we received Tezuka in the small screening room and showed him the film from Meiying Studio. Tezuka was very happy. The three of us Wanlao don’t have any airs. They didn’t know Osamu Tezuka before, but they were very happy to hear that Tezuka had seen their films. At that time, "Astro Boy" hadn't been released in China, but we had heard that "Astro Boy" was the first Japanese animation series to be screened in China.

Fu Guangchao : The Chinese art film delegation visited Japan in the second year.

Yan Dingxian : Yes, three people went there, Te Wei, Duan Xiaoxuan, and me. It was the season when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom.

Fu Guangchao : Where did you go after arriving in Japan?

Yan Dingxian : After I went there, I visited their animation companies. There were many people trained by Tezuka in the animation companies I went to. The big animation companies mainly went to Toei.

Fu Guangchao : How did you feel after seeing their production process and industry development?

Yan Dingxian : There are a lot of series and series, and the TV industry is very developed. Animation is a very important column of TV stations, and new films are constantly released. We watched it and found out that they have a step-by-step production process. When the first five episodes are broadcast, the last five episodes are already in production, and the broadcast time of each week is fixed, and no skylights are allowed in the middle.

Fu Guangchao : "Ne Zha Nao Hai" was very popular at the time, did you have any special communication with your Japanese counterparts?

Yan Dingxian : I remember that the screening was held in the screening room on the sixth floor of Seibu Department Store. After the film was shown, we wanted to listen to their reactions, and organized a symposium for people in the animation industry. They asked some questions, including technical and production issues, how the three directors worked together, how the scenes of "Nezha Nao Hai" were performed, and so on.

Fu Guangchao : Hayao Miyazaki was there at that time?

Yan Dingxian : He and Isao Takahata have also watched the film, but it seems that the symposium did not come.

Fu Guangchao : Judging from the literature left over at that time, they admired "Nezha Naohai" very much. But they connected the Dragon King in "Nezha Nao Hai" with the "Gang of Four".

Yan Dingxian : Many people think that the Dragon King of the Four Seas is the "Gang of Four", but we don't have this idea in our minds.

Fu Guangchao : Under what circumstances did you paint the painting "Astro Boy and Monkey King Shaking Hands" that you collaborated with Tezuka?

Yan Dingxian : The night before we left, the reporters booed and asked the two of us to collaborate on a painting. After we finished working together, the reporters asked us to pose for a photo according to the actions in the painting. The paintings and photos were first published somewhere in Tokyo, and then they took the published manuscript to China Film Publishing House, and "Popular Film" also published it.

When we were in Tokyo, we also painted for many Japanese children. No matter where Tezuka went, people asked him to paint. Tezuka didn't let me go, so he introduced to everyone that there was another guest from China who was also engaged in cartoons and painting Monkey King. So I also drew together with him, and drew about dozens, not less than a hundred. If he draws Astro Boy's head, I draw Monkey King's head. If he draws the whole body, I also draw the whole body.

Fu Guangchao : There is also a very famous painting of Astro Boy with his arms around Monkey King. When it was publicized in China, it was always said that this was a collaboration between Wan Lao and Tezuka, and some people said that it was a collaboration between you and Tezuka. But those who are familiar with Wan Lao's painting style can tell at a glance that this is not Wan Lao's style, and at that time Wan Lao's hands were shaking so badly that he could only draw with a brush. The shape and lines of this Monkey King are not like your style either.

Yan Dingxian : I didn't draw it. This painting is of Monkey King in "The Golden Monkey Conquering the Demon", which was drawn by Tezuka to celebrate the completion of "The Golden Monkey Conquering the Demon".

Fu Guangchao : When was the last time you saw Tezuka?

Yan Dingxian : When the Shanghai International Animation Film Festival was held in 1988, I went to the airport to pick up Tezuka. After getting off the plane, he still hugged me, and I almost burst into tears when I saw his appearance. At that time, he had already had stomach cancer and had undergone surgery, and he was extremely thin. He died shortly after returning to Japan.

Fu Guangchao : Did Tezuka meet Wanlao again? Is there any communication?

Yan Dingxian : I saw it once, and all three Wan Laos came that day. The Wan elders are getting old and rarely go to the factory, so I asked them to meet with Tezuka once at the film festival. He didn't talk much, and Wan Lao didn't talk much at that time.

Fu Guangchao : On October 18, 1986, Meiying Studio held an event called "The 60th Anniversary of the Wan Brothers Engaged in the Animation Industry". At that time, Mr. Yan was already the director of the factory.

Yan Dingxian : It was a tea party to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Wan Lao's film career. Leaders and old comrades from the film bureau and factory all came and sat with them at the big round table.

Lin Wenxiao : Teacher Yan came to preside over the event. There was also a special screening of the film in the auditorium, and a delegation from Japan was sent to congratulate.

Yan Dingxian : I even went up to give a speech. It was not easy to hold such an event. Afterwards, several old people left one after another.

Fu Guangchao : Mr. Te Wei has never given up on the idea of shooting "Three Dozens of Bones". After "Nezha Nao Hai", Mr. Yan directed "Ginseng Fruit". Is it a preparation for the later "Golden Monkey Conquering the Demon"?

Yan Dingxian : "Ginseng Fruit" is actually "training" for "Golden Monkey Conquering the Demon", because I haven't painted a scene of Monkey King for more than ten years.

Lin Wenxiao : In the late period of the "Cultural Revolution", when Mr. Te Wei was not liberated, the two of us went to see him and chat with him. He mentioned his desire to make a feature film, and we said, if you make a feature film, we will help you. After the "Cultural Revolution" ended, he returned to his leadership position, and he wanted to push "Three Beats of the Bone Demon" to the top. But at that time, the "Gang of Four" had just stepped down, and some outsiders used this subject to target the "Gang of Four." Moreover, Shao opera with this theme is also very popular, and the higher-ups hoped that he would not engage in this, so we filmed "Nezha Nao Hai", and Te Wei re-wrote the book of "Three Dozens of Bone Demons". It was delayed for a few more years, and it wasn't until 1982 that the launch began.

Fu Guangchao : Generally speaking, the style of "Ginseng Fruit" is still a continuation of "Havoc in Heaven", but "Golden Monkey Conquering the Demon" can be said to be a fresh start in terms of art design and character creation.

Lin Wenxiao : One of the main points Te Wei put forward is that Monkey King is different from five hundred years ago and five hundred years later.

Yan Dingxian : Sun Wukong has been under the Five Elements Mountain for 500 years, so the time between the period of "Havoc in Heaven" is relatively long. The ones in the front are childish and younger, while the ones in the back are older and more mature.

Lin Wenxiao : At this time, Sun Wukong is relatively mature. He has become a monk and has a mission. The character and emotion of the characters are more detailed and deeper than in "Havoc in Heaven".

Fu Guangchao : Under what circumstances did the Shanghai International Animation Film Festival start?

Yan Dingxian : After the reform and opening up, we began to frequently go abroad to participate in film festivals, and the films of the American Film Studio also won many awards. Some foreign colleagues said, you have such a big factory, you can also hold film festivals. Like Zagreb in Yugoslavia, their funds and production volume are not too much, but they have organized an animation festival. Meiying Factory can also produce hundreds of minutes of films a year, and it fully meets this condition. In 1985, Te Wei and I went to France to participate in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. During this period, we participated in the regular meeting of "Axifa" as a representative of the Chinese members of the Animation Association. As a member, we can recommend works from our own country to participate in various international animation film festivals, and we can also get the support of Asifa to hold international animation film festivals in our country. So at the end of November 1985, I proposed the idea of holding an international animation film festival with the leadership team in the factory, and after getting everyone's consent, I made a report to the Film Bureau. I spoke to the director again and he was also very supportive. Everyone thinks that our own film festival is a good opportunity to become famous in the international animation industry. Dare to hold a film festival means that you are a big animation country.

Fu Guangchao : I found a problem when I checked the information. In the past, when many works of the American Film Studio participated in various film festivals, they lost the opportunity to participate several times because the submission of the film was overdue. For example, in 1980, when "Nezha Nao Hai" went to the Cannes International Film Festival, and in 1983 and 1985, it missed the competition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival twice. Why does this happen so often?

Yan Dingxian : This kind of thing does happen, because the film is not sent by our factory, but by China Film Corporation. Even if the people in our factory go out to participate in the film festival, we are not responsible for the task of delivering the film, and we don't know the situation on their side. In the past, in most cases, China Film Corporation decided which films to send and where to participate, and they would not notify us. We would only know after winning the award. Later, when we found some problems, we suggested that China Film Company should ask the factory for opinions on which films can be sent out and which films are not good to send out, so the problem here is very complicated.

Fu Guangchao : How long was the tenure of the factory director at that time?

Yan Dingxian : Four years, I was in office from 1984 to 1989, a little over four years. After the animation film festival in 1988 was over, I wrote a report to Director Wu Yigong and resigned. I agreed with him to serve for one term, but it took a long time to get the approval. It was only later that I found out that the finance department of the film bureau was going to do audit work to see if you, the director of the factory, had any private goods in the economy during your tenure, so I waited for several months.

Book Cover of "As an Animator - Oral History of Shanghai Meiying People (Volume 1)"

Interview and recording: Fu Guangchao

Filming: Wang Hongjia, Zhao Qiang, Bao Yuanhui

Original interview transcripts: Cai Jie, Fu Guangchao

Interview transcript proofreading, editing: Fu Guangchao