China's 10 must-see animations (5)

Secrets of the Heavenly Book

Secrets of the Heavenly Book, (Chinese: 天书奇谈) also referred to as "Legend of the Sealed Book" or "Tales about the Heavenly Book", was released in 1983.

The film was produced with rigorous dubbing and fluid combination of music and vivid animations. The story is based on the classic literature "Ping Yao Zhuan", meaning "The Suppression of the Demons" by Feng Menglong. Yuangong, the deacon, opened the shrine and exposed the holy book to the human world. He carved the book's contents on the stone wall of a white cloud cave in the mountains. He was then punished with guarding the book for life by the jade emperor for breaking heaven's law. In order to pass this holy book to human beings, he would have to get by the antagonist fox.

The whole animation is characterized by charming Chinese painting, including pavilions, ancient architecture, rippling streams and crowded markets, which fully demonstrate the unique beauty of China's natural scenery.