Donghua (动画) You Should Watch: A Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Animations

TL;DR

Donghua offers a different perspective on animation through its blend of traditional Chinese influences and modern production techniques. 

• 'Donghua' refers to animation produced in China: It has a history stretching back nearly a century.

• Donghua has reached global audiences: Global hits such as Ne Zha and Link Click have helped Chinese animation reach international audiences.

• These seven animated movies offer valuable lessons: From storytelling, character animation, and visual development to artistic experimentation.

  
  

If you've heard of Ne Zha or Link Click, you've already seen part of a much bigger story. While Japanese anime often dominates conversations about animation in Asia, Chinese animation (donghua) has been building its own global audience through ambitious storytelling, rich mythology, and a growing catalogue of critically acclaimed films and series.

China's animation history stretches back almost a century and has influenced generations of artists both within and beyond its borders. In this article, we'll explore what donghua is, why it's gaining international attention, and seven Chinese animated works that deserve a place on every aspiring animator's watchlist.

Table of Contents

What Is Donghua? Why Donghua Deserves More Attention 7 Donghua You Should Watch Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Is Donghua?

Donghua (动画) is the term used to refer to animation produced in China. Like Japanese anime or Western animation, it spans multiple genres and techniques, from hand-drawn films and stop-motion experiments to large-scale CGI productions. While modern donghua leans toward fantasy adventures and cultivation stories, the medium itself has a longer history rooted in Chinese art, folklore, and storytelling traditions.

The clearest difference between anime and donghua comes down to source material. Anime typically adapts manga, the comics that made the Japanese publishing industry famous. Donghua typically adapts manhua, its Chinese counterpart, whether released in print or online.

Below are the differences between donghua, anime and Western animation:

A Brief Origin of Donghua

China's animation journey began nearly a century ago.

In 1935, the Wan brothers released The Camel's Dance, widely recognised as China's first animated film with sound. A few years later, they produced Princess Iron Fan (1941), China's first animated feature film and one of the most significant milestones in Chinese animation history.

Throughout the decades that followed, Chinese animators experimented with paper-cut animation, stop-motion, and ink-wash techniques. These artistic traditions continue to influence modern productions today, creating a unique blend of heritage and innovation that distinguishes donghua from other animation industries.

Why Donghua Deserves More Attention

Donghua's quality has been excellent for years, with studios like Haoliners, B.CMAY, and Wan Wei Mao producing work with cinematic lighting, fluid 3D/2D hybrid techniques, and fight choreography that rivals or surpasses a lot of mainstream anime. Donghua also doesn’t get the same marketing push or fandom visibility (underexposed) outside China, even though the quality is there. However, this is slowly changing due to online platforms’ availability, like Crunchyroll and Netflix.

Ne Zha 2 alone pulled in over $2.2 billion worldwide, overtaking Inside Out 2 as the highest-grossing animated movie. It's also the first non-English-language film and the first Chinese film to ever hit that $2 billion milestone.

That kind of global reach isn't limited to Ne Zha 2. Other donghuas are matching global production standards in their own right.

Animated shows like Link Click also demonstrate how donghua can surpass the technical standards of global TV series. 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".

7 Donghua You Should Watch

With so many donghua being produced, here are seven donghua with different animation styles for aspiring animators:

1. Fog Hill of Five Elements

2. Princess Iron Fan

3. Pigsy Eats Watermelon

4. Nezha Fights Sea

5. Link Click

6. Jade Dynasty

7. IMMORTALITY

   
   

1. Fog Hill of Five Elements (2020)

• Release date: July 26, 2020

• Genre: Action, Fantasy, Martial Arts

• Animation method: Hand-drawn 2D with CG 

• Director: Lin Hun

  
  

Set in a world where elemental guardians protect humanity from supernatural creatures, the series combines Chinese mythology with craftsmanship. Every fight scene demonstrates a strong understanding of movement, timing, and impact. Produced only by a small team, the series became famous for its fluid action sequences and amazing effects animation.

Key inspiration: The Fog Hill of Five Elements series is a masterclass in action animation. The animators use anticipation, squash and stretch, and dynamic staging to create weight and energy. It is one of the best examples of how strong fundamentals can elevate every frame.

2. Princess Iron Fan (1941)

• Release date: November 19, 1941

• Genre: Fantasy, Drama

• Animation method: Rotoscoping

• Directors: Wan Laiming, Wan Guchan

  
  

This donghua was produced by the Wan Brothers. Unlike its peers at the time, this donghua was not a short film. Instead, it stood as one of the first Chinese animated movies. The story follows Sun Wukong, who uses shapeshifting to trick a hostile princess and obtain her magical fan to extinguish a blazing mountain and continue the journey west. After the success of Princess Iron Fan, these siblings went on to create many more "firsts” in their respective industries.

Key Inspiration: Beyond its historical significance, the film demonstrates how early animators solved storytelling and technical challenges with limited resources. It is a fascinating look at the foundations of feature animation in Asia.

3. Pigsy Eats Watermelon (1958)

• Release date: 1958

• Genre: Fantasy, Comedy

• Animation method: Paper-cut stop motion

• Director: Wan Guchan

  
  

Zhu Bajie travels in Journey to the West as he attempts to satisfy his endless appetite. In this 1958 animation, he splits off from Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong to hunt down food during a stop at an abandoned temple, only to find a watermelon that he can't resist eating by himself.

What makes the film remarkable is its use of paper-cut stop-motion animation. It is a technique inspired by traditional Chinese folk art. Every character, prop, and movement is created from carefully designed paper cut-outs, resulting in a distinctive style that stands apart from both Western animation and Japanese anime.

Key Inspiration: The film demonstrates how cultural art forms can be translated into animation. It is an excellent reminder that innovation does not always come from new technology, sometimes it comes from reimagining traditional techniques.

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

  
  

Nezha Fights the Sea is a donghua based on "The Investiture of the Gods", a Ming Dynasty novel, and follows the character Nezha as he takes on the antagonistic Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, set during the earlier Shang Dynasty and woven through with themes of mythology, religion, and philosophy.

Produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio, the film pairs traditional hand-drawn animation with watercolour-style backgrounds and ink wash techniques drawn from classical Chinese painting, an approach most visible in how it renders the film's water and sea sequences.

Key Inspiration: The film shows how mythology can be adapted into compelling visual storytelling. It also demonstrates strong character acting and cinematic composition that still hold up decades later.

5. Link Click (2021)

• Release date: April 30, 2021

• Genre: Mystery, Drama, Supernatural

• Animation method: Digital 2D Animation

• Studio: Studio LAN

  
  

Link Click follows two friends who can look at photographs and relive moments from the past. However, what makes the series stand out is not its premise but its execution. Produced by Studio LAN, the show pairs restrained, film-like cinematography and a muted colour palette with strong character development, letting small shifts in a character's expression carry as much weight as the mystery itself. Every episode reveals how small decisions can create significant consequences.

Key Inspiration: Link Click is a reminder that strong storytelling often leaves a bigger impact than visual spectacle alone. Animators can study how the series uses cinematography, pacing, editing, and subtle character acting to create emotional tension. The show proves that animation does not always need explosive action sequences to keep audiences invested.

6. Jade Dynasty (2022-2025)

• Release date: August 2, 2022

• Genre: Martial Arts, Action, Adventure

• Animation method: CGI Animation

• Director: Zhang Xiao Long

Based on the novel by Xiao Ding (pen name of Zhang Wei), 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 Kongsang Mountain to overcome 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 it won a Golden Penguin Award from Tencent Video in 2024. It also earned the Annual Most Word-of-Mouth Animation award from Tencent Video's Golden Penguin Honours for its second season.

Key Inspiration: Jade Dynasty highlights the importance of world-building in animation. Every environment, costume, creature, and visual effect contributes to creating a believable fantasy setting. Aspiring animators can study how visual design supports storytelling and helps audiences understand an unfamiliar world.

7. Immortality (2022 – Now)

• Release date: January 29, 2022

• Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

• Animation method: CGI Animation

• Director: Liu Meng

  
  

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 kingship. Like many cultivation-focused donghua, the series explores themes of perseverance, ambition, and self-improvement. What sets Immortality apart is the scale of its world building.

Key Inspiration: For animation enthusiasts, the series offers a useful study in worldbuilding and progression. Each new location, creature, and power system builds toward something bigger, proof that visual design can carry an expansive story on its own. It also showcases how modern donghua studios use CGI to create ambitious fantasy worlds while maintaining strong action sequences and cinematic spectacle.

TESSR for Aspiring Animators

Studying a list like this is one thing. Getting real feedback on your own work while you're still learning is another. If you're sketching frame-by-frame, storyboarding a short, or building out a portfolio, TESSR lets you share drafts with mentors, classmates, or collaborators and collect their notes directly on the work, without exporting files or switching between five different apps. Draw over a frame, circle a timing issue, or leave a voice note explaining what's off, all attached to the exact spot it's about.

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 is Chinese anime to watch, it is typically co-produced with a Japanese animation company, like “Hitori no Shita – The Outcast”.

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. There are several platforms where you can watch Chinese animations. Whether paid or free, these are platforms where you can watch them:

• Bilibili (Requires a subscription to remove ads)

• iQIYI (Offers a free trial with ads)

• Crunchyroll (Offers a free trial with ads)

• Rakuten Viki (Newer episodes and series need subscriptions) 

• YouTube (Muse Asia and Ani-One) (Free)

  
  

Are donghua based on Chinese mythology?

Many donghua draw inspiration from Chinese mythology, folklore, and classical literature. Popular examples include Ne Zha and Nezha Fights the Sea, which are based on characters from Investiture of the Gods, as well as Princess Iron Fan, which adapts a story from Journey to the West. However, modern donghua also explores original stories, science fiction, romance, mystery, and slice-of-life genres.

Why should animation enthusiasts watch donghua?

Donghua offers a different perspective on animation through its storytelling traditions, artistic influences, and visual styles. For animation enthusiasts, it provides opportunities to study everything from action choreography and character acting to worldbuilding and experimental techniques such as ink wash and paper-cut animation. Exploring donghua can broaden an animator's understanding of how different cultures approach the craft of animation.

Author Bio

The TESSR Editorial Team is a collective of creatives and project management practitioners who enjoy sharing real-life experience on project management, creative workflows, and well-being in the creative industries. The team wants to help creative leaders, project managers, and individuals in animation, design, and creative studios understand the benefits of project management. So, creatives can all create with more freedom and, together, build a more sustainable creative culture.

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