Communication University of China

We met with faculty the University of Communication of China and toured the College of Animation and Digital Arts. The Beijing university was established in 1954 and now has 30,000 students, half of whom attend class on-campus and half of whom attend via distance ed. The institution specializes in communication, media and education and has an especially strong reputation in animation. The university housed the first animation and comic book museum in China, which was very interesting to see. It had displays of vintage comic books and old equipment used in producing animation.

When we arrived on campus we saw happy groups of students in graduation garb taking pictures. I noticed that the sleeves of the graduation gowns were embroidered in yellow with a typical Chinese design and that the hoods were trimmed in a blue and red floral pattern, which are styles not seen in American academic regalia.

In our group picture taken on the steps of the building where we met with faculty the electronic sign above our heads says "Welcome artists and educators from Alabama!" I asked Paige to take my picture in front of the Department of Game Design sign because my son, Paul, thinks he might like to be a game designer one day.

The facilities in the College of Animation and Digital Arts were very impressive. We were treated to animation shorts produced by students in the College and they were first rate. One of our favorites was "Kung Fu Bunny Counterattack," by a student named Vincent, which I found on youtube. I think you'll enjoy it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJc2KExUQsw

I was not surprised, given the talents of the College's students, to hear that Hewlett Packard and DreamWorks both have ongoing collaborations with the institution.

Here's a link to the university's web site:

http://www.cuc.edu.cn/en2/cuc.htm