Sun Lijun, Chairman of Xicheng District Film and Animation Association, in Performing His Duties
Sun Lijun is the president of the China Animation Research Institute, the president of the Beijing Film and Television Animation Association, and the chairman of the Xicheng District Film and Television Animation Association.
Sun Lijun has consistently adhered to a people-centered creative approach, dedicating over three decades to artistic creation, education, and academic research. He has continuously explored and innovated in animation, public art, and fine arts, gradually forming a development path that integrates artistic creation, talent cultivation, theoretical research, and social service. He is both a participant in and promoter of the development of China’s animation industry and an important practitioner of art education and cultural dissemination in the new era, demonstrating the responsibility and commitment of literary and artistic workers in the new era through his fruitful achievements and profound knowledge.
For many years, Sun Lijun has consistently upheld the principles of integrity and innovation, deeply rooted in the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and actively exploring innovative expressions of Eastern aesthetics. He has directed and created numerous animated films, including Little Soldier Zhang Ga, Legend of the Rabbit Warrior, The Ultimate Adventure, Autumn Harvest, and New Crossroads, winning numerous prestigious awards both domestically and internationally, such as the China Film Huabiao Award, the China Film Golden Rooster Award, the “Five-One Project” Award from the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the China Cultural and Artistic Government Award. Autumn Harvest was shortlisted for the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, and New Crossroads was shortlisted for the Los Angeles Asia Pacific Film Festival, fully demonstrating the artistic level and international influence of original Chinese animation. In recent years, he has continued to explore the innovative integration of public art and digital art, creating original artworks such as Lucky Leopard and Sleepy Cat, which won the Gold Award in the Public Art and Installation category at the American Muse Design Awards. With its distinctive Eastern cultural characteristics and approachability, he promotes the innovative expression and international dissemination of Chinese culture.
In the field of arts education, Sun Lijun has always adhered to the educational philosophy of cultivating morality and character, and has long been committed to the construction of China’s animation talent training system. He founded the Animation Academy Award of Beijing Film Academy, created the “Ada Experimental Class” for cultivating top animation talents, actively explored talent training models of cross-institutional cooperation and school-enterprise collaboration, presided over the completion of a number of national and Beijing municipal teaching reform projects, won the first prize of Beijing Higher Education Teaching Achievement Award twice, and won the second prize of National Teaching Achievement Award, providing a “Chinese solution” with exemplary significance for the reform of animation art education in the new era. As a doctoral supervisor, he has always insisted on teaching by example, cultivating a large number of outstanding talents active in the fields of animation, fine arts, and digital media art, and continuously providing professional strength for my country’s cultural and creative industries.
In academic research, Sun Lijun has long been deeply involved in the development of Chinese animation theory, publishing more than 30 monographs, including A History of Chinese Animation, An Introduction to Animation, and Modern Animation Design, and more than 70 research papers. He has also led several national-level research projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Social Science Fund, and the National Art Fund. His textbook A History of Chinese Animation has been published in multiple versions, including Chinese, English, and Japanese, and is widely used in universities both domestically and internationally, making a positive contribution to the development and international dissemination of Chinese animation theory.
Standing at a new starting point, as the chairman of the Xicheng District Film and Animation Association, Sun Lijun will leverage Xicheng’s rich historical and cultural resources, fully utilize the association’s role as a bridge and link, unite and lead the vast number of film and animation workers, adhere to the principles of creating high-quality works, supporting academic exchanges, and focusing on talent cultivation, and continuously develop brand activities with Xicheng characteristics. Focusing on areas such as new-era animation creation, popularization of aesthetic education, cultivation of young talent, construction of public art, and innovation in digital art, the association will further build platforms for exchange and cooperation, stimulate the creative vitality of its members, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional culture, and continuously enhance the association’s cohesion, influence, and service capabilities.
In the future, Sun Lijun will continue to lead all members of the association with a more open vision and a more pragmatic style, upholding integrity and innovation, bravely shouldering their mission, going deep into life and taking root among the people, telling Chinese stories and Xicheng stories through art, and contributing new strength to promoting the high-quality development of Xicheng District’s film and animation industry in the new era and the prosperity of the capital’s cultural construction.
Text: Xicheng Film and Animation Association Edited by: Wang Meikun Reviewed by: Zhou Wei
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