Xiamen native Xu Ya introduces her short hand-drawn animation Button at Artosino, an art gallery in New York, the United States. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The Button, a short hand-drawn animation created by Xiamen native Xu Ya, was recently screened at Artosino, an art gallery in New York, the United States, according to local media reports on Jan 13.
The film secured a Best Animated Film Award at the Los Angeles Film Awards, New York Film Festival, and Oniros Film Awards, as well as an Honorary Focus Award at the 2019 Top Shorts film festival.
Button was Xu's final project at the School of Visual Arts in NY. It depicts a time-travel story in both the 21st century and the Republic of China era (1912-1949), with the plot being triggered by the heirloom of the heroine's great-grandmother – a button.
The entire story is set in Shanghai and also includes references to Xu's hometown of Xiamen, as well as several European countries she visited.
"I'm quite obsessed with the culture and history of the Republic of China era, and also like to explore the differences between Chinese and Western culture," said Xu, adding that the short film mixes various elements from different cultures to create an idealized city.
According to Xu, each frame of the animation was handmade using an animation software. The under-four-minute two-dimensional animation took her nine months to complete, and the process included design work, writing, coloring, post-production, and dubbing.
At the screening, the Xiamen native also discussed the inspirations for her designs, which included Xiamen University, Zhongshan Road in Xiamen, arch bridges in Suzhou, and town halls in Kaunas, Lithuania and Avignon, France.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
