From September 13 to 16, the 2018 Taobao Maker Festival was held by the side of West Lake in the city of Hangzhou.

For the first time, China International Cartoon & Animation Festival, the largest and most popular one in China, joined hands with the most fashionable Taobao Maker Festival to launch a 2D themed bazaar, “Home Market”. It was a continuation of bilateral strategic cooperation of the two parties inked at the 14th CICAF this year, for the purpose of creating an everlasting animation festival together.

The 2018 Taobao Maker Festival ingeniously combined youth creativity with the landscape of the West Lake. It comprised six markets, the main “Rare Market” and five vertical markets: 2D “Home Market”, pet “Cute Market”, intangible cultural heritage “Culture Market”, gourmet “Night Market”, and collection “Treasure Market”. Three animation companies of Hangzhou showcased at the home city, which were the famous IP brand of Chinese original animation The Legend of Qin, COSPLAY idol Dimensional Culture 304, and Faxi Temple "Cyber Celebrity Meow." CICAF mascot Lele, as well as Hangzhou animation IP image were also featured in the Taobao Maker Festival.

How can Hangzhou become more recognizable in the development of modern cities? Animation has become a gold business card of Hangzhou's urban culture, not to mention the annual CICAF, which has developed into the largest, most popular, and most influential professional animation exhibition and a big festival for animation fans in the country. In recent years, decorating the city with anime has become a marvelous landscape. In Hangzhou, some external walls of residential quarters are decorated with cartoon elements. Thousands of advertising boxes along the main streets are decorated with anime. The public transport system has also set up animation subway stations and bus lines through the city. Even the airport has created an animation atmosphere. The city has COSPLAY fans. COSERs are not only dressed in gorgeous clothes in scenic spots, but also have their own club and COSPLAY cultural festival.

Whether it is COSPLAY Culture Festival or Taobao Maker Festival, Hangzhou is more willing to adopt the way young people like to integrate 2D culture with cityscape, create a new landscape and landmark of animation culture and experience, and turn Hangzhou into the authentic "animation capital" in China.