Little Carp Jumps Over the Dragon Gate

Language: Chinese, with English subtitles

小鲤鱼跳龙门/小鯉魚跳龍門

Synopsis Based on the Chinese folk tale of “the carp jumping over the Dragon Gate,” this short film tells a story of the carp grandmother telling the little carps a story about their ancestors jumping over the Dragon Gate. Under the leadership of the largest black carp, the little carps set out to find the Dragon Gate without telling their grandma.

Curators’ Notes Having never thought that a story from grandma would one day captivate them, the little carps are thrilled to leave the insulated stream in searching for the fabled “Dragon Gate” — an insuperable obstacle to all mighty contenders before. Will they succeed in finding the place and jumping over the top? What is the view awaiting from the other side?

In a film that predates another classic animation Where is Mama (1960), we follow a group of vigorous carps through their coming-of-age adventure. Deeply imprinted with a spirit from the “golden age” of Chinese animation films (1957-1966), a short animation like this showcases the accomplishment and the bright future that was meant to be brought by the restoration and modernisation plans in then newly founded China.