Wuxi vows to revive cartoon industry

Wuxi, a city in Jiangsu province boasting a proud 30-year history of producing cartoons, is set for another shot in the arm from the animation industry.

The city has tasked local animation studios with creating 100,000 minutes of homegrown programming including two new famous cartoon characters, as well as two new online games, by 2010, according to Liu Hongzhi, vice-mayor of the city.

"Fostering a homegrown industry chain comprising original cartoon making and research and development of related products including video games, clothing, publications and toys, is the primary task," Liu said yesterday.