Yao-Chinese Folktales — Season 2
Yao-Chinese Folktales 2 is a collection of nine animated shorts brought to life by twelve visionary directors. Building on Chinese imaginative storytelling, it explores diverse themes and artistic sty
About this season
Yao-Chinese Folktales 2 is a collection of nine animated shorts brought to life by twelve visionary directors. Building on Chinese imaginative storytelling, it explores diverse themes and artistic styles, blending fantasy, folklore, and allegory with reflections on real life. The shorts invite audiences to ponder self-identity, family relationships, and social connections, offering both visual richness and thoughtful insight into contemporary human experiences.
Episodes (9)
1. How to Become Three Dragons
Aired 1 January 2026 • 23 min
This film features 2D cartoon style with meticulous and vibrant brushwork, using a young snake's quest for immortality to explore themes of self-discovery and growth.
2. Man in the Ear
Aired 1 January 2026 • 22 min
Employs ink-wash sketching and is based on strange tales from "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio", outlining the inner desires of the heart.
3. Today's Zoo
Aired 8 January 2026 • 22 min
With a retro picture quality and mockumentary style, it reflects individual choices within a fantastical stage.
4. Light Snow
Aired 15 January 2026 • 22 min
Felt is used as the material to create stop-motion animation, delicately portraying the complex and profound emotional bonds within family affection.
5. San Lang
Aired 22 January 2026 • 22 min
Combines 2D and 3D animation, featuring desert aesthetics and science fiction elements, as it searches for the inner path home amidst the world of martial arts with flashing blades.
6. The Big Bird
Aired 29 January 2026 • 28 min
A 2D animated film in a dark fairy tale style, using this dark fairy tale to write a story of a journey of guardianship.
7. Worship the Mountain
Aired 5 February 2026 • 24 min
A fantasy realism piece that showcases Hakka culture, blending Hakka folk customs with fantastical imagination to find echoes of homeland and distant places.
8. Xingtian
Aired 12 February 2026 • 20 min
Fuses 3D technology with hand-painted animation to reinterpret the heroic epic from ancient mythology.
9. The Great Nobleman
Aired 19 February 2026 • 22 min
Featuring a watercolour style that is heartwarming and comforting, weaving humor and warmth between father and son within a fantastical setting.