开年王炸！两集冲上豆瓣9.6，国漫粉沸腾了……

An animated series featuring monster-like characters, or yao in Chinese, has won praise online for adopting traditional Chinese culture and aesthetics in its animation and storytelling in a way that has resonated with many.

Jointly produced by Shanghai Animated Film Studio and streaming site Bilibili, “Yao - Chinese Folktales” has garnered over 26 million views and got a score of 9.6 out of 10 on rating site Douban since it aired last Sunday.

The series is an eight-part series inspired by various classics of traditional Chinese literature and showcases a range of artistic styles such as paper cutting, watercolor painting, and computer graphics.

The first episode is based on the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” with characters preparing to capture a Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk. Its plot, which depicts one of the characters being punished after their leader was dissatisfied with their work, has resonated with a wide audience, reminding them of their own dilemmas and hardships in the workplace.

“The little monster at the bottom of the ladder really reflects my sad life as a dagongren,” one viewer commented on Bilibili, using online slang to refer to blue collar or put-upon office-workers.

It’s not a surprise if you found that the eerie-looking fox spirit in "Goose Mountain" bears an uncanny resemblance to the crippled A-Guai in "The Legend of Sealed Book", an animated film by Shanghai Animation Film Studio, as the episode’s director Hu Rui is a huge fan and tried to pay homage to the 1980s classic.

The new series is part of the growing trend of Chinese animation turning to ancient Chinese legends and folktales for inspiration. Domestically produced animated films featuring classic figures such as “Monkey King,” “Ne Zha,” and “White Snake” have proved to be big hits in recent years, with the latest release “New Gods: Yang Jian” amassing 550 million yuan ($80 million) in ticket sales last year.

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