At 10:00 AM on July 30th, the Cross-Strait, Hong Kong and Macao Animation New Wave Greater Bay Area (GBA) Creation Camp, themed "Strolling through the GBA, Painting a Smart New Future", moved to Guangzhou University and officially began a 12-hour intensive creation phase.
The 20 young participants were divided into an AIGC group and a hand-drawn & AI group. Drawing on what they had gained from a field trip to Shenzhen, they started creating works around two themes: "AI Empowerment: Cyber GBA" and "A Dialogue Across Mountains and Seas".
The hand-drawn & AI group incorporated GBA elements into their work. Cartoonist Deng Weicong combined lion dance, 3D printing, and microchip motifs, using visual flow to express urban growth. Li Zhiguan created an original IP based on the Hakka Qilin (Chinese unicorn), exploring the conversation between traditional culture and modern technology through the story of a Qilin meeting a robot.
In the AIGC group, participant Pan Qianxin reflected Shenzhen's development through the story of the roc (a mythical giant bird) of "Pengcheng". Song Zhenye and Ouyang Zhihong drew inspiration from robot police and drone delivery services. They used a dual-track narrative that moves from the micro to the macro and relied on AI tools to create static images and short animated clips. Mentors provided one-on-one guidance to fill gaps and refine their work.
Zhong Mengshun, a renowned Taiwan cartoonist who has taught at universities in Taiwan for over 20 years, praised the participants' work after reviewing it. He said the average level of the mainland students was beyond his expectations, and all the pieces were highly polished. Zhong stated frankly that the event was of great significance: collaborative creation greatly benefits a cartoonist's growth, and events like the "Strolling through the GBA" camp should be held more often.
