About CICAF

China International Cartoon and Animation Festival (CICAF) is the county’s largest cartoon and animation event and has been held annually in Hangzhou since 2004. Le Le, a mischievous monkey designed by Han Meilin, a famous artist in China, is the mascot of CICAF. CICAF comes in four major parts – exhibitions, activities, forums and competitions. Monkey King Award made its debut in 2008 as one of the highlights of the festival. Supported by the government, the corporate world and the academic circle, it has become the most influential competition in the cartoon and animation scene of China.

In December of 2004, Hangzhou stood out in the fierce competition with Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Changsha, Wuxi and many other cities for its unique edges in economy, culture and geographical location to become the host city for the first CICAF which was held in 2005. In August of 2006, Hangzhou was recognized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV as the permanent host city of CICAF.

The 6th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival

The 7th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival was held successfully in the Leisure Expo Garden of Hangzhou (Xiaoshan) from April 28 to May 3rd, 2011. The six-day event, staged at the Leisure Expo Garden, the main venue of the 7th CICAF, and eight side venues, came in four major categories – exhibitions, forums, competitions and side activities – and incorporated over 58 programs. The festival was attended by 425 enterprises from 54 countries and regions. Preliminary statistics show a total of 2,020,000 people participated in various kinds of activities during the festival. Participating companies signed contracts for about 212 projects that involved a total of 10.6 billion yuan. The festival achieved a total transaction value of 2.2 billion yuan. The total capital value involved topped 12.8 billion yuan.

he year of 2010 was the first time eight side venues were added to offer unique features to the festival. Leisure Expo Garden remained the main venue of the 7th CICAF. A total of 830,000 people visited these venues for the activities held there. The total exhibition area for this year’s cartoon and animation industrial expo reached about 70,000 sq.m. The total number of exhibition booths was 1,491.

‘Monkey King Award’ drew submission of about 1,302 works from 32 countries and regions. This year was also the first time people could vote online for their favorites. More than 10,000 performers representing over 500 professional troupes from China’s mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, America, Japan, South Korea participated in this year’s COSPLAY Super Show which was held in 15 cities (four more than last year) across the country and drew a turnout of at least 30,000 visitors. The 7th CICAF proved itself a prominent state-level platform for holding exhibitions, conducting idea exchanges and transactions of the cartoon and animation industry of China. The festival effectively integrated the information resource, capital resource and human resource of the cartoon and animation industry, and made substantial progress in realizing the goals of more ‘globalization, specialization, industrialization and branding’. CICAF is becoming a significant brand name in the cultural exhibition industries of China and is regarded by all people, especially youngsters an important cultural event. CICAF has become a driving force behind the development of the cartoon and animation industry of China.

ABOUT CICAF