A Dispersed ‘Independent’ Ecology

This chapter provides a more detailed overview of the historical precedents to the contemporary culture of Chinese animation. In particular, it focuses on the transition from the Meishu legacy towards a more individualised mode of animation production, a transition that entails discussion of the importance of Flash as a relatively flexible and easily accessible platform for animators working privately in their domestic spaces. This also implied a move away from the constraints of the explicitly political Minzu imperatives of cultural production so that art and its social function could be redefined, albeit constantly subject to subtle political constraints. The expressive hybridity and discursive characteristics apparent in independent animation give cause to rethink this distinctive art form in the context of Chinese visual culture and to distinguish from other ‘independent’ art forms as described in relation to cinema or literature.