Gathering highlights various forces at work in the cartoon and creative sector, Xu Fan reports.

Stepping into the exhibition section of the China International Cartoon and Animation Festival, one feels like being pulled into the pages of a comic book or, even, an animation film. You might bump into a beautiful woman wrapped in an ancient dress, a silver-haired "warrior", or even someone dressed up like a giant frog.

The annual carnival that brings together cosplayers and anime fans recently concluded in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, attracting a total of 10.8 million visits, including both in-person attendance and online participation.

The five-day festival, held from June 20 to 24, attracted more than 2,300 participants from 567 companies and institutions representing 67 countries and regions, and achieved fruitful outcomes with the inking of plan-to-cooperate contracts worth a total of 1.49 billion yuan ($204.8 million).

Over the past two decades or so, the festival has bestowed Hangzhou, a historical city renowned for its iconic West Lake, with the additional title of "the capital of cartoon and animation". Statistics from the local media reports show that the annual production of animated series in Zhejiang province has increased significantly, from approximately 8,100 minutes in 2005, during the first edition of the festival, to over 31,200 minutes in 2022, a remarkable 285 percent surge.