BEIJING - China produced 435 animated TV programs, or 261,224 minutes of animated material, in 2011, up 18 percent year-on-year, China's TV watchdog said Tuesday.

Of all the country's animated content, 276 episodes totaling 190,290 minutes of animated programming, or 27 percent of the total amount produced in 2011, were made by national animation bases, according to a circular issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT).

According to the circular, the growing production and trade of Chinese-made animation has largely enriched TV programming at all levels and generally meets the needs of teenagers.

Moreover, the increasing quality of animated material produced in China has attracted more domestic viewers.

According to the SARFT, 21 animation production units at the provincial level made animated material in 2011, with Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Liaoning and Fujian provinces rounding out the top five.

According to the Annual Report on the Development of China's Animation Industry published in July 2011, China produced 220,500 minutes of animated material in 2010, ranking first in the world.