China has long lagged behind in the animation industry compared to the US, Japan, and Europe. With DreamWorks opening a studio in Shanghai, animation studios in the Middle Kingdom want to improve the domestic product. China.org.cn interviewed Xiong Weihu–the founder and chairman of Chengdu Hengfeng Animation Co.–to get his opinion on the current state of Chinese animation. For awhile, Chinese animation was going strong, but the bubble popped and it has not regained its popularity. Part of this is due to lack of investments and proper technology–tough not mentioned we can surmise that foreign animation plays a part as well. Chengdu is interested in portraying Chinese culture and tradition through the medium and they have already created China’s first 3D cartoon called Galaxy Heroes. Instead of using animals or humans as characters, Chengdu used vegetables and fruits in the 52-episode series. The idea is that food products have not been explored to their fullest extent in animation and it will make China stand out amongst the foreign competition. Just wondering if Chengdu heard about Veggie Tales?