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Beijing International Animation & Comics Week started at the capital's Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution on the morning of Dec.27. China's cartoon fans took the opportunity to meet and greet professional animators from across Asia and Europe at the Week's opening exhibition.

The opening ceremony was packed with homegrown cartoonists and established animators from Japan and South Korea. Anxious cartoon enthusiasts swarmed into the exhibition hall whose walls are awash with over 3,000 comic sketches. Japanese cartoons, which have long dominated Asian animation, were snapped up Chinese youngsters, eager to have a bit of fun.

But it was certainly not just all Japanese imports on show. Chinese cartoonists were also striking back with their own homegrown style. Among the show's hot favorites are works by Taiwan cartoonists Chu Thi Yong and Loic Hsiao. Chu's famous work "Hot Ladies" won him the most public recognition at the exhibition. Young Chinese artists and students who majored in animation were also a force to reckon with.

Their flash works and caricatures injected fresh ideas and inspirations into the national cartoon scene, much to the relief at the old hands.

The animation and Comics Week runs until Jan.4. Over the next week there's still a lot more in store for cartoon fans, with a variety of activities such as the screening of animation films and strips from across the world, comic book sales, cartoon industry symposiums and even stage plays are all lined up.