Nezha Conquers the Dragon King
Li Jing is the general military leader in Chentangguan. After three-and-a-half years' pregnancy, his wife gives birth to a ball and a boy jumps out from the ball. A Taoist named Taiyi Zhenren comes to express his congratulations. He names the boy Nezha and gives him a universe ring and fiery wheels, accepting Nezha as his disciple. When Nezha is 7 years old, the area is afflicted with a severe drought, while the dragon king of the eastern sea turns a blind eye to it and refuses to give the region its much-needed water. Even worse, he asks Yecha (an evil spirit) to snatch little children from the beaches. The virtuous Nezha kills Yecha and the son of the dragon king, Aobing. The dragon king brings his case to Heaven, but is brutally beaten by Nezha. Afterwards, the dragon king invites his three brothers out of revenge, flooding Chentangguan and asking for Nezha's life. Nezha wants to fight back but is restrained by his father. Therefore, he commits suicide by cutting his throat in defense of all residents in Chentangguan. After that, Taiyi Zhenren allows Nezha to be revived from death by rebuilding his body with fresh lotus roots and lotus flowers. The resurrected Nezha, portrayed as a divine warrior with three heads and six arms, destroys the dragon palace and rids the people of a scourge by defeating the dragon king.
"Nezha Conquers the Dragon King," directed by Wang Shuchen, Yan Dingxian and Xu Jingda, is the first wide-screen animated feature produced in China, winning the best animation film prize in the third Hundred Flower Awards in 1980. The production of the animation was suspended for almost 10 years during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). Nezha's return thus holds far-reaching importance to China's animation as well as cultural circle.
Three Monks
A young monk lives a simple and peaceful life in atempleon top of a hill. He has one daily task that irks him: He has to haul two buckets of water up the hill. He tries to share the job with another monk who comes to the temple later, but the carrying pole the monks use is only long enough for one bucket. The arrival of a third monk prompts everyone to expect that someone else will take on the chore. Consequently, no one fetches water, though everybody is thirsty. At night, a rat then comes and knocks the candleholder, leading to a devastating fire in the temple. The three monks finally unite together and make a concerted effort to put out the fire. Since then, they understand the old saying "unity is strength," and begin to live a harmonious life. The temple never lacks water again.
"Three Monks," directed by late cartoonist A Da, won the best animation film in the first Golden Rooster Awards. Established in 1981 by the China Film Association, the award is so named because 1981, according toChinese lunar calendar, was the year of the rooster. The yearly awards are decided by a special committee composed of film experts.
"Three Monks" also won a Silver Bear for Short Film at the 32nd Berlin Film Festival in 1982.
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