[Photo/China Daily]

The training center was set up with an investment of 300,000 yuan ($48,000) to cover rent, equipment and salaries.

Initially, Dowrick and his business partner Che Yanchun wrote up course material and conducted classes. Dowrick critiques the students' work and spends time at the center to ensure teaching quality. More than 30 students have graduated to date.

Na Heya, 22, a student who majored in animation, says she signed up for the course after viewing an interview with Dowrick online.

Old lessons for young students

Tuned in, toned up

"The ideas and skills taught here are really useful and practical for my future work," she says. She took up the course for basic learners last year and hopes to work for Eclipse after graduation.

Besides fresh graduates, there are also many experienced animators looking to polish their skills. Zhao Yanlu, 28, from Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, has experience as an animator, but expects his training at the center to secure him a better job.

"I believe that I can go further with a period of study here," he says.

According to Dowrick most students receive offers before finishing their course. Training at the center is open to anybody who wants to be an animator, including those with no experience.

He is also a passionate and opinionated speaker on the subject of animation and has strong views on the direction of the industry in China.

"Animation levels in the West are so much higher than Chinese levels that there is no competition, and the only area in which China can compete is low price," he says. "The price for the same project will be eight to 10 times more in the West than in China."

Several major studios, including Disney and DreamWorks, are setting up studios in China, to take advantage of lower costs.