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Let the animated games begin!

Cartoonists, animators, game-makers and fans of their products from home and abroad are in Shanghai to attend the 7th China International Animation, Cartoon and Game Fair, which runs from July 7 to July 11.

The fair, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Shanghai municipal government and Shanghai Media Group (SMG), is being staged in the China Pavilion in Pudong district.

The event has attracted more than 280 companies, including Walt Disney Company, Sega Co Ltd, Bandai Co Ltd and Kadokawa Games, Ltd. The fair is the first large-scale exhibition staged in the 30,000-square-meter pavilion after the Expo 2010 Shanghai.

A total of 10 exhibition areas in the main venue showcase developments in online gaming, game consoles, animation, cartoons and tabletop games.

The fair features a national Cosplay competition and an animation concert. Famous Japanese voice-over actors will also make appearances.

Five imported animated films, including the latest 3D movie Tangled from Walt Disney and the Japanese film Gundam, will be shown in Expo International Cinema City.

A series of forums will be held, at which experts and industry insiders will discuss the hottest issues in their fields.

Boost for reading of red classics

Pondering Life through Reading Red Classics, a large-scale reading program that centers on revolutionary-oriented publications, was recently started in Beijing.

The project, founded by China Mobile Ltd, provides smart-phone users wireless access to patriotic online publications, including e-books, comics and magazines.

The program commenced with the novelistic version of Beginning of the Great Revival, an epic historical film that portrays the Communist Party of China's founding. The book offers exclusive interviews with the blockbuster's leading stars and reveals many behind-the-scenes stories.

Performance arts institute opens

Peking University established its Institute of Film, Television and Theater on June 28 to educate artistically inclined students and integrate research and training in performing arts.

The country's top-notch television personnel, filmmakers and theater practitioners will be invited to teach. The pedagogical process is tied to intensive artistic and research work. In addition to enabling the development of practical skills, the institute offers a wide range of academic knowledge. It also plans to hold an annual forum on Chinese film to promote cinema studies.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/09/2011 page11)