If there was one thing I couldn't live without when I was growing up, it was cartoons. My absolute favorite had to be Pokemon. When the Japanese series arrived in China, everyone I knew wanted to be a pokemon trainer just like Ash and his friends.

But what are some of the favorite cartoons of long-time Beijing residents when they were growing up? For this Children’s Day, we asked a few locals what they liked watching when they were younger.

Black Cat Detective 黑猫警长 Hēi māo jǐng zhǎng

"Definitely Black Cat Detective. America has Garfield, and Japan has Hello Kitty, but China has the Black Cat Detective. For me, Black Cat is a symbol of justice. He is brave, intelligent, and empathetic. He taught me so much about right and wrong, which is something that most Chinese cartoons lack these days" -- Xiaotao, a Beijing resident for 14 years.

Journey to the West 西游记 Xīyóu jì

“I loved watching the Journey to the West growing up because the plot is very fascinating. When I was a little girl, I secretly dreamed about marrying a guy like Sun Wukong. He is a hero to me. He is loyal to Tangseng, his master, and he likes to tease the other lazy companion, Bajie, aka Pigsy. He is a true warrior and he does whatever he can to sweep away evil, and I can tell you this: there is a Sun Wukong that lives in everyone’s heart." -- Weiwei, a Beijing resident for 9 years.

Calabash Brothers 葫芦娃 Húlu wá

"This cartoon has definitely brought back some of my fondest childhood memories. The story is about ripe gourds transforming into seven brothers. Each brother is born with a special, supernatural ability like invisibility, super strength, or extraordinary hearing. I remember as a kid, watching the big brother with super strength becoming a strong giant, and thinking to myself: How I wish I could do that! This show definitely intrigued me and made me dream about achieving the impossible" -- Changanluan, a Beijing resident for 25 years.

Tom and Jerry 猫和老鼠 Māo hé lǎoshǔ

"Growing up, Tom and Jerry played a big part in my childhood. My father acquired the entire series of Tom and Jerry on DVD when I was seven-years-old and he would play it during dinner time, and the next thing you know, my entire family couldn’t stop laughing when we saw dorky Tom falling into every trap set by clever Jerry. Those were definitely some good times that we would never forget!" -- Xin, a Beijing resident for 6 years.

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