Hu Jinqing (; March 1936 – 13 May 2019) was a Chinese animator and film director, and a pioneer in adapting the traditional art of

Chinese paper cutting The art of paper cutting ( zh, t=剪纸, p=jiǎnzhǐ) in China may date back to the 2nd century CE, when paper was invented by Cai Lun, a court official of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As paper became more affordable, paper-cutting became one ...

to animation. His film '' The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam'' won the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the

1984 Berlin International Film Festival The 34th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 17–28 February 1984. The festival opened with ''The Noah's Ark Principle'' by Roland Emmerich. The Golden Bear was awarded to the American film ''Love Streams (film), Love Stream ...

. He co-directed the 1980s animated television series ''

Calabash Brothers ''Calabash Brothers'' or ''Hulu Brothers'' () is a Chinese animation TV series produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and directed by Hu Jinqing, Ge Guiyun, and Zhou Keqin. It was extremely popular when it aired on TV in 1986–1987. Names T ...

'' and created the Hulu (Calabash) Babies, which have become some of the most popular animated characters in China.

Life and career

Hu was born in March 1936 in

Changzhou Changzhou ( Changzhounese: ''Zaon Tsei'', ) is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provin ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

, Republic of China. He joined the

Shanghai Animation Film Studio Shanghai Animation Film Studio () also known as SAFS () is a Chinese animation studio based in Shanghai, China, as part of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation. Shanghai Animation Film Studio was officially established in April, 1957, led by pion ...

in the 1950s as a young artist. In 1958, he assisted

Wan Guchan Wan Guchan (; 18 January 1900 – 19 November 1995) was a Chinese filmmaker. Born in Nanjing, Jiangsu, he was one of the Wan brothers who pioneered the Chinese animations industry. Early history Wan Guchan joined his twin brother Wan Laiming ...

, a founder of China's animation industry, in making the first-ever

animation film, ''

Pigsy Eats Watermelon ''Pigsy Eats Watermelon'' () is a 1958 Chinese animation short film produced at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio by Wan Laiming and Wan Guchan. It is also translated as ''"Mr. Pig Eats Watermelon"'' or ''"Zhu Bajie Eats Watermelon"''. Wan Guc ...

''. In 1983, Hu directed the animated short film '' The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam'', based on the Chinese proverb "in the fight between the

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

and the clam, the fisherman has the best of it". Hu was praised for bringing "vibrant, entirely believable life" to his animation, with "impeccable" timing that makes the movements of the animals "remarkably real". The film won the 1984

Golden Rooster Award for Best Animation The Golden Rooster Award for Best Animation (中国电影金鸡奖最佳美术片) is a category of competition of the Golden Rooster Awards The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given an ...

. It garnered international attention when it was shown at

Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb ( hr, Svjetski festival animiranog filma), also known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Fi ...

and won the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the

. In the 1980s, Hu, together with Ge Guiyun and

Zhou Keqin Zhou Keqin (; 1937 – August 5, 1990) was a Chinese writer regarded as a representative of Scar literature. Born in Jianyang, Sichuan, he is famous in China for the 1979 novel ''Xu Mao and His Daughters'', which was made into a movie in 1981 a ...

, co-directed the animated television series ''

''. It was extremely popular when aired in 1986 to 1987. The Hulu (Calabash) Babies, the characters they created in the series, have become some of the most popular animated characters in China, exceeded only by Sun Wukong. Hu continued to make animated films until the late 1990s and was an advocate for

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

. His 1998 film, ''Snow Fox'', has been praised as "a beautifully animated and deeply felt appeal for the protection of the wildlife". Hu directed more than 10 animated films, three of which won the Excellent Film Award from the Ministry of Culture of China, including ''The Naughty Snub-nosed Monkey'', ''The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam'', and ''The Straw Man''. He also participated in the production of more than 30 animated films, including ''

The Proud General ''The Proud General'' () is a Chinese animated featurette produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio under the animator Te Wei. It is also translated as ''The Conceited General''. Plot After a victorious military campaign, a general returns hom ...

'', ''The Fisher Boy'', ''The Ginseng Baby'', and ''The Golden Conch''. On 13 May 2019, Hu died at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, at the age of 83.

Filmography

*''The Naughty Snub-nosed Monkey'' (1982) *'' The Fight Between the Snipe and the Clam'' (1983) *''The Straw Man'' (1985) *''

'' (1986) *''Mantis Stalks the Cicada'' (1988) *''Cockfighting'' (1988) *''Catching the Mouse'' (1988) *''The Stronger Gets Hooked'' (1988) *''The Egret and the Tortoise'' (1992) *''The Cat and the Rat'' (1992) *''Snow Fox'' (1998) :Sources:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hu, Jinqing 1936 births 2019 deaths Artists from Changzhou Chinese animators Chinese animated film directors Film directors from Jiangsu 20th-century Chinese people 21st-century Chinese people