QINGDAO’S comic and animation industry has achieved fast development despite a late start.

    There are 28 comic and animation producing enterprises, 47 animation game enterprises and 19 training institutions. The enterprises in the city have produced more than 30 cartoons totaling almost 10,000 minutes since 2008.

    A 52-episode cartoon titled “Go Calf,” which was co-produced by Qingdao Pro & High Animation Co. and China Central Television, achieved a 14-percent TV rating on the national broadcaster last year.

    In addition, local animation works, including Haute Route Co.’s “Confucius Mansion,” Lingdong Digital’s “Apandi” and Qingdao Agricultural University’s “Divergence,” have received many provincial and national awards.

    In game production, Qingdao Meitian Network Co.’s XBA basketball online game entered the Taiwan market in 2008. Qingdao Yinte Tianmeng Animation Co.’s “Warrior” and “Fighters Online” will be on sale in 2011.

    After five years of development, Qingdao has built four comic and animation industrial parks, gathering a large number of enterprises in the industry.

    Qingdao International Animation Game Industrial Park is home to more than 30 Chinese enterprises. Companies from Japan, South Korea, Europe and America will also enter the park, which works in collaboration with the China Animation Association and Zhongguancun Software Park.

    The park is expected to house more than 100 enterprises and 10,000 staff members and achieve a yearly output of 5 billion yuan by 2012.

    There were nine animation projects under construction by June with a total investment of over 10.58 billion yuan.

    Costing 5 billion yuan , the first stage of Huaqiang Culture and Technology Industrial Park is under construction, and is estimated to attract more than 5,000 animation professionals after completion, forming the biggest animation team in the country.

    With an investment of 400 million yuan, Phoenix Island Animation Town is under construction. With the help from Beijing Film Academy’s Qingdao Creative Media Institute, Phoenix Island will be a high-level 3D animation park.

    A top original animation producer from Taiwan, Wang Film Productions Co. has set up its global headquarters in Chengyang District, where it will build an animation base with a yearly output of 10 billion yuan.

    In addition, Qingdao has also seen rapid development in the production of animated games with several games hitting the market.

    In early November, Qingdao Agricultural University combined with the Ocean University of China, Qingdao University, Shandong University of Science and Technology and Qingdao Technological University to establish Qingdao Digital Animation Research Institute, which provides a technology and theory research platform for the animation industry. (Martin Li, Li Wei)