{ "id": "ep48x8tef7", "slug": "yao-chinese-folktales", "title": "Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series", "label": "Animated television series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.adult-animated-drama-and-genre-series", "label": "Adult animated drama and genre series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.adult-animated-drama-and-genre-series" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "China · 2021 and later: Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021", "label": "China · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭) is an 8-episode Chinese animated anthology by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Bilibili, premiered January 1, 2023, general-directed by Chen Liaoyu, with Douban ratings near 9.5 and over 240 million Bilibili plays; a second season followed in 2026.", "snippet": "Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭) is an 8-episode Chinese animated anthology by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Bilibili, premiered January 1, 2023, general-directed by Chen Liaoyu, with Douban ratings near 9.5 and over 240 million Bilibili plays; a second season followed in 2026.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.animated-series.adult-animated-drama-and-genre-series", "markdown": "# Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭)\n\n**Yao-Chinese Folktales** (中国奇谭) is a Chinese animated anthology short series co-produced by [Shanghai Animation Film Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/shanghai-animation-film-studio) and the video platform Bilibili, consisting of eight independent shorts rooted in Chinese traditional culture and first released on Bilibili on January 1, 2023[1](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=208570494). The series was created to mark the centenary of [Chinese animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-animation) in 2022, with Chen Liaoyu, an associate professor at the Beijing Film Academy animation school, as general director[2](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230113/875d0fb0c2cd4e298776fcc2d7c6e89d/c.html). It became an unexpected popular success, with a Douban rating near 9.5 during its run and more than 240 million plays on Bilibili by its finale on February 12, 2023[3](https://cul.china.com.cn/2023-04/26/content_42348155.htm).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Eight independent animated shorts, about 20 minutes each, released weekly on Bilibili[2](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230113/875d0fb0c2cd4e298776fcc2d7c6e89d/c.html) |\n| Producers | Shanghai Animation Film Studio (上美影) and Bilibili, with a joint production committee; Bilibili provided funding[2](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230113/875d0fb0c2cd4e298776fcc2d7c6e89d/c.html) |\n| Run | Premiered January 1, 2023; finale February 12, 2023[3](https://cul.china.com.cn/2023-04/26/content_42348155.htm) |\n| Creative team | General director Chen Liaoyu; ten directors including Yu Shui, Hu Rui, Yang Mu, and Liu Maoning[4](https://www.jiemian.com/article/8910278.html) |\n| Ratings | Douban about 9.5 to 9.6 during the run; Bilibili user score 9.9[3](https://cul.china.com.cn/2023-04/26/content_42348155.htm) • [5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html) |\n| Viewership | Over 240 million plays on Bilibili by the finale; 360 million cumulative reported later[3](https://cul.china.com.cn/2023-04/26/content_42348155.htm) • [6](https://www2.xinhuanet.com/ent/20260116/fce449e00b2e41a781b5cfcc12e83b88/c.html) |\n| Second season | 《中国奇谭2》premiered January 1, 2026 with nine shorts by 12 directors; Douban 8.2, Bilibili 9.5[6](https://www2.xinhuanet.com/ent/20260116/fce449e00b2e41a781b5cfcc12e83b88/c.html) • [7](https://post.smzdm.com/p/a82zegl7/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### The eight shorts\n\nThe eight episodes are 《小妖怪的夏天》, 《鹅鹅鹅》, 《林林》, 《乡村巴士带走了王孩儿和神仙》, 《小满》, 《玉兔》, 《小卖部》, and 《飞鸟与鱼》[1](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=208570494). They range across traditional myth, classical zhiguai (strange-tale) fiction, contemporary life, and science fiction[10](https://dzb.whb.cn/imgPath/2023-01-05/50105.pdf).\n\n**《小妖怪的夏天》.** The opening episode, directed by Yu Shui, is set in the world of *Journey to the West* but follows a low-ranking little pig demon working for a demon king whose cave lies on the pilgrims' route; its English title is \"Nobody\"[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html). Its portrait of an overworked underling navigating arbitrary bosses and unreachable targets resonated widely with young Chinese workers, and its familiar \"textbook illustration\" art style made it an accessible entry point for the series[11](https://ep.ycwb.com/epaper/ycwb/resfile/2023-01-14/A10/ycwb20230114A10.pdf).\n\n**《鹅鹅鹅》.** Directed by Hu Rui, the second episode adapts the classical zhiguai story 《阳羡书生》 from the Southern Dynasties collection *Xu Qi Xie Ji* (续齐谐记)[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html). It uses ink-wash imagery in black, white, and gray, has no spoken dialogue, and advances its plot through second-person subtitles, retaining the strangeness of the ancient tale[12](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21527658). Hu Rui, a longtime admirer of *Secrets of the Heavenly Book*, had the fox character pay homage to that film's fox spirit[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html).\n\n**《林林》.** The third episode, directed by [Yang Mu](https://www.edgepedia.org/yang-mu), is an original story about a wolf girl who takes human form and is hunted after her identity is exposed, a fable of identity that the director linked to adolescent imitation and self-recognition[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html). It is the only fully CG-animated episode among the first three, blending ink-painting elements with three-dimensional imagery and frame-rate processing to combine hand-drawn texture with spatial depth[12](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21527658).\n\nThe remaining episodes continued the range: 《小卖部》 centers on an old Beijing hutong resident and his fantastic conversations with stone lions and other old objects, touching on topics such as waste sorting and temple demolition; 《乡村巴士带走了王孩儿和神仙》 draws on rural childhood; 《小满》 records growing up with traditional paper-cutting art; 《玉兔》 grafts science fiction onto ancient myth; and 《飞鸟与鱼》 connects to the folk tale of the Snail Girl[10](https://dzb.whb.cn/imgPath/2023-01-05/50105.pdf) • [11](https://ep.ycwb.com/epaper/ycwb/resfile/2023-01-14/A10/ycwb20230114A10.pdf).\n\n## Origin and production\n\nThe project began at the end of 2020, when Shanghai Animation Film Studio was planning a work to mark the 100th anniversary of Chinese animation in 2022, and Chen Liaoyu was independently developing ideas for an exploratory, diverse short-film anthology; the two sides agreed to collaborate[8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21609287). Bilibili joined discussions in late 2021, the partnership was settled in mid-2022, and Bilibili provided funding while the two companies formed a joint production and supervision group[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html). Production ran from late 2020 to the end of 2022, nearly two years[8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21609287).\n\nTwo principles were fixed from the start: the overall culture, aesthetics, and style should be Chinese, and the themes should be specific yet open[2](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230113/875d0fb0c2cd4e298776fcc2d7c6e89d/c.html). Chen Liaoyu selected ten directors in their thirties and forties, an age range he chose because such directors had accumulated skill and experience while still being at their most creatively driven[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html). Directors were given unusually long schedules; Yu Shui reported that a typical 12-episode series gets about half a year, while his 22-minute 《小妖怪的夏天》 had a year and a half[8](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21609287). Veteran Shanghai Animation directors, including Chang Guangxi, director of *Lotus Lantern*, advised the younger teams on scripts, storyboards, and finished cuts[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html).\n\nThe title came from the studio's classic 1981 film *Secrets of the Heavenly Book* (天书奇谭). Chen Liaoyu explained that \"qitan\" (奇谭), meaning strange tales, covers the broad category of Chinese fantasy stories: \"China is the style, qitan is the content\"[9](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21784155).\n\n## Style and technique\n\nThe anthology deliberately spans animation techniques. Besides two-dimensional hand-drawn work, it includes three-dimensional CG, paper-cutting, stop motion, and \"3-render-2\" (three-dimensional rendering finished in a two-dimensional look) approaches[3](https://cul.china.com.cn/2023-04/26/content_42348155.htm). Commentators placed the series in the lineage of Shanghai Animation Film Studio's \"art film\" style from classics such as *Havoc in Heaven*, *Nezha Conquers the Dragon King*, *Secrets of the Heavenly Book*, and *Black Cat Detective*, while noting its use of modern technology for stylized innovation[12](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21527658). 《鹅鹅鹅》 was colored frame by frame to reproduce the texture of early film stock[13](https://xinwen.bjd.com.cn/content/s63c16ca1e4b0fb99eeb340c3.html), and one episode reproduced children, oxen, and tea-drinking scenes from classical paintings such as *Hundred Children Picture* and *Five Oxen Picture* in paper-cut stop motion[14](https://www.xinhuanet.com/shuhua/20230412/36a595867542404f9b6e9c30ba246132/c.html).\n\n## Reception\n\nThe series premiered quietly on [New Year's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-day) 2023 and spread by word of mouth. After three episodes it had 65.24 million plays on Bilibili and a 9.5 Douban score from 100,000 raters[2](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230113/875d0fb0c2cd4e298776fcc2d7c6e89d/c.html); by January 14 plays exceeded 78.2 million with more than 3.69 million followers and a 9.9 Bilibili score[5](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html). By the February 12 finale, plays surpassed 240 million[3](https://cul.china.com.cn/2023-04/26/content_42348155.htm), and a later account put cumulative plays at 360 million, with nearly 40,000 viewer-made derivative videos on the platform[6](https://www2.xinhuanet.com/ent/20260116/fce449e00b2e41a781b5cfcc12e83b88/c.html). Some viewers called it a Chinese counterpart to *Love, Death & Robots*, and many treated it as a sign of revival for Chinese animation[12](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21527658).\n\nReception was not uniformly positive. Some parents complained that the frightening imagery was unsuitable for children expecting a traditional cartoon, and critics viewing the episodes as independent art shorts found some incomplete or obscure[15](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230216/60b644c800fc494eb4546e255a1f1e10/c.html). The Douban score, which opened at 9.5 and rose to 9.6, later settled around 9.3 with more than 170,000 raters[9](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21784155).\n\n## Second season\n\nA second season, 《中国奇谭2》, was announced in April 2023[14](https://www.xinhuanet.com/shuhua/20230412/36a595867542404f9b6e9c30ba246132/c.html) and premiered on Bilibili on January 1, 2026, with nine shorts by 12 directors[6](https://www2.xinhuanet.com/ent/20260116/fce449e00b2e41a781b5cfcc12e83b88/c.html). Returning directors include Hu Rui with 《耳中人》, Yang Mu with the two-dimensional 《如何成为三条龙》, Chen Lianhua with the felt stop-motion 《小雪》, and Gu Yang and Liu Kuang with the watercolor hutong comedy 《大贵人》, joined by new directors such as Du Pengpeng (《大鸟》), Ouyang Zhonghong (《三郎》), and Zhang Yang (《刑天》)[6](https://www2.xinhuanet.com/ent/20260116/fce449e00b2e41a781b5cfcc12e83b88/c.html). The season did not repeat the first season's breakout popularity but held a strong critical base, with a Douban score of 8.2 and a Bilibili score of 9.5, and reviewers noted a shift from the first season's broadly accessible storytelling toward more author-driven artistic experiments[7](https://post.smzdm.com/p/a82zegl7/).\n\n## References\n\n1. [中国奇谭, 搜狗百科](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=208570494)\n2. [《中国奇谭》为什么爆红出圈？, 新华网（北京日报）](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230113/875d0fb0c2cd4e298776fcc2d7c6e89d/c.html)\n3. [火爆出圈的《中国奇谭》给国产动画留下了什么？, 中国网](https://cul.china.com.cn/2023-04/26/content_42348155.htm)\n4. [小猪妖走出浪浪山后，《中国奇谭》给国产动画留下什么？, 界面新闻](https://www.jiemian.com/article/8910278.html)\n5. [《中国奇谭》总导演：\"观众既诚实又慷慨\", 新华网（北京青年报）](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230116/3105cac88c824eca827030499429258b/c.html)\n6. [《中国奇谭2》：入奇境观世界探人心, 新华网（北京青年报）](https://www2.xinhuanet.com/ent/20260116/fce449e00b2e41a781b5cfcc12e83b88/c.html)\n7. [《中国奇谭》第二季还能保持高口碑吗？, 什么值得买](https://post.smzdm.com/p/a82zegl7/)\n8. [《中国奇谭》诞生记｜对话主创, 澎湃新闻](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21609287)\n9. [《中国奇谭》爆火之后, 澎湃新闻](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21784155)\n10. [文汇报 2023年1月5日](https://dzb.whb.cn/imgPath/2023-01-05/50105.pdf)\n11. [羊城晚报 2023年1月14日](https://ep.ycwb.com/epaper/ycwb/resfile/2023-01-14/A10/ycwb20230114A10.pdf)\n12. [《中国奇谭》全网刷屏，B站动画又行了？, 澎湃新闻](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21527658)\n13. [人民日报评论：中国奇谭，讲年轻人爱看的志怪, 北京日报](https://xinwen.bjd.com.cn/content/s63c16ca1e4b0fb99eeb340c3.html)\n14. [《中国奇谭》：中国动画与传统文化的不解之缘, 新华网（光明日报）](https://www.xinhuanet.com/shuhua/20230412/36a595867542404f9b6e9c30ba246132/c.html)\n15. [以先锋探索重新定义中国动画, 新华网（文汇报）](https://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20230216/60b644c800fc494eb4546e255a1f1e10/c.html)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Adult animated drama and genre series*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/yao-chinese-folktales", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/yao-chinese-folktales.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/yao-chinese-folktales. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭)](https://www.edgepedia.org/yao-chinese-folktales)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/yao-chinese-folktales](https://www.edgepedia.org/yao-chinese-folktales). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Yao-Chinese Folktales (中国奇谭)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/yao-chinese-folktales. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Yao-Chinese Folktales is an 8-episode Chinese animated anthology by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and Bilibili, premiered January 1, 2023, general-directed by Chen Liaoyu, with Douban ratings near 9.5 and over 240 million Bilibili plays; a second season followed in 2026." }