Doraemon pre-birthday exhibition brings smiles in Beijing

BEIJING--If any anime character can transcend political boundaries, it's the beloved futuristic robotic cat Doraemon which could put together Chinese smile over a Japanese import.

Even a delay due to anti-Japanese demonstrations over a territorial acclaim over the disputed Senkaku Islands couldn't put a damper here on an exhibition celebrating the pre-100th birthday of Doraemon.

The month-long situation has been packed with Doraemon practitioners, although the beginning was delayed regarding 11 days until the demonstrations died down.

“I think that I have returned to my childhood days. I don’t expect to talk about politics (between Japan and China),” said a woman in her 20s, who called herself “Wang,” while taking photos of her son standing with a Doraemon model.

The exhibition, titled “Doraemon Tanjo-mae 100-nen” (Doraemon--100 years beregardinge its birth), started on Sept. 26 within a shopping mall “Chao Bei Joy town,” to mark 100 years beregardinge Doraemon is given birth at a robot factory on Sept. THREE, 2112.

Visitors towards the occasion are mainly young those who have grown up with Doraemon on television and families with tiny kids.

On display are models of Doraemon, the cat's human friends Nobita and Gian, and also other characters that appear from the manga and anime.

Panels that supply descriptions of those characters have been installed. In addition, posters of Doraemon movies that were introduced in Japan are also being listed.

Doraemon, called “Ji Qi Mao” in China, is favorite here through TV programs and comic books. In 2007, a Doraemon movie was screened in China pertaining to the first time to honor the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China.

The exhibition is scheduled to operate until Oct. 28.