Flash Empire: The Era of Chinese Flash Web Animation

I want to talk about a fast-developing era of Chinese online animation—the Flash Era.

Around the year 2000, the internet in China grew rapidly. More and more ordinary people could use computers and access the internet. During this time, with the introduction of computer animation software, the barrier to creating animations became lower. This brings us to a famous animation software—Flash. Animations made with Flash became the mainstream of online animation in the 2000s. Because Flash uses vector graphics, it allowed animations to be shared easily even when the internet wasn’t very fast.

In 1999, Gao Dayong created an animation platform called “Flash Empire”. This platform quickly became a gathering place for Flash creators across the country, attracting both amateur enthusiasts and professional animators. It provided a space where people could share their ideas, showcase their creative works, and even collaborate with others who shared the same passion for animation. On the Flash Empire website, users could upload their own works or share great animations from abroad. The most common types of works were music videos (MVs) and original animated short films.

A PC, Flash software, and an internet connection turned the dream of becoming a director into a reality for countless people. The “Flash Era” was like the second golden age of Chinese animation after the famous Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

However, Good times didn’t last long. During the rapid development of China’s internet （2000-2010）, more and more video platforms gradually emerged, offering internet users more content to watch. With so many options available, there was little reason to continue using the outdated Flash format. The overall quality of Flash animations began to decline, and new forms of entertainment emerged. Combined with the limitations of Flash itself, the name Flash Empire quickly faded into internet history.

Flash left a lasting impact on the history of Chinese internet animation. In an internet era that was still developing, we can still remember the joy of watching great Flash animations.