Organizing Committee of the 19th China (Beijing) International University Student Animation Festival has received numerous outstanding animation, comic and digital art submissions from worldwide. Below is the shortlist—explore their introductions now!
Category B: Comics and Picture Books
In the Bag
包里
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Xu Jinyan
Summary ：
通过包的不同阶段讲述生命历程，母亲带上“包”，经历身体变化和形态演变。她尝试继续装饰“包”，却与“包”产生分歧，最终变成另一个“包”，装进疾病和衰老。
Snowy and Icy Lost
冰雪迷途
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Qing Yunxin
Summary ：
A little monkey, lost in the icy wilderness, finds a cave shelter from the snowstorm . There, he encounters a lonely little snow leopard. They keep each other company and soon become very good friends. As the snow melt away, they make a promise to meet together again next year.
The Spring Breeze Never Sleeps
春风从不入睡
School ：Beijing Film Academy
Author ：Sha Yihan
Summary ：
Young Song Zhiyuan is an ordinary office worker.He lives a day-to-day dull life that plays with a repetitive melody, overlooked and taken for granted. However, an unexplained severe cold descends upon him, robbing him of his sense of taste and smell, and his life undergoes a dramatic transformation...
Where the Lights Grow Dim
灯火阑珊处
School ：Beijing Film Academy
Author ：Ren Zhihui
Summary ：
Xiaozhi, a young woman who has just stepped into society and lives alone, accidentally opened her diary written in schooldays while moving, as if she has unlocked Pandora's box.
She indulged in the warm and beautiful past written in the journal which contrasted sharply with the indifferent and distant reality until an unexpected classmate reunion shattered her illusion into pieces.
The Letter of Reminiscence
回忆的信函
School ：Beijing Forestry University
Author ：Hao Ruitong, Liu Yuxuan
Summary：
The Letter of Reminiscence tells the story of Yuko, the protagonist who, now grown up, accidentally discovers a letter written to her by her childhood friend (Ayun) whom she hasn't seen for years. With opening the letter, a long scroll of life full of memories of youth slowly unfolds in front of us...
The Solitary Island of Anxiety
焦虑的孤岛
School ：University of the Arts London
Author ：Yang Haiqi
Summary ：
Combining psychological knowledge and visual metaphor, the picture book shows the feelings for social anxiety disorder and the therapeutic techniques used to cope with it. The red monkey symbolizes anxiety.
Perpetuum Mobile of Inspiration
灵感永动机
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Wang Xinchen
Summary：
The protagonist of the story is he is trapping in a creative bottleneck when she gets a pen that can render the thoughts in her head at multiplied speeds, demonstrating the vast potential for creation that exists beyond the constraints of time. However, she also feels lost.
Liuhou Aristocratic Family: Fuyin Chapter
留侯世家·伏吟篇
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Guo Tongxin
Summary ：
This passage tells the story of Zhang Liang, who is plagued by self-doubt bexause of difficulties in achieving his goal of national restoration. Being guided by Huangshigong, he moves away from a reliance on force in pursuit of revenge. Instead, he employs strategy and ingenuity, saving Xiang Bo through his astute decision-making and paving the way for the restoration of his kingdom.
Friends on the Way
路上的小伙伴
School ：Inner Mongolia Arts University
Author ：Guo Wenjie
Summary ：
All works are graduation design works by 2024 undergraduates majoring in comics at Inner Mongolia Arts University.
Graveyard of Dreams
梦想坟墓
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Wang Chenshuo
Summary：
The story is about a boy who has dreamed since childhood of building a Graveyard of Dreams, a place where discarded dreams could be buried and laid to rest. However, his ideas aren't acknowledged by those around him. As time goes by, he begins to believe that the Graveyard of Dreams is impossible to realize. Gradually, he becomes disheartened, as if he have abandoned his childhood dream. Unexpectedly, the Graveyard of Dreams actually exists, and his dream of building it is sent to this very graveyard. Thus begins a magical journey. His dream, along with other abandoned dreams, is taken by the Dream Guide from the burial zone to the industrial district, where it is about to be thrown into a giant Dream Incinerator. At the last moment, the boy in the real world saves his childhood dream by drawing the Graveyard of Dreams and creating a picture book titled The Graveyard of Dreams, rescuing his dream successfully.
Mask Maker
面具师
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Yang Jianqi
Summary ：
When the protagonist migrated with her tribe as a child, she nearly froze to death in the snowy mountains. A group of masked people dancing around a campfire inspired her and gave her the courage to live.
Years later, she became an outstanding mask maker. She left her village and began her journey.
Her first stop was West Town, where she crafted a magnificent mask based on the totem of the city. However, the mask was lost in a storm. The remnants of the city’s army found the mask and were greatly encouraged to fight their way out. As a result, she was recruited by the city to make masks for the army.
Many years later, though the protagonist enjoyed all the riches and glory, she deliberately avoided the wars and slaughter caused by her masks. On the way home one day, she witnessed the bloodshed and brutality of war. Her hometown was pulled into the fighting, and her childhood friend had injuries that left he disabled. Realizing that she had strayed from her original purpose, she resolutely left the city in search of a new life and new goals.
The Guardian of Love
守护神
School ：Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
Author ：Wang Ting
Summary ：
It is a story about family bonds. Swallows and my grandmother accompanied me throughout my beautiful childhood. Surrounded by the tangible love of family, I walk bravely towards the future.
Demon Hunt
狩魔
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Cai Yulin
Summary：
In a city dominated by two demons through intrigue and lies, two demon hunters and their respective companions, driven by their own motives, either cooperate with or confront each other. As the city inevitably crumbles into ruin, they embark on an adventure, struggling for survival while unmasking the truth.
Time For Bed
汤米该睡觉啦
School ：The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
Author ：Zhou Ye
Summary ：
Tommy, a playful child with a habit of staying up late, experiences a magical night that changes her bedtime routine...
Hopscotch
跳房子
School ：Beijing Institute Of Fashion Technology
Author ：Wang Chi
Summary ：
I bring my mature self and my past self together, “hopscotching” down memory lane to revive my childhood experiences. The story about growing up unfolds through parallel storytelling. Beneath the same persimmon tree, my grown-up figure waves goodbye to my beautiful childhood.
Our shoelaces are untied
鞋带松了
School ：Qingdao Film Academy
Author ：Lu Yanxiang
Summary ：
It was because of a little troublemaker that our shoelaces were untied.
Lanzhou Beef Noodles
一面
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Anna
Summary ：
When it comes to Lanzhou (a city in northwest China), the first thing that comes to our mind must be “Lanzhou Beef Noodles”. As one of the must-try foods in northwest China, beef noodles has become more than just a bowl of noodles for the locals. This illustration book takes readers on a journey through the eyes of the narrator, allowing them to experience the charm of Lanzhou Beef Noodles and the warm stories shared by the locals about this beloved dish.
‘There is a special bowl of noodles in my hometown. To enjoy it, there is someone who gets up even before the sun rises every day. I couldn't help but wonder: what kind of noodle could inspire such love? With a big question marking in my mind, I set out with my grandfather to search for the answer.
Meteor showers in a thousand years
一千年流星雨
School ：Beijing Film Academy
Author ：Liu Zhuorui
Summary ：
Fu Aizhen told the doctor about how she realized her dream by making a wish upon a shooting star, returning to make amends for the regrets of her college entrance exam failure. However, the seemingly insignificant action ultimately changed the future, creating a new butterfly effect that led to her mother being involved in a campus traffic accident.As a result, Fu Aizhen suffered a mental breakdown and was suspended from school, ultimately ending up in the hospital.
A Needle and a Thread
一针一线
School ：Guangxi Arts University
Author ：Lin Ruin
Summary ：
A Needle and a Thread is a picture book rooted in the cultural background of Miao embroidery. Based on the Miao people's belief in knowing one's origin and destination throughout life, it employs the iconography of a needle and a thread to depict a story about a grandmother and her granddaughter with two storylines. The story expresses how they seek their life value and original aspirations through embroidery, thereby inheriting the art of Miao embroidery.
The two stories begin at the front and back covers respectively, and end in the middle part of the book. The iconography of a needle and a thread is used to symbolize the generations. That is, the old needle passes through the new thread, meanwhile passing from one generation to the next. The dominant colors in the illustrations are blue-purple and vermilion, extracted from the costumes of the elderly and the young girl. Changing colors throughout the illustrations can reflect the progressions of the storyline and the psychological changes of the characters.
Peony Pavilion / Wandering in the Garden, Waking from a Dream
游园惊梦
School ：Beijing Institute Of Fashion Technology
Author ：Gu Cong
Summary ：
As an indispensable treasure among The Four Dreams of Linchuan(a collective name for the four plays written by Tang Xianzu), Peony Pavilion has been passed down across centuries. True Passion, its core idea, serves as a continuous cultural vein that flows to this day, which inspires emotional resonance among people.
Sensory Threshold Corridor / The Creepy Corridor
阈限长廊
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Li Qian
Summary ：
There is a popular urban legend where a door appears unexpectedly in reality, and once someone enters, he can never come back. The victims of this story are those who have entered this door and then…disappeared. The protagonists who work at the Turning Point Agency, are responsible for dealing with these cases. With the help of the protagonists, the victims successfully escape from the evil clutches of their “monster parents”.
The Princess Who Chases Souls
追灵魂的公主
School ：Communication University of China
Author ：Wen Yutian
Summary ：
The protagonist, Vipuvavit, was a princess living in an ancient desert empire.
Although her father was a terrible tyrant.
But she was a kind and beautiful girl.
Until one day there was a coup in the palace.
The tyrant king died, and the young princess, in order to recover her father's soul.
embarked on a journey to the underworld ......
The Little Inferior Wildflower
自卑的小野花
School ：JILIN UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS
Author ：Fan Jie
Summary ：
It tells the story of a little wildflower with low self-esteem who grew up in the experience of helping others and realized the joy of helping others, thus becoming confident and no longer feeling inferior and lost.
