An animated vision for the future

She tries to balance cultures.

For example, a foreign scriptwriter on their team proposed an idea of kids sending their used toys to others as gifts.

Yu likes the core idea but believes Chinese may find it strange, since they tend to give new, rather than secondhand, items as gifts.

"So, I proposed changing the plot to children using materials from their extra toys to create a new game or toy with their friends. It keeps the core idea, yet can be acceptable to both Chinese and foreigners," Yu says.

Wang Chaoyue, a member of Yu's company who has worked with her for a decade, says their efforts to create internationally recognized animation can effectively spread Chinese culture.

"We want to make cartoons with Chinese characteristics. But we can't achieve that goal by simply adding some typical Chinese elements like qipao (a traditional Chinese dress). Instead, we must show some forms of Chinese culture or thought," she says.

"Domestic audiences think our works are fancy, while foreign animation professionals find they're full of Chinese characteristics. That's our direction."

Wang says of Yu, "Her love leads her to spare no effort on quality, despite the cost of human and material resources."

Yu's company has produced other quality cartoons like Mini Mind Warriors, a finalist in the Kids Content category of the 2017 MIPTV Digital Short Form Series Pitch. Its second season received 100 million views on Tencent Video in 2019.

"Chinese animation has developed quickly in the past decade. The gap is obviously narrowing between China and countries with mature animation industries," Yu says.

"Our country stresses cultural exports now and supports the development of this industry, giving us more opportunities and attracting more talent. This will lead to more quality works."