5 Legendary Chinese Animations You Should Watch
- Leia Emeera
- Jul 5, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 2
When you think of China historically or culturally, you tend to think of its archaic language, dynasties, or food. However, China does have a place in the history of animation.
Undoubtedly, animation is a form of art that has withstood the test of time. It prevails and only improves with its eager exploration via animators. But before the products of our current advancements, what were the champions of dated animations—but more fittingly, where does China fall into this timeline?
Table of Contents
Why Chinese Animation Deserves More Attention
The animation industry is rapidly growing in China. With the success of movies like Ne Zha, it showcases the innovative approach to animation while offering a rich source material, aka China’s vast history and mythological stories.
Animated shows like "Link Click" demonstrate how Donghua (a term for Chinese animation) can surpass the technical standards of global TV series while maintaining a strong and emotionally rich storyline. The combination of traditional Chinese aesthetics with modern techniques creates a unique visual experience. This is reminiscent of the blend of classic comic styles and contemporary animation found in "To Be Hero X".
Brief Origin of The Chinese Animation Industry
Ding Huan can be credited with one of the inventions of the Zoetrope. It dates to A.D. 180, and it was called “the pipe which makes fantasies appear.”
A zoetrope is an animation device that produces the illusion of motion, working similarly to the phenakistiscope. Except, this device isn’t a flat, 2D piece of round cardboard. Zoetropes are cylindrical tunnels with an open top and slits on the sides. Spin the cylinder and peer through the slits—and you’d see a pre-film version of an animated short movie.
However, the animation industry as we know it wasn’t popularised until much later. In the year 1888, Charles-Emile Reynaud had sparked the beginnings of modern animation—which China only picked up on in the early 1920s, marking the start of donghua (Chinese Animation) culture.
5 Chinese Animations (Donghua) You Should Watch
1. New Year (1924)
Release date: 1924
Genre: Advertisement
Animation method: 2D Animation
Directors: Shanghai Tobacco Company
New Year is a black and white animated short movie that runs for about 2 minutes, which bears the title of one of the Donghua. It was a simple advertisement for the “Shanghai Tobacco Company”—and had little impact on the animation industry. Not much is known about the short, but its place in history is remarkable in itself.
This short piece of animation was created by Cy Young. He was a Chinese-American animator who was hired by Disney at the recognition of his talents. His most notable works, during his time there, were “Snow White”, “Fantasia” and “Bambi”.
2. Princess Iron Fan (1941)
Release date: January 1, 1941
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Animation method: Rotoscoping
Directors: Wan Laiming, Wan Guchan
This Donghua was produced by the Wai Brothers—the pioneers of the Chinese animation industry. Unlike its peers at the time, this donghua was not an animated short movie. Instead, it carried the weight of one of the first Chinese animated movies. After the success of Princess Iron Fan, these siblings went on to create many more "firsts” in their respective industries.
This movie in particular borrows an occurrence from the literary work “Journey to the West”, where the princess’s sacred fan is needed to extinguish the fires near a village—which Sun Wukong unintentionally started. The Monkey King and his two companions must pass the fire to continue the journey. Through rotoscoping, the titular character and Sun Wukong duel.
3. Pigsy Eats Watermelon (1958)
Release date: 1958
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Animation method: Paper-cut stop motion
Directors: Wan Laiming, Wan Guchan
Unsurprisingly, the Wan brothers make another appearance in this list. This time around, they had offered the animation industry a brand-new animation technique—paper-cut stop motion.
This donghua of twenty minutes follows Zhu Bajie, alluding to the literary piece “Journey to the West” once more. This half-human, half-pig hybrid is representative of lust, greed, and most relevantly—gluttony.
Through pieces of carefully curated paper, Pigsy is shown looking fervently for food. He finds the watermelon, splits it up to share with his disciples and leaves the biggest piece for himself, but characteristically ends up eating it all.
4. Nezha Fights the Sea (1979)
Release date: May 19, 1979
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Action
Animation method: 2D Animation
Directors: Wang Shuchen, Yan Dingxian, Xu Jingda
Thus far, we are able to recognise a common thread within China’s animation industry—adaptations of famed Chinese literature. “Nezha Fights the Sea” is a donghua based on the novel “The Investiture of the Gods” from the era of the Ming Dynasty.
The story is set during the times of the Shang Dynasty, and includes themes like mythology, religion and philosophy. This donghua follows a prodigal character from the novel, “Nezha”, who takes on antagonistic Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. You can also find a 3D rendition of Ne Zha in the listing of Chinese animations on Netflix.
5. Three Monks (1980)
Release date: 1980
Genre: Silent Film
Animation method: Ink-Wash Animation
Directors: Xu Jingda
This twenty-minute-long, ink-wash donghua is a rendition of an old Chinese proverb. With no dialogue, the story follows three monks who try to carry water back to a temple. However, their uneven distribution of weight and strength makes it difficult for them to work together.
To make matters worse, on one fateful night, they awake to their temple set ablaze. This urges them to put their heads together and to settle their individual issues—to which they came up with a pulley system for their water-related needs.
Bonus: 3 Modern Animated Adaptations of Historical Chinese Stories
1. Three Kingdoms: Starlit Heroes (2025)
Release date: 1 October 2025
Genre: History
Animation method: Digital Animation
Directors: Meng Yu, Yuan Yuan
One of the Chinese 3D animations of the Three Kingdoms from Chinese history, this movie shows the perspective of Cao Cao as a hero. In the same year it was released, it won the award for the most Influential Animated Film of the Year. It is unsurprising, as the ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ is a common genre not only in the animation industry but also in games and live TV series. Animation projects that revolve around this historical standpoint of China withstand the test of time.
2. Jade Dynasty (2022-2025)
Release date: 2 August 2022
Genre: Martial Arts, Action, Adventure
Animation method: CGI Animation
Director: Zhang Xiao Long
Based on the novel by Xiao Ding, Jade Dynasty is a story about Zhang Xiaofan, an orphan, who joined the disciples of the Qingyunmen sect. Like all heroic stories, he was sent to the Kongsang Mountain to defeat evil and many other dangers, where he met righteous individuals like Lu Xue Qi.
This Chinese 3D animation series showcases the growth of the Chinese animation industry and its ability to tell stories, for which they won a Golden Penguin Award in 2024. It earned the Word-of-Mouth Animation of the Year for its second season of the series.
3. IMMORTALITY (2022 – Now)
Release date: 29 January 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Animation method: CGI Animation
Director: Meng Ru Shen Ji
Showcasing the story of a humble slave, Feng Han wanted to change his fate. In his journey, he discovers supernatural powers, earning the ability to become immortal. His stubbornness paved the way in a fantasy world where he reached kinghood.
Where To Watch Chinese Animations Internationally
There are several platforms where you can watch Chinese animations. Whether for paid or free, these are platforms where you can watch them:
Bilibili
iQIYI
Crunchyroll
Rakuten Viki
YouTube (Like, Muse Asia and Ani-One)
Key Takeaways
It’s reductive to discount China from discussions of historical animations.
In recent years, donghua has been getting its long-overdue praises—and it seems that this won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
The Chinese animation industry has been steadily improving, and foreign collaborations have been flooding in.
Ultimately, this diversity in the world of animation will surely conjure intriguing pieces in the years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Chinese animation the same as anime?
No, they are not the same despite sharing the same roots and influencing one another. Japanese-style animation has distinct visual tropes, while Chinese animation, or donghua, comes with cultural stories and traditional Chinese art infused with animation. While there are Chinese anime to watch, they are typically co-produced with a Japanese animation company, like “Hitori no Shita - The Outcast”.
What is Donghua?
Donghua is Chinese animation, as anime is Japanese animation.
Where should beginners start watching the best Chinese animations?
You can start watching Chinese animations on Netflix, as it is currently a common platform globally.
Author Bio
From Malaysia, Leia Emeera is a writer at TESSR, and a published author. She has been putting pen to paper ever since she learned how to, and has an anthology to her name, titled 'Ten'. Leia loves music, games and her beloved labrador retriever, George. She aims to further her studies in English Literature and Creative Writing the moment her gap year ends. 'Till then, you will find her sitting behind a desk, writing with TESSR.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: Leia Emeera
With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies, like parodies of animated shows and plots for board games. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Now an advocate for mental health and effective project management for the creative industry. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.