Chinese Film
Early Period
Films were introduced into China in 1896. The first attempt at filmmaking was Ding jun shan (Conquering Dingjun Mountain) (1905). The Chinese film industry didn't begin until 1913 when Zheng Zhengqiu and Zhang Shichuan shot the first Chinese movie Marriage without Love.
During the 1920s film technicians from the United States trained Chinese in Shanghai, an early filmmaking center, and American influence continued to be felt there for the next two decades. China's first "talkie" was Tian ya ge nü (The Songstress), Hong mu dan (Red Peony) (1931) played by "film queen" Hu Die and produced by Star Studio, Shanghai's largest film studio.
During 1933 and 1935, the Left-wing movement in filmmaking was introduced to Shanghai and flourished. Torrents (1933), directed by Xia Yan and Cheng Bugao and produced by Star Studio, was the first film of this genre. Many famed directors came to the fore. Yuan Muzhi's Ma lu tian shi (Street Angel) (1937) and Shen Xiling's Shi zi jie tou (Crossroad) (1937) brought the darker, seamier side of society to light and expressed people's rebel against imperialism and feudalism. A number of acclaimed actors and actresses emerged. Hu Die, Zhao Dan, Zhou Xuan and Shu Xiuwen were amongst them.
In the 1940s, filmmaking was in a chaotic state and some profiteers seized the chance to shoot blue films and scary movies. However there were still wonderful classics such as Yi jiang chun shui xiang dong liu (The Spring River Flows East) (1947) by Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli, Wu ya yu ma que (Crow and Sparrow) (1949) by Chen Baichen and Zheng Junli and Light of Million Hopes (1948) by Shen Fu. Others with considerable social impact include Song hua jiang shang (Along the Songhua River), and Ba qian li lu yun he yue (A Journey of Eight Thousand Li).
In the areas under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, the Yan'an Film Group, founded in September 1938, shot valuable documentaries, such as Yan 'an and the Eighth Route Army, Dr. Norman Bethune and Nan ni wan.
After 1949
Following establishment of the Northeast Film Studio in 1946 (later Changchun Film Studio), more were founded in Shanghai, Beijing and other parts of the country.
Between 1949 and 1965 China produced 603 feature films, 1,980 scientific and educational films, 279 animated films and 8,344 documentary and newsreels films. Outstanding feature films were The New Year's Sacrifice, The Battle of Sangkumryung Ridge, Lin Zexu, Nie Er, Dong Cunrui, The Song of Youth, The Red Detachment of Women, The Lin Family's Shop and Early Spring of February.
During the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), film production suffered many setbacks. Nearly all film studios stopped working; only a few documentary films were produced. Most films made before the "cultural revolution" were regarded as "poisonous weeds" and banned.
After 1976 film production recovered gradually. Youth Film Studio and Children's Film Studio were established along with film studios in the minority-inhabited areas, including Inner Mongolia, Guangxi and Xinjiang.
Many once banned films were shown publicly. Filmmakers started an all-round exploration and the range of film subjects extended. Films depicting the "cultural revolution" were very popular. Realism films, diverse in theme and style, reflected the transformation of society as well as people's ideology.
Not only has the number of feature films increased rapidly, but the quality has also risen. Themes are richer than before. Films reflecting life in the countryside have been warmly welcomed, such as Happiness Knocks on the Door, Laughter in Moon Village, Xu Mao and His Daughters, and Niu Baisui. Happiness Knocks on the Door has the true taste of life as it praises the moral virtue of respecting the old. Revolutionary films have also seen a breakthrough. Xi'an Incident and Nanchang Uprising show historic events. Neighbours, Corner Forgotten by Love, Blood Is Always Hot, Under the Bridge and The Girl in Red all describe the mental outlook of the young generation. The Herdsman, A Tale of Tianyun Mountain and At Middle Age express the nature of people from different angles. Regret for the Past and The True Story of Ah Q (adapted from Lu Xun's novel of the same name), Midnight (adapted from Mao Dun's novel of the same name), and Camel Xiangzi (adapted from Lao She's novel of the same name), express the original idea of the text by new means of artistic expression.
Chinese animated films, including cartoon, puppet and papercut films, have a wide range of subject and variety, vivid images and rich national color. Shanghai Animated Film Studio is the only of its kind in China. The puppet film The Magic Paintbrush, the papercut Ginseng Baby, the ink-wash The Tadpole Looks for His Mother and the cartoon Uproar in Heaven have each won several awards in international film festivals.
Realism has remained the mainstream of Chinese cinema. In the wave of film-making that rose in the mid-1980s, realistic works reached high levels of creativity in varied subject matters, styles and forms, and in the exploration and innovation of cinematic language.
In 1984, One and Eight made mainly by Beijing Film Academy graduates shocked China's film industry. Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth demonstrated the magic of the fifth generation of filmmakers, including Wu Ziniu, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Huang Jianxin and He Ping. Among this group Zhang Yimou first won an international prize with Red Sorghum (1987). Unlike the middle-aged fourth generation directors, they broke with traditional filmmaking, in screenplay and film structure as well as narrative.
In the 1990s, China experienced prosperity in its film industry. A lot of foreign movies, mainly Hollywood blockbusters, have been shown since 1995. More of China's films won awards at international film festivals, such as Ju Dou (1990) and To Live (1994) by Zhang Yimou, Farewell My Concubine (1993) by Chen Kaige and Red Firecracker Green Firecracker (1993) by He Ping. However, these films encountered a lot criticism, in particular for their stylized form and neglect of audience response and absence of representation of the spiritual bewilderment of the people during the transformation of Chinese society. Feng Xiaogang has made box records with his commercial movies.
In the mean time, a group of spirited young filmmakers began throwing away the fashionable cinematic veneer and facing reality. They were the so-called sixth generation, mostly born in the 1960s and 1970s: Zhang Yuan, East Palace West Palace (1996), Wang Xiaoshuai, Beijing Bicycle (2000), Jia Zhangke, Unknown Pleasure (2002), Jiang Wen, Devils on the Doorstep (1999), Lu Xuechang, The Making of Steel (1996) and many others. Their movies reveal ordinary people's lives in a realistic fashion.
The Changchun and Shanghai international film festivals are annual events. The "Golden Rooster" is the top prize for Chinese movies. The government has specially established the "Ornamental Pillar" award to encourage the development of mainstream movies. The "Hundred Flowers Prize" is awarded on the basis of audience votes.
