Cartoon to showcase Xinjiang culture

The 104-episode cartoon series "Princess Fragrant" [Photo/cnaci.com]

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Chinese animators are working on a new series that tells the coming-of-age story of a legendary Uygur girl in Xinjiang.

The 104-episode cartoon series, "Princess Fragrant," is based on the tale of the Fragrant Concubine, a beautiful Uygur woman from Xinjiang's Kashgar City. According to legend, she became a concubine of Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

"The heroine is depicted as a 10-year-old girl in the cartoon, and the storyline is all fictional and has nothing to do with history," said Lu Jun, chairman of Shenzhen Qianheng Cultural Communications Company, which is producing the series.

Director Deng Jiangwei said the cartoon tells the story of how heroine Iparhan went abroad to look for her father and protect the Silk Road with the help of her friends.

"It's a story about growing up and love, and we also want to replicate the beauty of Xinjiang history and culture in our production," he said.

After deciding to make the series in late 2012, the producers went to Xinjiang for field research and set up a subsidiary company in the region.

The producers traveled along a section of the ancient Silk Road in Xinjiang to explore the beauty of the landscape. They also collected pictures of children from different ethnic groups, landmark architecture, ethnic costumes, and information on traditional dances and legends, which were later incorporated into the animation.