Shanghai studio sets the scene for nation to join international film stage

Shanghai Animation Film Studio has a proud legacy of hand-drawn movies that have proved popular with audiences of different age groups.

One work that most Chinese watch during childhood is A Deer of Nine Colors, which was co-directed by Dai Tielang and premiered in 1981.

Adapted from an artwork from the cave murals in Dunhuang, Gansu province, the film tells the story of a spiritual nine-colored deer that saves a Persian merchant from drowning in a river.