An exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of Japanese sci-fi franchise Mobile Suit Gundam opened in Shanghai over the weekend. 

The exhibition features 10 giant robots, including a six-meter-high "Strike Freedom Dundam." The exhibition is taking place at a venue with an area of 1,200 square meters.

More than 360 pieces of manuscripts of the designer Kunio Okawara are also on display. Okawara is the the first mechanical designer in the Japanese anime industry.

The exhibition runs until October 13.

The Gundam saga is set in the future of the Universal Century where orbiting colonies around the Earth are fighting for their independence. Over the past four decades, it has become a global cultural phenomenon.

More than 484 million units of the Gundam Plastic Model (GUNPLA) have been sold since its release in July 1980, becoming the biggest hit series in the history of plastic models.

A feature-length animated film, Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, will premiere in China on July 12. The upcoming movie focuses on the chaos brought by a powerful humanoid weapon in the futuristic world of Gundam.

A promotional event about the film was held on June 11 in Beijing. It was attended by big industry names like Frant Gwo, director of "The Wandering Earth." Guo hailed the Gundam franchise as a "standout work" in Japanese sci-fi production because of its bold and pioneering imagination of the future.