Wan brothers

File:WanBrothers.jpg

This is the earliest known photo of 3 of the Wan brothers: Laiming, GuChan and ChaoChen. The pamphlet is made after 1941, since the cartoon character on the front is from Princess Iron Fan. They are promoted as 卡通作家 or "Cartoon Creators"

The Wan Brothers (Chinese: 万氏兄弟) were born in the early 20th century in Nanjing, China. They became the founders and pioneers of the Chinese animation industry and made the first Asian animation feature-length film, Princess Iron Fan in 1941.

Background

The era in which the Wan brothers operated was a very challenging one for building an industry. China would endure the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II and the Cultural Revolution.

The brothers

English Name	Chinese Name	Born	Died
Wan Lai-Ming	万籁鸣	January 18, 1900	October 7, 1997
Wan Gu-Chan	万古蟾	January 18, 1900	November 19, 1995
Wan Chao-Chen	万超尘	1906	1992
Wan Di-Huan	万涤寰	190x	Unknown

Parents

Their father was in the silk business. Their mother was a seamstress.

See also

• Chinese Animation
• History of Chinese Animation