Jilin Animation Institute (JAI), Changchun, China

Founded in 2000, Jilin Animation Institute is located in Changchun City, Jilin Province, northeast China. JAI has two campuses, Gaoxin Campus covers an area of 223,000 square meters, with a building area of 235,000 square meters. Shuangyang Campus covers a total area of nearly 2 square kilometers, with a planned land of nearly 800,000 square meters. 35 undergraduate majors are offered in JAI, including animation (including Chinese-Foreign Cooperative Education Program), drama and film directing, acting, film and television photography and production, etc. Among the above majors, there is one national featured major, five national first-class undergraduate major construction sites, and five provincial first-class undergraduate major construction sites. Graduates of JAI are awarded the bachelor’s degrees of literature, art, engineering, management, and economics. Currently, JAI has 12658 students, including 6116 film and television majors. JAI has a full-time faculty of 1,021, including 704 full-time teachers and 317 administrative staff. Among the full-time faculty, 106 faculty members have the title of associate senior or above, and among the administrative staff, 21 staff members have the title of associate senior or above, accounting for 47% of the industry faculty. 

JAI insists on its three school running characteristics of “Openness and International Orientation”; “Integration of Education, Research and Industry”; “Technicalization of Creative Products” and has been honored as “National Animation Teaching and Research Base”, “National Animation Industry Base”, “National Cultural Industry Demonstration Base”, “Top 10 Animation Education Institutions in Pan Asia-Pacific Region”, “National Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program Implementation Unit”, “Best Animation Education Institution” of China Culture and Arts Government Award, and “National Innovation and Entrepreneurship School Construction Unit”. According to the Animation Career Review 2023 global animation university rankings, JAI is ranked 42nd in the world and 9th in Asia. At present, JAI has joined three international associations, including Association International du Film d’Animation (ASIFA), Cumulus and the International Council of Design (ico-D). 

JAI keeps innovating the talent training mode, facing the whole industry chain of cultural and creative industries, and comprehensively building a practical teaching platform for the docking of learning and production. In recent years, the school has focused on creating original IP for film and television, and has created and completed the series of 3D animated movies The Frog Kingdom. At present, the first and second parts of The Frog Kingdom have been released globally, and the third and fourth parts have been released nationwide in 2022 and 2023. The first part of China’s first sci-fi animated movie Zap’s Last Stand will be released in 2023 and China’s first 3D animated movie with music, song and dance has entered the mid-term production. The sci-fi visual effects movie Legend’s Shadow, which is created in the image of an automobile man, has entered the creation stage. Focusing on the inheritance of China’s outstanding traditional culture, JAI is now producing the live-action+CG movie Battle of Mountains and Seas, the animated movie Rise of Jingwei of Mountains and Seas and The Story of Gun and Yu, and has completed the feature films Dream Gate and Dragon Inn. JAI’s 198 student works have been awarded (shortlisted) at the Hiroshima Animation Festival in Japan, the Asia Pacific Film Festival, the Ottawa International Animation Festival in Canada, and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, and have won 277 international awards. 

JAI attracts high-end talents from domestic and foreign markets, and comprehensively cultivates its students to become application-oriented professionals with strong practical abilities, deep cultural heritage and high artistic accomplishment. More than 40,000 graduates went on working at state-owned or private enterprises and the one-time employment rate of graduates has always remained above 90%. According to the results of a five-year graduate tracking survey conducted by a third-party social evaluation organization, the graduates of JAI have “the comparative advantage in their personal qualities and abilities” and “the relatively high level of satisfaction with their Alma Mater and their majors”. 

Since the foundation of the Institute, JAI has established exchanges and cooperation with 154 colleges and universities in 31 countries and regions. Besides, JAI also invited 622 internationally renowned experts and scholars to serve as special professors and guest lecturers, trying to give lectures and set up studios in the institute. Up to now, JAI has hosted 53 large-scale forums such as “China-Jilin International Animation and Game Forum”, “Sino-French Cultural Spring” exchange season, “Asia Film and Television Education and Industry Development Forum” and others, which were organized by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China and the Jilin Provincial Government. JAI has also organized and hosted 58 international exhibitions and competitions, such as the “Snow Wolf Cup Animation Competition” and the “China-Jilin International Student Film and Television Exchange Exhibition”.  

The study language of JAI is Chinese. Bilingual for Chinese-Foreign Cooperative Education Programs. Tuition fees for the academic year 2022/2023 are 2,750-7,639 euros for local students and 3,850-10,695 euros for international students. The number of applicants in 2022/2023 school year are 3,234 (M 1,312, F 1,922); enrolled students in 2022/2023 school year are 3,044 (M 1,230, F 1,814); students total in 2022/2023 school year are 12,685 (M 5,642, F 7,043). 

Art majors are admitted according to the ranking of cultural scores and professional scores in the college entrance examination, and general majors are admitted according to the ranking of cultural scores in the college entrance examination without professional scores. The study of each major in the school includes theory and practice. According to the majors, the proportion of practice varies, ranging from 42% to 65%. Students who have completed the minimum credit requirements stipulated in the talent cultivation program of their majors and passed the comprehensive quality within the stipulated academic period are allowed to graduate and are issued graduation certificates. 

 

Successful Graduates (alphabetically): 

  • Chen Zhongfa, Photography. Founder of As You See Beijing Culture Media Co., In 2017, was awarded National Gold Prize of the 3rd China Internet+ College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. In 2020, he won the Teaching Master Award, Outstanding Teaching Award and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent Award held by China Teacher Development Foundation. 
  • Li Lingxiao, Animation. Director of Gudong Comics Studio. He directed the animated films Crystal Sky Of Yesterday, and Mr. Miao which were released all over the country, and won the First Prize of Best Asian Animation Award in Anim!Arte – International Student Animation Festival of Brazil, Best Animated Short Film Award of the 8th Contest of Asian Youth Animation, Comics and Digital Arts, Gold Award of Animation Action Design of 2015 Chinese College Students’ Original Animation Competition, Special Award of the Jury of 2014 Animation Academy Award of Beijing Film Academy, etc. 
  • Li Yansong, Advertisement. Chairman of Changchun Knowdoing Animation+Game+VR, he led the team to break through the technical bottleneck in the field of national animation, and changed the passive situation of being subjected to foreign technology and process. During his career in Jilin Province, he has directly employed 300 people and driven the employment of more than 1,000 people. In 2021, he donated 100,000 RMB to Tsinghua University for the foundation of the university. In 2023, he was elected as the director of Jilin Alumni Talent Association. 
  • Tian Le, Acting, School of Film. Film production and distribution of Beijing Haohan Xingpan Film Media Culture Co., Ltd. Representative works: Hot Mom!, A Servant of Two Masters, Promise of Migratory Birds, Tornado Girl, Yu Zui, Because Of You, Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace, Fights Break Sphere, White Deer, Ice Fantasy, Candle in the Tomb series, etc. 
  • Zhang Bo, Animation. Head and Chief Producer of Alibaba Pictures’ Personal Production Studio. He participated in and produced many films and TV dramas such as Bleeding Steel, Detective Chinatown, Love You Forever, etc.; Animated film: Next Gen.  
  • Zhang Siyuan, Acting, School of Film. He is a popular singer in China. Many fans know him was because of his excellent performance in the 3rd National Campus Singer Competition of Netease Cloud Music in 2016. In this competition, he won the championship and the Best Popularity Award at the same time. He contracted with Beijing Cuyin Culture Co., Ltd. https://think.szonline.net/rjgc/20180716/20180715076_2.html 
  • Zhang Yingli, Animation. Founder/director of Beijing Hewei Gui Film. His feature film The Mountain was nominated for “Best Feature Film” at the 2015 Beijing Youth Film Festival; and obtained “Excellent Original Feature Film” award of the 7th China Image Film Festival. The short film Mobius participated in the 70th Cannes Film Festival. The online drama Bunker won the “Best Drama Award” of World Chinese Science Fiction Association, CSFA. The documentary The Bridge to Paradise was nominated for the best feature documentary of Barcelona Asian Film Festival.
  • Zhao Jiayi, Radio and TV Editing. Graduated in 2018 and now works for Post Hub Inc., Los Angeles, USA 
  • Zhao Ming, Photography. Reporter of Southern Metropolis Daily. At school and after graduation, he has been paying attention to the development and education in poor areas, shooting Family Photos in Mountains, Wedding Photos in Mountains, etc. In 2015, he was selected into the “10th Annual Student selection of Chinese College Students”. Documentaries such as The Way to Study on Horseback, Children on the Ladder and The Way out of Poverty in Cliff Village were broadcast on CCTV. 
  • Zhou Yuhan, Animation. After graduating from JAI in 2014, he entered into Savannah College of Arts and Design in the United States, and now works for Pixomondo in the United States. 

 

Links to Student Films: 

Liu Xin

Liu Xin is an expert with outstanding contributions in Jilin Province. Currently, she is the Vice Chairman of Jilin Animation Institute. As a producer and filmmaker, Liu has produced 4 animation movies and 3 online movies. For more than 20 years, Liu has specialized in researching the development of characteristics of private colleges, the innovation of talent cultivation mode, domestic and international inter-college exchanges and cooperation, and the construction of teachers’ teaching development. 
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