On March 8 and March 15, Yu Shui, Associate Professor of the School of New Media Art and Design, was invited to give a lecture named The Story Behind Yao — Chinese Folktales (On Episode “Nobody”) at the Sunrise Concert Hall of the Xueyuan Road Campus and the Yongman Theatre of the Shahe Campus, respectively. Both lectures were packed, attracting over 1,200 students and teachers. The lectures were hosted by Zang Xiaoge, Deputy Director of the Aesthetic Education Centre.
Yao — Chinese Folktales is an anthology of eight short animated films rooted in traditional Chinese culture, co-produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Bilibili. The first episode “Nobody” follows the story of an ordinary yao in Journey to the West from a unique perspective, which received rave reviews on its first day of broadcast. Yu Shui, as the director of “Nobody”, talked about the creation process and the story behind this animated film from several aspects including the theme, the script, the arts and the directing, showing teachers and students how an animated film was produced. He also discussed with the audience how to effectively tell a Chinese story.
Before the lectures, Shen Xukun, Dean of the School of New Media Art and Design and Director of the Aesthetic Education Centre, and Wang Qun, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of New Media Art and Design, gave an introduction to Yu Shui and his works. Yu Shui is the head of the Department of Digital Animation Art of the School, an animation director, and a visiting scholar at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany. He has won more than forty awards from major film festivals at home and abroad.
After the lectures, Wang Qun summarized the content, pointing out that Yu Shui's works fully reflected traditional Chinese culture and promoted the self-confidence and self-improvement of Chinese culture, and that the lectures were warmly welcomed by students. In the future, the Aesthetic Education Centre will continue to offer more high-quality practical lectures that are relevant to everyday life.
Reported by Gao Rui
Reviewed by Wang Qun
Edited by Jia Aiping
Translated by Lu Meili
