Hunan Museum Presents Time Cards Cartoon

An animated cartoon entitled Time Cards, the first of its kind in China with the theme on cultural relics, started broadcasting on the channel of Golden Eagle Cartoon on May 18th, 2015 – “International Museum Day”. It was designed and produced by Hunan Provincial Museum, with the four-year period of preparation.

The cartoon Time Cards (each episode is about 13 minutes long, and there are 26 episodes in total) is based on the cultural relics unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tombs, the representative collection held by Hunan Provincial Museum. It tells the story of a smart young boy named Wang Xiaohan, who accidently travels through time, finding himself living in Changsha State during the Western Han Dynasty (207BC-AD25) over 2,000 years ago. He experiences the lifestyles of that dynasty, fights against the evil forces with the family of Marquis of Dai, encounters various severe difficulties and finally manages to travel back to the 21st century.
Trailer: Time Cards

Wang Xiaohan (also called “Hanhan”), the protagonist in the cartoon, is based on Wang Han, the famous TV host and the Image Ambassador of Hunan Provincial Museum. The character is vividly portrayed and is very popular among the audience. In the cartoon, being naughty but smart and brave, Hanhan develops a strong interest in cultural relics. One day in the museum, he comes upon the jigsaw puzzle of cultural relics and plays it. Unexpectedly, he travels through time and reaches Changsha State of Western Han Dynasty (207BC-AD25). The only way to travel back to the 21st century is to find all the objects that correspond to images on the museum cards. Only in this way can the function of time travel of the museum cards be activated. … Meanwhile, the rebels from Southern Yue State attempt to find the silk manuscript entitled Planetary Astrology (of magical power) so as to destroy the family of Marquis of Dai and the Changsha State. Together with Li Xi, the son of Xin Zhui (the marquise), and Qingqing, the daughter of the King of Changsha State, Hanhan, undaunted by the difficulties, fights against the evil forces and eventually foils the plots of the rebels.

The story of cultural relics is told in a fascinating and interesting way, so as to visualize the cultural relics and the history. With the cartoon Time Cards, Hunan Provincial Museum attempts to show Mawangdui Han Tombs and the ancient history of China to school children in an appealing way. With suspense and the twisted plot, the cartoon presents many important cultural relics, including the Gauze Gown in Plain Color, T-Shaped Painting on Silk, “Drawing of Daoyin” – the Physical Exercise Chart, Lacquer Two-Tiered Cosmetic Box with Painted Design and Nine Small Boxes and so on. At the same time, it enables the audience to view various social aspects of that era, including politics, economy, technology, culture, religious rituals, social customs and the lifestyle of the nobles.

The animated figure of Xin Zhui (the Marquise) based on the Reconstruction Statue of Xin Zhui, Wife of Marquis of Dai and the occupant of Mawangdui Tomb No. 1

The artifact “Gauze Gown in Plain Color” and its animated version in the cartoon
 

Rocky – the video cell phone robot (on the left) and Ying Sha – the butler in the Mansion of Marquis of Dai (on the right) are based on the artifact “Guan Ren”, Male Figurine Wearing a Hat (in the middle)
 

The match of chess in the cartoon (on the right) is based on the object “A Set of Liubo Chess”
 

The practice of the physical exercises in the cartoon is based on the object “Drawing of Daoyin”, the Physical Exercise Chart

The cartoon is available on the Golden Eagle Cartoon Channel and the official website of Hunan Provincial Museum. The cartoon book entitled Time Travel: Museum Cards (8 volumes with DVD), adapted from the TV version, will be issued at the same. During the broadcast of the cartoon, audiences are welcome to participate in the interactive activities on Weibo (Micro blog) or WeChat launched by Hunan Provincial Museum and win the prizes.