Born in the year 1919, Tang Cheng was a pioneering and versatile animation expert whose illustrious career left an indelible mark on the annals of Chinese animation history, earning her the distinction of being the first female animation scriptwriter and director in the People's Republic of China, which was formally established in 1949.
During the formative years of Chinese animation, women professionals like Tang Cheng played a crucial role in shaping the industry, exercising a profound influence on various aspects, ranging from the development of animation techniques to the crafting of narrative structures and artistic styles.
Tang Cheng, a renowned filmmaker in the realm of Chinese school animated films, is often celebrated for her exceptional direction and co-direction of these iconic productions. However, her early career as a screenwriter has garnered relatively little attention, with her significant contributions to the development of these films often overlooked.
This article seeks to rectify this oversight by delving into Tang Cheng's role as a scenarist, who was commissioned to craft the screenplays for the didactic fairy tales Old Lady's Jujube Tree, released in 1958, and Radish Is Back, released in 1959. By exploring the impact of her screenwriting on her later directorial productions, this article aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Tang Cheng's creative evolution.
Notably, Tang Cheng's screenwriting style, characterized by its emphasis on collectivism and childlike simplicity, had a profound influence on the tone and narrative structure of her later films. This is evident in her directorial works, including Little Tadpoles Looking for Mother, released in 1961, Havoc in Heaven, released in 1961 and 1964, and The Deer Bell, released in 1982.
Through her screenwriting and directorial endeavors, Tang Cheng has left an indelible mark on the world of Chinese animation, and this article aims to pay tribute to her multifaceted creative talents by shedding light on her often-overlooked early career as a screenwriter.
