China's animation industry grows

A girl in 3D glasses looks in awe at a 3D animal photos show at Yichang city, Hubei province, May 28, 2012. [Photo/CFP]

HANGZHOU - The production value of China's animation industry hit an estimated 60 billion yuan ($9.5 billion) in 2011, and a total of 200,000 minutes of animation were exported last year.

The statistics were released by Jin Delong, an official at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), during the ongoing 8th China International Cartoon & Animation Festival (CICAF) in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang province.

Jin said that in 2011 China created 435 animations with a total length of 261,244 minutes, up 18 percent year on year, and a total of 146 animations with a length of 200,000 minutes have been exported by the country's various film institutions.

The production value of China's animation industry exceeded 47 billion yuan in 2010, up 27.8 percent from the previous year, and the number could reach 60 billion yuan in 2011 with the same growth rate, according to Jin.

However, Jin said the scale of the Chinese animation industry is much smaller than that of Japan and the United States, and the sector is plagued by a lack of quality products.

The CICAF, scheduled to last from April 28 to May 3, features a range of exhibitions, forums, contests and fan-led activities.

Companies from 61 countries and regions attended the festival, which is the biggest animation event in China.

Initiated in 2005 by the SARFT and Zhejiang's provincial government, the festival has been held in Hangzhou for six consecutive years.