More than 30 cartoonists and caricaturists are currently on the loose in the China Military Museum, taking part in China's first Costume Cartoon Festival. And it has attracted good crowds since the event opened yesterday.

The festival, an extension of China's first cartoon and game contest held earlier this year, is a showcase for prize-winning cartoons from around the globe and aims to boost the fledgling cartoon market in China.

Besides the sizable Chinese participation among them artists like Yan Kai, Lu Ming, Jianyi, Song Yang, Niu Tongxue and Wen Ziyang, other participants include Makino Keiichi from Japan, John Pek from Malaysia and Jeffrey Seow from Singapore.

The show is divided into four sections, covering all genres of cartoon art: comic books and comic strips, humorous illustrations, cartoon gags and animation.

Among the most rewarding is a special seven-man show of cartoons by celebrated cartoonists from China and Japan. It features the "Seven Swords," adapted from the current movie hit of the same name by renowned Hong Kong director Tsui Hark. Each of the artists, like the rising Chinese cartoonist Song Yang and Yuki Mitani from Japan, depict one of the swords along with its sword master.

The festival also has workshops and lectures on caricature, digital cartooning, comic strips and "cosplaying" (from "costume play").

Visitors can get their caricature drawn by festival cartoonists or even have a go themselves at one of the workshops.

They can also take part in a special contest involving the popular multiplayer game Counterstrike. This is sponsored by Chinese electronic manufacturer TCL, with a total of 110 game-specialized PCs available for competitors.

As the event is supposed to be a "costume bash" for cartoon fans, the organizer is also encouraging visitors to cosplay their favourite cartoon characters for a bit of fun. A special prize worth 500 yuan (US$61) for "best costume" will be handed out each day during the seven-day event, which ends next Thursday.

The China Military Musuem is located on the western extension of Chang'an Avenue and can be reached by subway at Junshi Bowuguan Station. It opens from 9 am to 5 pm.

The entrance fee for the festival ranges from 30 yuan (US$3.70)) for a one day pass to 120 yuan (US$14.81) for the seven-day event.

(China Daily 08/04/2005 page6)