The historical documentary, Mr. Deng Goes to Washington, which was first shown in the capital on May 12, not only reveals the details of an attempted assassination  of Deng, but is also the first time that animated   images of China's leaders have appeared on the silver screen. The film tells the story of Deng's nine-day visit to the US in 1979, only a month after China established diplomatic  relations with the US for the first time after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Lv Muzi, the film's producer, said the film includes 12 animated sequences of Deng, drawn in French, American and Japanese styles, as well as China's traditional shadow puppetry  style. Hu Yuchen, who has drawn cartoons for leaders including former premier, Wen Jiabao, is the artist behind the animated images of Deng. Among the three versions of images he drew, director, Fu Hongxing, chose to use the version which was moderately realistic. "Deng's animated images are not static  in the film. When he's at meetings, the images are more serious, and when he's at a party, he's _ in a more lively way," said Zhu. For the young animator, animation can tell the story of that period of history better to younger viewers. "At first glance, animation may seem simple, but in reality, we need to do a large amount of homework, like checking what dishes were served at a dinner or what paintings were displayed in a particular room." Zhu said he and the team went through a lot of historical documents and reviewed video clips   in the process of creation. Fu said the film is in honor of Deng's contribution to China as well as his influence on generations of Chinese people. Production was completed last year, which marked the l10th anniversary of Deng's birth and also the 35thanniversary of Sino-US diplomatic relations. Why was the documentary made ?
To help younger viewers remember that period of history. To honor Deng's contribution to China. To entertain the Chinese people To emphasize the importance Sino-US diplomatic relations.