陈昌柱：一位“动画教育拓荒者”的回望
[The Profile | 人物名片]
Chen Changzhu: Professor at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (SCFAI); founder of the Animation Department at SCFAI and the Animation Department at the Chengdu Academy of Fine Arts (SCCM). A member of the China Artists Association and director of the China Animation Association. Having bridged the gap from traditional lianhuanhua (picture books) to modern animation, he is a fundamental pioneer of animation education in Western China.
01. From Printmaker to “Founding Father” of Animation Education
从版画家到动画教育的“开山人”
Born in 1948, Chen’s artistic foundation is rooted in pure traditional fine arts. A graduate of SCFAI’s printmaking program, he was a celebrated master of lianhuanhua in the 80s and 90s. However, by the mid-90s, he sensed a seismic shift: traditional publications were declining as the youth turned toward the dynamic narratives of Japanese manga.
“The future of painting lies in its connection to ‘Animation’.” Driven by this conviction, Chen established the first animation major among China’s top eight fine arts academies in 1996. He reflects on those “frontier” years with humility, describing a “chaotic” start where raw passion and a single proposal lit the early fires of animation education in the West, long before established textbooks existed.
02. Core Philosophy: Traditional Drawing is the “Lifeblood”
核心理念：传统绘画能力是动画人的“命根子”
Amidst the explosive growth of animation programs nationwide, Chen maintained a sharp, rational clarity: Technology iterates, but aesthetic foundations are non-negotiable.
“We aren’t running a ‘Director’s Training Class’; we are cultivating high-level Applied Talent who can integrate deeply with the industry.” Chen observed that without solid sketching and modeling skills, 3D works become rigid and soulless. He mandated that hand-drawing remain central to the curriculum, believing that “only when the hand is precise can the mind master the lens.”
03. The Critique: Manga is the Foundation—Don’t Flip the Pyramid
忧思：漫画是动画的地基，不能倒置
At the 2005 Animation Association summit, Chen delivered a sobering warning: “Without a thriving manga industry, the animation pyramid is inverted; it will collapse at any moment.”
He noted that the prosperity of Japanese and Korean animation was built upon a massive manga publishing market. He criticized the blind rush to build “Animation Bases” while neglecting the cost-effective, creative laboratory of manga magazines. To Chen, if the “experimental field” of manga withers, original animation will inevitably lose its creative source.
04. Transformation: From Artist to “Guardian of the Flame”
身份转型：从艺术家到“守灯人”
As a department head, Chen transitioned from a creative artist to an educational architect. To his students, he was the “wisest uncle in the family who draws best.” He measured success not by his personal accolades, but by his ability to deliver “robust fruits”—graduates who are both technically capable and intellectually driven—to the industry.
[Dongke Retrospective | 动客回顾]
Even in his later years, the fire in Chen’s eyes remained as brilliant as a young artist’s. He completed his own transition from static frames to moving images, while building the bridge to the future for countless students in Southwest China.