Cartoonists from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, sharpened their pencils to take part in 24-hour comic-making marathon held in Guangzhou on Sept 29.

The 12 comic artists were tasked with creating stories around the theme of "Canton Tower Adventures", with their final products being displayed at an exhibition starting the next day, Sept 30.

A special 24-hour comic marathon is held in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Sept 29. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The 24-hour comic marathon takes its inspiration from a similar event held annually at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France.

Li Pengcheng, president of the Guangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles was joined by famous comic artists Jin Tonghua, Huang Tianjun and Wang Zhe at the event-launching ceremony.

According to Li, the competition aims to promote innovation and development in comic art in Guangzhou, discover and foster high-level comic artists, increase the global exposure of Chinese cartoon culture and pave the way for the first National Comics Exhibition to be held in Guangdong Museum in December.

The cultural creative industry in Guangzhou has seen rapid development in recent years. With innovation and development continuing to expand, it has become a pillar industry in Guangzhou.

Tong Yiming, a famous comic artist from Hong Kong, puts pen to paper at the marathon held in Guangzhou on Sept 29. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

All the comics created at the exhibition are themed "Canton Tower Adventures". [Photo/Chinanews.com]