In Chinese health films of the 1950s–1970s, animated arrows, dots, and flickering lines connected human bodies, parasites, and their environments. This talk explores how these films addressed schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease caused by blood flukes, and helped give shape to collective life in Mao-era China. Focusing on how animated elements interact with backgrounds and other visual forms, I examine how visual rhythms redirect attention and open possibilities for care and action. Rather than simply communicating scientific knowledge, these animations helped create a shared sense of the relationships between human bodies, other forms of life, and their environments. The talk offers a new perspective on propaganda and on animation’s power to organize how we perceive and act together.

Leah Li is a film and media scholar whose work explores the histories and theories of cinema, animation, and other moving-image media in modern and contemporary China. Her research examines how visual technologies shape understandings of science, health, and collective life, drawing on perspectives from film and media studies, animation studies, and science and technology studies. She teaches courses in film history, film theory, world cinema, animation, and contemporary cinema. Before pursuing academic research, she worked as a filmmaker and television producer. She holds an M.F.A. in Filmmaking, and her films have screened at international film festivals.

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