The authors and creators of donghua
The duo who waited twelve yearsLiang Xuan and Zhang Chun founded the B&T studio (彼岸天) and directed Big Fish & Begonia together. It took them twelve years to turn an online short into a feature film.
Career
In 2003, Liang Xuan left Tsinghua University, where he was studying thermal engineering, to devote himself to animation. In 2004 he posted a seven-minute short online, Big Fish & Begonia (大鱼海棠), which drew attention.
In 2005 he founded the B&T studio (彼岸天) with Zhang Chun. The feature project went through difficult years for lack of funding, including a crowdfunding campaign.
The film finally came out on 8 July 2016, written and directed by the duo. A sequel, Big Fish & Begonia 2, has been announced.
Life and behind the scenes
Theirs is a story of stubbornness: a student who leaves one of China's most prestigious universities for a dream, a studio founded by two people, then more than ten years carrying the same film. Zhang Chun, more discreetly, appears online under a drawn avatar and the handle "Breath".
Style and themes
The duo champions dreamlike, poetic animation inspired by Zhuangzi's philosophy and Chinese mythology, with particular attention to colour and architecture, such as the round tulou houses of Fujian.
Their works on Donghua Fan
The donghua adapted from Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun's novels, with their guides, characters and watch orders.
Trivia
- Liang Xuan left Tsinghua University in 2003 for animation.
- The original 2004 short was posted online before the studio even existed.
- The studio's name, Bi'an Tian (彼岸天), means "the sky of the other shore".
Donghua Fan's take
Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun proved a dream can survive twelve years of waiting. Big Fish & Begonia carries that perseverance in every image.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan