The 17th China International Comics Festival (CICF) kicked off on Wednesday in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, attracting hundreds of ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) IP, more than 1,000 cosplayers and over 10,000 animation enthusiasts.

Winners of the 21st China Animation & Comic Competition (CACC) Golden Dragon Award were announced during the opening ceremony.

A total of 51 awards were presented, with the most highly anticipated prizes in both comics and animation going to works from Guangdong. The Best Story Comic Award was given to Chu Wu (The Crow), which follows the adventurous tale of a food delivery worker who enters another world. The Best Animated Feature Film Award went to Luo Fanchen (Into the Mortal World), featuring a fantasy story centered on a descendant of China's classic mythological figures – the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Japanese artist Fujimoto Tatsuki won the Overseas Animation & Comic Award for his comic work Goodbye, Eri. This year's Golden Dragon Award competition received a record-breaking 800 overseas submissions.

Encouraging local artists to illustrate the beauty of Chinese stories, the committee introduced The Best Splendid China Special Award for the first time earlier this year. Art pieces featuring Chinese cultural heritage, such as lion dance and the Silk Road, were nominated.

The first CACC Golden Dragon Award was launched in 2004. As the official competition of the CICF, it is often referred to as the "Chinese Academy Award for animation and comics."

The total output value of China's animation industry has skyrocketed in recent years, rising from 88.2 billion yuan (about $12.6 billion) in 2013 to 221.2 billion yuan (about $31.5 billion) in 2020, Xinhua reported.

(Cover: Cosplayers at the 17th China International Comics Festival, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, October 2, 2024. /CFP)