These emojis created by an art student were downloaded by 4 million users in one day. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Short attention spans

Wang of 12 Buildings says that although it is hard in an era of short attention spans to give longevity to cartoon characters, Internet exposure creates chances for young cartoonists to work with big brands that earlier would never have employed domestic cartoonists to design images for them.

The chubby white creature with a tuft of grass on its head has been drafted to work with the US multinational consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, and Freezing Gal is now being used in advertising the Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi, popular with students.

"China never lacked good cartoonists," Wang says. "It just lacked ways to promote its brands. Emojis are giving it the chance to do that in an effective way."