Tianshu Qitang

Author: Wu Zhifei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The "Contemporary Chinese Classic Animation Series" showcases China's outstanding animated films through a combination of books and original VCDs, allowing more readers to experience the excellence of Chinese culture. It enables adults to relive their childhood memories and helps young readers, through Chinese stories and images, to absorb Chinese culture and be nurtured by its spirit. It also aims to inspire Chinese animation filmmakers to create more animated films with Chinese style and national charm, shape more Chinese cartoon stars, and once again achieve brilliance in Chinese animation. The film is adapted from selected chapters of the Ming Dynasty novel "Ping Jiao Zhen."
The story depicts Yuan Gong, an official in the Heavenly Palace's Secretariat, secretly taking the Heavenly Scriptures down to the mortal world when the Jade Emperor is absent. He carves the script of the Heavenly Scriptures onto the cliffs of Yunmeng Mountain. For revealing the Heavenly Scriptures, Yuan Gong breaks the celestial laws and is punished by the Jade Emperor to guard the Heavenly Scriptures on the cliffs for life.
To pass the Heavenly Scriptures to the mortal world, Yuan Gong instructs Dan Sheng to copy the script from the cliffs and teaches him how to use the Heavenly Scriptures to benefit the people. The fox spirit, resenting Dan Sheng for disrupting its evil deeds, steals the Heavenly Scriptures, allies with the officials, and harms the people. Dan Sheng pursues the stolen Scriptures and engages in multiple confrontations with the fox spirit.
In the end, Yuan Gong recovers the Heavenly Scriptures, crushes the fox spirit under the cliffs of Yunmeng, and instructs Dan Sheng to memorize the script and always use it to benefit the people. He then burns the Heavenly Scriptures with divine fire. Yuan Gong is also captured by the Jade Emperor and returned to the Heavenly Palace to stand trial.
The film adopts a comedic style, with character designs inspired by Jiangsu folk toys and the art of door god silver horses, giving it a strong national flavor. At the same time, it incorporates artistic techniques from the comic "Pao Zhang," making the entire work lively, vibrant, and full of fun.