The Wan Brothers were born in the early 20th century in Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. They became the founders and pioneers of the Chinese animation

Chinese animation

Chinese animation or Manhua Anime, in narrow sense, refers to animations that are made in China. In broad sense, it may refers to animations that are made in any Chinese speaking countries such as People's Republic of China , Republic of China , Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.- History :The...

 industry and made the first Asian animation feature-length film, Princess Iron Fan

Princess Iron Fan

Princess Iron Fan is a fictional character from the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West. She is the wife of the Bull King and mother of Red Boy. She is a beautiful goddess living in an underground cave awaiting her husband's return, but also angry at him for his affair with a foxy vixen...

in 1941.

Background

The era in which the Wan brothers operated was a very challenging one for building an industry. China would endure the Second Sino-Japanese War

Second Sino-Japanese War

The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...

, World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and the Cultural Revolution

Cultural Revolution

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...

.

The brothers

English Name	Chinese Name	Born	Died
Wan Lai-Ming Wan Laiming Wan Lai-Ming was born in Nanjing, China. He was one of the Wan brothers who pioneered the Chinese animation industry, and became China's first animator. As the director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, he would raise the standard to International level before other historical events...	万籁鸣	January 18, 1900	October 7, 1997
Wan Gu-Chan Wan Guchan Wan Guchan was a Chinese filmmaker. Born in Nanjing, China, he was one of the Wan brothers who pioneered the Chinese animations industry.-Early history:Wan Guchan joined his twin brother Wan Laiming in most of the animation projects and experimentations....	万古蟾	January 18, 1900	November 19, 1995
Wan Chao-Chen Wan Chaochen Wan Chao-Chan was born in Nanjing, China. He was one of the Wan brothers who pioneered the Chinese animations industry.-History:...	万超尘	1906	1992
Wan Di-Huan Wan Dihuan Wan Dihuan was a Chinese filmmaker. Born in Nanjing, China, he was one of the Wan brothers who pioneered the Chinese animation industry...	万涤寰	190x	Unknown