The six giant "mushroom" structures that are the China Comic and Animation Museum will be ready for visitors in 2013.

Construction began on April 19, 2010, on an island in the Baima Lake Area of Southeast Hangzhou's Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone in Zhejiang's provincial capital Hangzhou. The museum will cover 25,000 square meters and feature 30,000 sq m of floor area.

It has attracted 1 billion yuan ($154 million) in investment. Its halls are dedicated to comics, celebrities, industry and experience. The museum also has an IMAX theater, multifunctional playhouse, interactive room and large library.

The China Comic and Animation Museum focuses on guests' involvement and interactivity.

Two assessment rounds by a panel of international architecture experts determined the best design to be the Netherlands-based company MVRDV's Talk to Comics and Animation.

The designers took inspiration from the dialogue boxes - aka word bubbles - used in comic books.

The China Comic and Animation Museum is collecting items for display from institutions, experts and the public.

More than 100 comics have been collected from several famous artists. These include the works of Yan Dingxian, Lin Wenxiao, Qu Jianfang, Cai Yuanlan, Zhou Keqin and Yan Shanchun. The museum has also received works from foreign artists, including Eiichiro Oda from Japan and Yuk Long Wong from Hong Kong.

And it has received items donated by such institutions as the Hong Kong Comics and Animation Federation. These include the original paintings of the celebrated Chinese animation The Monkey King.

The museum will enable guests to understand the historical development of the country's comic and animation industry. They can also see the most precious and authoritative displays chronicling the industries' global development.

China Daily

(China Daily 06/01/2011 page68)