The 23rd Beijing Film Academy Cartoon Festival Grand Opening:
Reshaping the Chinese comics industry with “Inheritance, Innovation, and Diversity”
The 23rd Beijing Film Academy Comics Festival Grand Opening:
Reshaping China’s Comics Industry Benchmark Under the Theme of “Heritage · Innovation · Diversity”
On June 5, 2026, the 23rd Beijing Film Academy Cartoon Festival, jointly hosted by the Beijing Film Academy and the Publicity Department of the CPC Dongcheng District Committee, officially kicked off at the Longfu Cultural Center in Longfusi, Dongcheng District, Beijing.
This year’s comic festival is themed “Inheritance, Innovation, and Diversity.” The main venue activities will be held from June 5th to June 7th, with the event running from June 5th to July 6th, 2026. It spans Longfusi and the Huairou Campus of Beijing Film Academy, linking Dongcheng and Huairou districts to comprehensively showcase the latest creative achievements and cutting-edge developments in the Chinese comic industry.
BEIJING, June 5, 2026—The 23rd Beijing Film Academy (BFA) Comics Week, co-hosted by Beijing Film Academy and the Publicity Department of CPC Dongcheng District Committee, officially opened today at the Longfu Cultural Center in Longfusi, Dongcheng District, Beijing. Themed “Heritage·Innovation·Diversity” this year’s edition concentrates its main-venue programming from June 5 to 7, while extended activities run through July 6 across both the Longfusi venue and BFA’s Huairou Campus—a dual-city format presenting the latest creative achievements and industry developments in China’s comics sector.
Founded in 2002, the Beijing Film Academy Comics Festival has been deeply rooted in the industry for over two decades. From its initial role as a campus academic exchange platform, it has evolved into an authoritative, influential, and trendsetting annual event in the Chinese comics field, witnessing the growth of tens of thousands of creators. This year, the festival received 643 submissions, covering six image categories: illustration, short story comics, picture books, graphic novels, themed creations, and AI comics, as well as two text categories: comic scripts and academic papers. Ultimately, 239 works were shortlisted for the final judging. Adhering to the principles of “rigor, fairness, authority, and substance,” the Comics Festival is one of the few domestic industry platforms capable of simultaneously undertaking four functions: academic research, talent discovery, industry matchmaking, and international dialogue.
Founded in 2002, BFA Comics Week has evolved over more than two decades from a campus-based academic forum into one of China’s most authoritative and influential annual events in the comics field, nurturing tens of thousands of creators along the way.
This year’s edition received 643 submissions spanning six visual categories — illustration, short-form story comics, picture books, graphic novels, themed creation, and AI-generated comics — plus two text-based categories: comics scripts and academic papers. A total of 239 works advanced to the final round of adjudication. Upholding its guiding principles of “rigor, fairness, authority, and substance,” Comics Week remains one of the few domestic platforms capable of fulfilling the quadruple mandate of academic research, talent discovery, industry matchmaking, and international dialogue.
Six Core Highlights of This Year’s Comic Festival
Six Key Highlights of This Year’s Comics Week
Highlight 1 |
The nine activity sections are full of exciting content.
Building a panoramic ecosystem for the comics industry
This year’s comic festival has constructed a matrix of nine sections, encompassing the opening ceremony, academic salons, academic lectures, creative field trips, themed exhibitions, IP industry forums, cultural and creative markets, field trip and creative exchange, and the awards ceremony. From the opening ceremony on June 5th and the “Talking About Comics Episode 8” dialogue on innovation in Chinese and foreign comic art, to the industry forum “Modern Corporate Governance Driven by IP”, the academic forum “Comic Classics Endure Forever - Inheritance and Innovation of Hua Junwu’s Works”, the “Dongcheng Charm” comic artist field trip, the “Beijing Film Academy Comic Festival Outstanding Works Retrospective Exhibition” and the “Light and Shadow Painting Gulou Themed Creative Exhibition”, and finally to the awards ceremony on June 7th, the section design takes into account academic depth, industry breadth and public participation, forming a complete closed loop of “creation - commentary - industry - dissemination”.
Highlight 1 | Nine Program Sections Paint a Full-Spectrum Industry Ecosystem
This year’s program is structured around nine interconnected sections: the Opening Ceremony, Academic Salons, Academic Lectures, Creative Field Trips, Themed Exhibitions, an IP Industry Forum, a Cultural-Creative Market, Field-Trip Exchange Sessions, and the Awards Ceremony. Programming unfolds from the June 5 Opening Ceremony and the eighth installment of “Chatting About Comics” — a Sino-foreign dialogue on comics innovation — through the industry forum “IP-Driven Modern Corporate Governance,” the academic forum “Timeless Cartoons: Inheriting and Innovating Hua Junwu’s Creations,the “Sketching Dongcheng” artist field trip, the BFA Comics Week Retrospective Exhibition, and the “Light & Shadow at the Drum Tower” themed exhibition, culminating in the June 7 Awards Ceremony. The design balances academic depth, industrial breadth, and public engagement, forming a closed loop of “creation — criticism — industry — communication.”
Highlight 2 |
The five-nation cross-border dialogue between China, the US, Canada, France, and South Korea represents a further upgrade in the international landscape.
This year’s comic festival invited top guests from the United States, Canada, France, South Korea, and China to engage in dialogue, with an international perspective permeating the core agenda. Notable guests included Marc Handler (USA), a specially appointed professor at the Beijing Film Academy and a renowned screenwriter and producer; Samuel Porteous, a Canadian visual artist, cartoonist, and screenwriter; Camille Benyaminina, a renowned French cartoonist and full-time faculty member at the Hermione School; and Kim Kwang-sung, a professor at Sangmyung University, and Kim Byung-soo, a professor at Mokwon University, both serving as presidents of the Korea Cartoonists Association. The Chinese lineup was equally impressive, led by Sun Lijun, former vice president of the Beijing Film Academy and president of the China Animation Research Institute, with renowned cartoonists and animation directors such as Nie Jun, A Geng, and Yin Chuan participating. This in-depth exchange between creators and scholars from the five countries will inject new momentum into the internationalization of Chinese comics.
Highlight 2 | Five-Nation Dialogue Elevates the International Dimension
This edition brings together leading figures from the United States, Canada, France, South Korea, and China for cross-border dialogue, with an international perspective running through every core session. Marc Handler (USA), BFA Distinguished Professor and acclaimed screenwriter-producer, will deliver the lecture “How to Master Your Comics”; Canadian visual artist, cartoonist, and screenwriter Samuel Porteous will present “Ching Ling Foo: America’s First Chinese Superstar — Technological Adaptation and Development in an Era of Transformation (1880–1917)”; renowned French comics artist and instructor at École Emile Cohl, Camille Benyamina, will share her end-to-end creative process in “Comics Creation: From Script to Publication”; and Professors Kim Kwang-sung (Sangmyung University) and Kim Byung-soo (Mokwon University), both serving as presidents of the Korea Comics Solidarity Association, will each present lectures on the history and current state of Korean webtoons. The Chinese contingent is equally stellar, led by Sun Lijun — former Vice President of BFA and Director of the China Animation Research Institute — alongside celebrated comics artists and animation directors Nie Jun, A Geng, and Yin Chuan. This five-nation convergence of creators and scholars is poised to inject fresh momentum into the internationalization of Chinese comics.
Highlight 3 |
The two cities of Dongcheng and Huairou are working together.
The two core cities of Beijing resonate.
This year’s festival pioneered a dual-city model. The main venue at Longfusi in Dongcheng District hosted the opening ceremony, international academic salon, IP industry forum, field trips, creative works, and retrospective exhibitions, among other high-profile events. Meanwhile, classrooms A1-606 and A1-607 at the Huairou campus, along with the Black Box Theater, hosted more in-depth events such as academic lectures, professional salons, and the awards ceremony. Dongcheng, as the capital’s cultural center, radiates influence to the public and industry, while Huairou, relying on the new campus of the Beijing Film Academy, focuses on academics and creative work. This dual-core approach, resonating in unison, serves as a vivid example of the “university + urban area” collaborative model in Beijing’s development as a “national cultural center.”
For the first time, Comics Week adopts a dual-city model. The Longfusi main venue in Dongcheng hosts high-profile programming including the Opening Ceremony, international academic salons, the IP Industry Forum, artist field trips, and retrospective exhibitions, while BFA’s Huairou Campus — in classrooms A1-606 and A1-607 and the Black Box Theater — anchors the “deep-dive” track of academic lectures, professional salons, and the Awards Ceremony. Dongcheng, as the capital’s cultural core, radiates outward to the public and industry; Huairou, anchored by BFA’s new campus, focuses on scholarship and creation. Together, the two hubs resonate in unison, offering a vivid demonstration of the “university + urban district” collaborative model within Beijing’s broader mission as a national cultural center.
Highlight 4 | With its rich cultural heritage, Longfusi Temple, an old landmark, is revitalized with new animation vitality.
The main venue, the Longfu Cultural Center at Longfusi Temple in Beijing, is located in the heart of Dongcheng District and is one of Beijing’s landmark cultural revitalization projects in recent years. Longfusi Temple, originally built in 1452 (the third year of the Ming Dynasty’s Jingtai reign), was once one of the four major temple fairs in Beijing, carrying over 600 years of urban cultural memories. The renovated Longfu Building, positioned as a “cultural golden triangle,” will, for the first time, systematically host academic dialogues and exhibitions of comic art across its nine floors and three halls, allowing historical landmarks and contemporary comic culture to face each other in the same space and time, conveying the festival’s original intention of “making friends through art and passing on the torch.”
Highlight 4 | Six Centuries of Longfusi Heritage Meet Contemporary Comics Culture
The main venue — Longfu Cultural Center in Longfusi — sits at the heart of Dongcheng District and stands as one of Beijing’s landmark cultural-revival projects. Originally built in 1452 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jingtai reign, Longfusi was once among the capital’s four great temple fairs, carrying over six hundred years of folk-cultural memory. Following urban renewal, Longfu Building has been repositioned as a “Cultural Golden Triangle.” Its ninth-floor triple-hall complex will, for the first time, systematically host comics-art academic dialogue and exhibitions — creating a space where a historic landmark and contemporary comics culture gaze across time at one another, embodying the festival’s founding spirit of “connecting through art, passing on the flame.”
Highlight 5 | Comic IPs are thriving in cultural and creative markets, evolving from “content hits” to a “billion-dollar industry chain.”
From June 5th to 7th, the “Comic Fun Creative Market Exhibition and Sale” was held for three consecutive days on the first floor of Longfu Building, bringing together high-quality comic IP derivatives, original merchandise from independent comic artists, and co-branded products from partner brands, allowing comics from the academic halls to enter the mass consumer market. The concurrently held industry forum, “Modern Corporate Governance Driven by IP: The Institutional Leap from ‘Content Hit’ to ‘Billion-Dollar Industrial Chain’,” was presented by Zhu Yuchen, founder of the “I’m Not a Freeloader” IP. The forum analyzed the institutional path of comic IP from creation to industrialization from a case study perspective. The market and forum combined exhibition and sales, and integrated industry and academia, making the value of IP visible, tangible, and accessible to consumers.
Highlight 5 | Creative Market Meets Industry Forum — Comics IP Moves from Page to Consumer
From June 5 to 7, the “Comics Fun Creative Market” opens on the ground floor of Longfu Building for three consecutive days, bringing together premium comics-IP merchandise, independent artists’ original peripherals, and co-branded collaborative products — taking comics out of the academic hall and into everyday consumer life. Running in parallel, the industry forum “IP-Driven Modern Corporate Governance: The Institutional Leap from ‘Content Hit’ to ‘Multi-Billion-Yuan Value Chain’” is keynoted by Zhu Yuchen, founder of the “I Am Not a Glutton” IP, who deconstructs the institutional pathway from creative concept to full commercialization through real-world case studies. The market-plus-forum formula of “exhibit, sell, and educate in one place” makes IP value visible, tangible, and purchasable.
Highlight Six | Dongcheng District also released a major animation policy, further upgrading its support for the industry.
Relying on the Publicity Department of the CPC Dongcheng District Committee, this year’s Comic Festival serves as a centralized platform for releasing Dongcheng District’s animation industry policies. A series of policy measures focusing on supporting original comics, IP incubation, industrial space development, and activating cultural and creative consumption will be unveiled during Comic Week. Together with the Longfusi Cultural Golden Triangle, these measures will form a three-in-one industrial ecosystem of “policy + platform + content,” signifying that Dongcheng District is using comics as a starting point to accelerate the development of a new highland for the capital’s animation and cultural creative industries.
Highlight 6 | Dongcheng District Unveils Major Animation & Comics Policies, Upgrading Industry Support
Leveraging the role of the Publicity Department of CPC Dongcheng District Committee as co-host, this year’s Comics Week serves as a concentrated launch window for Dongcheng’s animation and comics industry policies. A suite of measures addressing original-comics funding, IP incubation, dedicated industry space, and cultural-creative consumption stimulation will be unveiled throughout the festival, forming a “policy + venue + content” trinity with the Longfusi Cultural Golden Triangle. The initiative signals that Dongcheng District is using comics as a strategic entry point to accelerate the development of a new highland for the capital’s animation and cultural-creative industries.
For 23 years, the Beijing Film Academy Comics Festival has been a testament to the enduring legacy of Chinese comics. It has evolved beyond a mere industry event, becoming a microcosm of China’s comics industry’s transformation from academic pursuits to a thriving industrial ecosystem, and from local creation to international dialogue. This year’s festival, themed “Inheritance, Innovation, and Diversity,” and featuring nine sections, dialogues with five countries, and collaboration between two cities, invites the entire industry to witness a new beginning for Chinese comics.
After twenty-three years of passing the torch, BFA Comics Week has grown beyond an industry gathering into an embodiment of Chinese comics’ evolution — from campus scholarship to industrial ecosystem, from domestic creation to international dialogue. With “Heritage·Innovation·Diversity” as its sail and nine program sections, five-nation dialogue, and a dual-city format as its oars, this year’s edition invites the entire industry to witness a bold new voyage for Chinese comics.
Written by: Sun Da
Layout: Xu Yuying
Editor: Hao Tianyue
Editors: Zu Ruoxi, Yang Liang, Gu Qijun
Reviewed by: Chen Zhongguo, Ma Hua, Wang Hao, Huang Yong
