A retrospective exhibition of Chinese cartoons produced in the past 30 years opens at the National Art Museum of China today.

Jointly organized by the China Artists' Association and the museum, the cartoon show will run until Sunday.

On display is a selection of 168 cartoons by established masters including Hua Junwu, Zhang Ding and Ding Cong, as well as those by many promising young and middle-aged artists.

The exhibition offers visitors an insight into the development of Chinese cartoons since 1978.

"The cartoon first appeared in China about a century ago during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)," said Zhang Yaoning, one of the curators of the exhibition and a cartoon artist.

The making of cartoons blossomed during times of national significance, including the May 4th Movement of 1919, the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and the early stages of socialist construction after 1949, Zhang said.

China's policy of reform and opening-up in 1978 meant the industry peaked once again. Comic creation flourished as Chinese artists broadened their minds and deepened artistic exchanges with the outside world.

All exhibited cartoons follow a similar theme the changes in people's lives and their way of thinking about society and world affairs.

The styles of cartoons on show run the gamut from caricatures and portraits to comic strips.

To highlight their artistic value, organizers are only presenting works drawn by hand, far removed from the high-tech animation seen today on computers and TV.

"A good cartoon stands out not only for its depth in ideas. The work also offers the audience great artistic enjoyment. And a smart cartoon artist knows how to skilfully express his or her opinions through proper artistic languages," said Zhang.

Cartoon masters such as Ye Qianyu and Fang Cheng have set a good example. Their works are to the point, while also being genuine works of art featuring traditional Chinese landscape, ink and water painting as well as calligraphy.

The masters' legacy lives in the new generations of cartoon artists who have shouldered the burden of social commentary and responsibility, a load revealed by the exhibition.

They have outdone their predecessors in some respects, in the use of more advanced techniques and the introduction of Western styles for example.

"Yet young artists still need to perfect their caricatures through more social experience and profound thinking," Zhang said.

The industry has had its ups and downs, and many believed there would be no recovery from the introduction of computer graphics, particularly those from Japan and Disney which bewitch children with their technical wizardry.

But those fears have abated somewhat as the market for comics remains robust.

"Modern society has become multicultural, which means all artistic forms co-exist in harmony. That is also true with cartoons and animation," said Zhang.

The traditional theme of the hand-drawn cartoons has also undergone changes over the years. Gone are the days when the focus of most cartoons was politics and economics. Nowadays, they also feature the routine but entertaining lives of common people.

People can read of the adventures of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck when they are children and then move onto more romantic themes as they welcome adolescence. Then, finally, cartoons concerned with society's ills become more prevalent.

"Comics should meet the varied needs of their audience of different social and educational levels," Zhang said.

A collection of all the exhibited cartoons will be printed during the show.

(China Daily August 2, 2005)