This graduate course is a comparative study of Chinese animation between the 1920s and 1980s. Located in an international landscape of modernity, this course will examine Chinese animation in relation to American, Japanese, and Soviet animations. It will analyze artistic styles and conceptual issues in depth, such as race, class, gender, children, animals, machines, cuteness, mobility, and fantasy. The relationship between totalitarian politics and aesthetics, as well as the tension between national identity and cultural appropriation will also be addressed throughout the course. All reading materials, lectures, class discussions, and writing assignments are in English. Chinese and/or other language proficiency is welcome but not required.