China produces Karl Marx cartoon series to mark 200th anniversary of his birth
- The animation, co-produced by central government’s Marxism office, will be shown by video streaming website Bilibili.com
- Series will tell the story of philosopher’s life, including his marriage to Jenny von Westphalen and friendship with Friedrich Engels
A cartoon series about the life and times of Karl Marx is set to be shown on a Chinese video streaming website with the full backing of Beijing, according to the host company.
The Leader, which recounts the story of the German philosopher and socialist revolutionary, will be broadcast by Bilibili.com “soon”, the company said on Tuesday.
The production was commissioned by the central government’s Marxism office, in cooperation with authorities in Inner Mongolia; Weiming Culture Media, which is based in the region; and animation company Dongmantang, Bilibili said on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service.
The social media post did not say how many episodes the series would comprise or when it would air, but said it had been created to mark the 200th anniversary of Marx’s birth.
The joint author of the Communist Manifesto was born in May 1818 and the political theories he developed continue to be the driving force for China’s ruling party to this day. His image has been a common feature on official propaganda throughout the year.