Kendall, P. 2026. Forthcoming. Orientalist Animation: Ma Liang and His Magic Paintbrush. in: Holliday, Chris and McGowan, David (ed.) Encyclopedia of Animation Studies Volume 4: Characters and Aesthetic Bloomsbury Professional.
| Chapter title | Orientalist Animation: Ma Liang and His Magic Paintbrush |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kendall, P. |
| Editors | Holliday, Chris and McGowan, David |
| Abstract | This chapter examines the incremental transformation of the animated character Ma Liang from a strong, politically-conscious character who acts decisively against class enemies into a mild-mannered, introspective character who fights tyranny only when there is no alternative. In doing so, it traces the movement of Ma Liang from the discursive realm of 1950s socialist China into the English-language discourses of late-twentieth century capitalist countries. The chapter firstly contextualizes the production of an animated Ma Liang in the 1950s, as part of efforts by the young PRC to construct a new socialist culture. It secondly examines English-language literary adaptations of the 1950s Ma Liang in order to understand how this character’s socialist past came to be concealed and how he became a character in a timeless, orientalist folktale. Finally, this chapter examines two English-language animations which followed these literary adaptations, showing how they present Ma Liang as an introspective, unconfrontational character who paints according to his inner feelings rather than a political cause. In this way, a resolute class warrior of socialist cultural production was repackaged for North American and European audiences as a reluctant hero of pre-modern Chinese folklore. |
| Keywords | Chinse studies |
| animation | |
| orientalism | |
| masculinity | |
| discourse | |
| translation | |
| Book title | Encyclopedia of Animation Studies Volume 4: Characters and Aesthetic |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Professional |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 2026 |
| File | File Access Level Controlled (open metadata, closed files) |