Pappu Tithi Film Society: Cinema of China, Hong Kong ,Taiwan

Cinema of China

East Asian cinema

The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and Central Propaganda Department. Many films with political overtones made in China are still censored or banned in China itself; however, some of these films are distributed abroad commercially or at film festivals. China also restricts the showing of foreign-made films in Chinese cinemas to 20 each year.

Currently, the vast majority of the Mainland-produced movies uses Mandarin. Mainland films are often dubbed into Cantonese when exported to Hong Kong for theatrical runs.

The Beginnings: Shanghai as the centre, 1896-1945

Motion pictures were introduced to China in 1896. The first recorded screening of a motion picture in China occurred in Shanghai on August 11, 1896, as an "act" on a variety bill. The first Chinese film, a recording of the Beijing Opera, The Battle of Dingjunshan, was made in November 1905. For the next decade the production companies were mainly foreign-owned, and the domestic film industry, centering around Shanghai, a thriving entrepot center and the largest city in the Far East, did not start in earnest until 1916. During the 1920s film technicians from the United States trained Chinese technicians in Shanghai, and American influence continued to be felt there for the next two decades.

It was during this period that some of the more important production companies first came into being, notably Mingxing Film Company ("Bright Star" Pictures) and the Shaw Brothers' Tianyi Film Company ("Unique"). Mingxing, founded by Zheng Zhengqiu and Zhang Shichuan initially focused on comic shorts, including the oldest surviving Chinese film, Laborer's Love (1922). This soon shifted, however, to feature length films and family dramas including Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923). Meanwhile, Tianyi shifted their model towards folklore dramas, and also pushed into foreign markets; their film White Snake (1926) proved a typical example of their success in the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia.

The Leftist movement

However, the first truly important Chinese films were produced beginning in the 1930s, with the advent of the "progressive" or "left-wing" movement, like Cheng Bugao's Spring Silkworms (1933), Sun Yu's The Big Road (1935), and Wu Yonggang's The Goddess (1934). These progressive films were noted for their emphasis on class struggle and external threats (i.e. Japanese aggression), as well as on their focus on common people, such as a family of silk farmers in Spring Silkworms and a prostitute in The Goddess. In part due to the success of these kinds of films, this post-1930 era is now often referred to as the first "golden period" of Chinese cinema. The Leftist cinematic movement often revolved around the Western-influenced Shanghai, where filmmakers portrayed the struggling lower class of an overpopulated city.

Three production companies dominated the market in the early to mid- 1930s: the newly formed Lianhua ("United China"), the older and larger Mingxing and Tianyi. Both Mingxing and Lianhua leaned left (Lianhua's management perhaps more so), while Tianyi continued to make less socially conscious fare.

The period also produced the first big Chinese movie stars, namely Zhang Zhiyun, Hu Die, Ruan Lingyu, Zhou Xuan, Zhao Dan and Jin Yan. Other major films of the period include New Women (1934), Song of the Fishermen (1934), Crossroads (1937), and Street Angel (1937). Throughout the 1930s, the Nationalists and the Communists struggled for power and control over the major studios; their influence can be seen in the films the studios produced during this period.

Shanghai, the Solitary Island

The Japanese invasion of China, in particular their occupation of Shanghai, ended this golden run in Chinese cinema. All production companies except Xinhua Film Company ("New China") closed shop, and many of the filmmakers fled Shanghai, relocating to Hong Kong, the wartime Nationalist capital Chongqing, and elsewhere. The Shanghai film industry, though severely curtailed, did not stop however, thus leading to the so-called "Solitary Island" period (also known as the "Sole Island", "Isolated Island", or "Orphan Island"), with Shanghai's foreign concessions serving as an "island" of production in the "sea" of Japanese occupied territory. It was during this period that artists and directors (who remained in the city) had to walk a fine line between staying true to their leftist and nationalist beliefs and Japanese pressures. Director Bu Wancang's Mulan Joins the Army (1939), with its story of a young Chinese peasant fighting against a foreign invasion, was a particularly good example of Shanghai's continued film-production in the midst of war. Following declared war with the Western allies in the aftermath of December 7, 1941, this period largely ended; the solitary island finally being engulfed by the rest of the Japanese occupation. With the Shanghai industry firmly in Japanese control, films like the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere-promoting Eternity (1943) were produced. By the end of World War II one of the most controversial Japanese-authorized company, Manchukuo Film Association, would be separated and integrated into Chinese cinema.

The Second Golden Age, the late 1940s

The film industry continued to develop after 1945. Production in Shanghai once again resumed as a new crop of studios took the place that Lianhua and Mingxing had occupied in the previous decade. In 1946, Cai Chusheng returned to Shanghai to revive the Lianhua name as the "Lianhua Film Society." This in turn became Kunlun Studios which would go on to become one of the most important studios of the era, putting out the classics, Myriad of Lights (1948), The Spring River Flows East (1947), and Crows and Sparrows (1949). Many of these films showed the disillusionment with the oppressive rule of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party. The Spring River Flows East, a three-hour-long two-parter directed by Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli, was a particularly strong success. Its depiction of the struggles of ordinary Chinese during the Sino-Japanese war, replete with biting social and political commentary struck a chord with audiences of the time.

Meanwhile, companies like the Wenhua Film Company ("Culture Films"), moved away from the leftist tradition and explored the evolution and development of other dramatic genres. Wenhua's romantic drama Spring in a Small Town (1948), a film by director Fei Mu shortly prior to the revolution, is often regarded by Chinese film critics as one of the most important films in the history of Chinese cinema, with it being named by the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2004 as the greatest Chinese-language film ever made. Ironically, it was precisely its artistic quality and apparent lack of "political grounding" that led to its labeling by the Communists as rightist or reactionary, and the film was quickly forgotten by those on the mainland following the Communist victory in China in 1949. However, with the China Film Archive's re-opening after the Cultural Revolution, a new print was made from the original negative, allowing Spring of the Small Town to find a new and admiring audience and to influence an entire new generation of filmmakers. Indeed, an acclaimed remake was made in 2002 by Tian Zhuangzhuang.

The Communist era, 1950s-1960s

With the Communist takeover in 1949, the government saw motion pictures as an important mass production art form and tool for propaganda. Starting from 1951, pre-1949 Chinese films and Hollywood and Hong Kong productions were banned as the Communist Party of China sought to tighten control over mass media, producing instead movies centering around peasants, soldiers and workers such as Bridge (1949) and The White Haired Girl (1950). One of the production bases in the middle of all the transition was the Changchun Film Studio.

The number of movie-viewers increased sharply, from 47 million in 1949 to 415 million in 1959. Movie attendance reached an all-time high of 4.17 billion entries in that same year. In the 17 years between the founding of the People's Republic of China and the Cultural Revolution, 603 feature films and 8,342 reels of documentaries and newsreels were produced, sponsored mostly as Communist propaganda by the government. For example, in Guerilla on the Railroad (铁道游击队), dated 1956, the Chinese Communist Party was depicted as the primary resistance force against the Japanese in the war against invasion. Chinese filmmakers were sent to Moscow to study Soviet filmmaking. In 1956, the Beijing Film Academy was opened. The first wide-screen Chinese film was produced in 1960. Animated films using a variety of folk arts, such as papercuts, shadow plays, puppetry, and traditional paintings, also were very popular for entertaining and educating children. The most famous of these, the classic Havoc in Heaven (two parts, 1961, 4), was made by Wan Laiming of the Wan Brothers and won Best Film award at the London International Film Festival.

The thawing of censorship in 1956-7 and the early 1960s led to more indigenous Chinese films being made which were less reliant on their Soviet counterparts. The most prominent filmmaker of this era was Xie Jin, whose two films in particular, The Red Detachment of Women (1961) and Two Stage Sisters (1964), exemplify China's increased expertise at filmmaking during this time.

The Cultural Revolution and its aftermath, 1960s-1980s

During the Cultural Revolution, the film industry was severely restricted. Almost all previous films were banned, and only a few new ones were produced, the most notable being a ballet version of the revolutionary opera The Red Detachment of Women (1971). Feature film production came almost to a standstill in the early years from 1967 to 1972. Movie production revived after 1972 under the strict jurisdiction of the Gang of Four until 1976, when they were overthrown. The few films that were produced during this period, such as 1975's Breaking with Old Ideas, were highly regulated in terms of plot and characterization.

In the years immediately following the Cultural Revolution, the film industry again flourished as a medium of popular entertainment. Domestically produced films played to large audiences, and tickets for foreign film festivals sold quickly. The industry tried to revive crowds by making more innovative and "exploratory" films like their counterparts in the West.

In the 1980s the film industry fell on hard times, faced with the dual problems of competition from other forms of entertainment and concern on the part of the authorities that many of the popular thriller and martial arts films were socially unacceptable. In January 1986 the film industry was transferred from the Ministry of Culture to the newly formed Ministry of Radio, Cinema, and Television to bring it under "stricter control and management" and to "strengthen supervision over production."

The end of the Cultural Revolution brought the release of "scar dramas", which depicted the emotional traumas left by this period. Evening Rain (Wu Yonggang, Wu Yigong, 1980) and Legend of Tianyun Mountain (Xie Jin, 1980) both won the first Golden Rooster Award in 1981. The best-known of these is probably Xie Jin's Hibiscus Town (1986), although they could be seen as late as the 1990s with Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Blue Kite (1993).

The rise of the Fifth Generation, 1980s-1990s

Beginning in the mid-late 1980s, the rise of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers brought increased popularity of Chinese cinema abroad. Most of the filmmakers who constitute the Fifth Generation had graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982 and included Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Chen Kaige, Zhang Junzhao and others. These graduates constituted the first group of filmmakers to graduate since the Cultural Revolution and they soon jettisoned traditional methods of storytelling and opted for a more free and unorthodox approach. After the so-called scar literature in fiction had paved the way for frank discussion, Zhang Junzhao's One and Eight (1983) and Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth (1984) in particular were taken to mark the beginnings of the Fifth Generation. The most famous of the Fifth Generation directors, Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, went on to produce celebrated works such as King of the Children (1987), Ju Dou (1989), Farewell My Concubine (1993) and Raise the Red Lantern (1991), which were not only acclaimed by Chinese cinema-goers but by the Western arthouse audience. Tian Zhuangzhuang's films, though less well-known by Western viewers, were well noted by directors such as Martin Scorsese. It was during this period that Chinese cinema began reaping the rewards of international attention, including the 1988 Golden Bear for Red Sorghum, the 1992 Golden Lion for The Story of Qiu Ju, the 1993 Palme d'Or for Farewell My Concubine, and three Best Foreign Language Film nominations from the Academy Awards. All these award-winning films starred actress Gong Li, who became the Fifth Generation's most recognizable star, especially to international audiences.

Extremely diverse in style and subject, the Fifth Generation directors' films ranged from black comedy (Huang Jianxin's The Black Cannon Incident, 1985) to the esoteric (Chen Kaige's Life on a String, 1991), but they share a common rejection of the socialist-realist tradition worked by earlier Chinese filmmakers in the Communist era. Other notable Fifth Generation directors include Wu Ziniu, Hu Mei, and Zhou Xiaowen. Some of their bolder works with political overtones were banned by Chinese authorities.

The Fourth Generation also returned to prominence. Given their label after the rise of the Fifth Generation, these were directors whose careers were stalled by the Cultural Revolution and who were professionally trained prior to 1966. Wu Tianming, in particular, made outstanding contributions by helping to finance major Fifth Generation directors under the auspices of the Xi'an Film Studio, while continuing to make films like Old Well (1986) and The King of Masks (1996).

The Fifth Generation movement ended in part after the 1989 Tiananmen Incident, although its major directors continued to produce notable works, such as The Emperor's Shadow (1996) by Zhou Xiaowen. Several of its filmmakers went into self-imposed exile: Wu Tianming moved to the United States (but has since returned), Huang Jianxin left for Australia, while many others went into television-related works.

Sixth Generation and beyond, 1990s – present

Sixth Generation

The post-1990 era has seen what some observersterm the "return of the amateur filmmaker" as state censorship policies after the Tiananmen Square demonstrations produced an edgy underground film movement loosely referred to as the Sixth Generation. Owing to the lack of state funding and backing, these films were shot quickly and cheaply, using materials like 16 mm film and digital video and mostly non-professional actors and actresses, producing a documentary feel, often with long takes, hand-held cameras, and ambient sound; more akin to Italian neorealism and cinéma vérité than the often lush, far more considered productions of the Fifth Generation. Unlike the Fifth Generation, the Sixth Generation brings a more individualistic, anti-romantic life-view and pays far closer attention to contemporary urban life, especially those affected by disorientation, rebellion and dissatisfaction with China's contemporary social tensions. Many were made at an extremely low budget (an example is Jia Zhangke, who shoots on digital video and formerly on 16 mm; Wang Xiaoshuai's The Days were made on US$10,000) and as such their films lack the rich aesthetics of the Fifth Generation. The title and subjects of many of these films reflect the Sixth Generation's concerns. The Sixth Generation takes an interest in marginalized individuals and the less represented fringes of society. For example, Zhang Yuan's hand-shot Beijing Bastards focuses on youth puckster subculture, featuring artistes like Cui Jian, Dou Wei and He Yong frowned upon by many state authorities, while Jia Zhangke's debut film Xiao Wu (1997) concerns a provincial pickpocket.

As the Sixth Generation were further exposed internationally, many of their subsequent movies were joint ventures and projects with international investments, but remained quite resolutely low-key and low budget. Jia's Platform (2000) was funded in part by Takeshi Kitano's production house, while his Still Life was shot on HD interlaced video. Still Life was a surprise addition and Golden Lion winner of the 2006 Venice International Film Festival. Still Life, which concerns provincial workers around the Three Gorges region, was a vast contrast with the works the Fifth Generation Chinese directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige were directing then, like House of Flying Daggers (2004) and The Promise (2005). It featured no star of international renown and was acted mostly by non-professionals.

Many of Sixth Generation films have highlighted the negative attributes of China's entry into the modern capitalist market. Li Yang's Blind Shaft for example, is an account of two murderous con-men in the unregulated and notoriously dangerous mining industry of northern China. (Li refused the tag of Sixth Generation, although he admitted he was not Fifth Generation either). While Jia Zhangke's The World emphasizes the emptiness of globalization in the backdrop of an internationally-themed amusement park.

Some of the importantSixth Generation directors to have emerged are Wang Xiaoshuai (The Days, Beijing Bicycle), Zhang Yuan (Beijing Bastards, East Palace West Palace), Jia Zhangke (Xiao Wu, Unknown Pleasures, Platform, The World), He Jianjun (Postman) and Lou Ye (Suzhou River, Summer Palace). One young director who does not share most of the concerns of the Sixth Generation is Lu Chuan (Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, 2004; City of Life and Death, 2010).

Post-Sixth Generation: the dGeneration independent movement

There is a growing number of independent post-Sixth Generation filmmakers making films for extremely low budgets and using digital equipment. They are the so-called dGeneration (for digital). These films, like those from Sixth Generation filmmakers, are mostly made outside of the Chinese film system and are played mostly on the international film festival circuit. Ying Liang and Jian Yi are two of these dGeneration filmmakers. Ying's Taking Father Home (2005) and The Other Half (2006) are both representative of the dGeneration trends of feature film. Liu Jiayin made two dGeneration feature films Oxhide (2004) and Oxhide II (2010), blurring the line between documentary and narrative film. Oxhide, made by Liu when she was just a film student, frames herself and her parents in their claustrophobic Beijing apartment in a sly, wickedly funny narrative much praised by critics Tony Rayns and Shelly Kraicer.

New Documentary Movement

Two decades of reform and commercialization have brought dramatic social changes in mainland China, reflected not only in fiction film but in a growing documentary movement. Wu Wenguang's 70-minute Bumming in Beijing: The Last Dreamers (1990) is now seen as one of the first work of this "New Documentary Movement" (NDM) in China of China's New Documentary. Bumming, made between 1988 and 1990, contains interviews with six young artists eking out a living in Beijing, subject to state authorized tasks. Shot using a camcorder, the documentary ends with five of the artists moving abroad after the 1989 Tiananmen Protests. Dance with the Farm Workers (2001) is another documentary by Wu.

Another internationally acclaimed documentary is Wang Bing's nine-hour tale of deindustrialization Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2003). Wang's subsequent documentaries, Fengming: A Chinese Memoir (2007), Crude Oil (2008) and The Ditch (2010), cemented his reputation as a leading documentarist of the movement.

Li Hong, the first woman in the NDM, in Out of Phoenix Bridge (1997) relates the story of four young women, who moving from rural areas to the big cities like millions of other men and women, have come to Beijing to make a living.

The New Documentary Movement in recent times has overlapped with the dGeneration filmmaking, with most documentaries being shot cheaply and independently in the digital format. Huang Weikai's Disorder (2009), Zhao Dayong's Ghost Town (2009), Du Haibing's 1428 (2009), Xu Tong's Fortune Teller (2010), Li Ning’s Tape (2010) and Xu Xin's Karamay (2010) were all shot in digital format. All had made their impact in the international documentary scene and the use of digital format allows for works of vaster lengths.

New models and the new Chinese cinema

Commercial films

With China's liberalization in the late 1970s and its opening up to foreign markets, commercial considerations have made its impact in post-1980s filmmaking. Traditionally arthouse movies screened seldom make enough to break even. An example is Fifth Generation director Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Horse Thief (1986), a narrative film with minimal dialog on a Tibetan horse thief. The film, showcasing exotic landscapes, was well received by Chinese and some Western arthouse audiences, but did poorly at the box office. Tian's later The Warrior and the Wolf (2010) was a similar commercial failure. Prior to these, there were examples of successful commercial films in the post-liberalization period. One was the romance film Romance on the Lu Mountain (1980), which was a success with older Chinese. The film broke the Guiness Book of Records as the longest-running film on a first run. Jet Li's cinematic debut Shaolin Temple (1982) was an instant hit at home and abroad (in Japan and the Southeast Asia, for example). Another successful commercial film was Murder in 405 (1980), a murder thriller.

Feng Xiaogang's The Dream Factory (1997) was one of the first to bridge the gap between critical acclaim and successful commercialism. The Dream Factory was heralded as a turning point in Chinese movie industry, a hesui pian (Chinese New Year-screened film) which demonstrated the viability of the commercial model in China's socialist market society. Feng has become the most successful commercial director in the post-1997 era. All of his films made high returns domestically while he used ethnic Chinese co-stars like Rosamund Kwan, Jacqueline Wu, Rene Liu and Shu Qi to boost his films' appeal.

Today, owing to the influx of Hollywood films (though the number screened each year is curtailed), Chinese domestic cinema faces mounting challenges. Though the industry is growing, few domestic films save those by Feng make the box office impact of major Hollywood blockbusters like Titanic (1997). In January 2010 James Cameron's Avatar was pulled out in some theaters for Hu Mei's biopic Confucius, but this state move led to a backlash on Hu's film.. Zhang Yang's 2005 Sunflower also made little money, but his earlier, low-budget Spicy Love Soup (1997) grossed ten times its budget of ¥3 million. Likewise, the 2006 Crazy Stone, a sleeper hit, was made for just 3 million HKD/US$400,000. In 2009-11, Feng's Aftershock (2009) and Jiang Wen's Let the Bullets Fly (2010) became China's highest grossing domestic films, with Aftershock earning RMB 640 million (US$97.4 million) and Let the Bullets Fly RMB 730 million (US$111 million).

Other directors

Chinese cinema's successes beyond 1980 has led to the classifications of "The Fifth Generation" and "Sixth Generation", but some major directors have not been categorized into either, owing to the rather specialized genres they work under. He Ping is a director of mostly Western-like films set in Chinese locale. His Swordsmen in Double Flag Town (1991) and Sun Valley (1995) explore narratives set in the sparse terrain of West China near the Gobi Desert. His historical drama Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker (1994) won a myriad of prizes home and abroad.

Recent cinema has seen Chinese cinematographers direct some acclaimed films. Other than Zhang Yimou, Lü Yue made Mr. Zhao (1998), a black comedy film well received abroad. Gu Changwei's minimalist epic Peacock (2005), about a quiet, ordinary Chinese family with three very different siblings in the post-Cultural Revolution era, took home the Silver Bear prize for 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. Hou Yong is another cinematographer who made films (Jasmine Women, 2004) and TV series. There are actors who straddle the dual roles of acting and directing. Xu Jinglei, a popular Chinese actress, has made four movies to date. Her second film Letter from an Unknown Woman (2004) landed her the San Sebastián International Film Festival Best Director award. The most highly regarded Chinese actor-director is undoubtedly Jiang Wen, who has directed several critically acclaimed movies while following on his acting career. His directorial debut, In the Heat of the Sun (1994) was the first PRC film to win Best Picture at the Golden Horse Film Awards held in Taiwan. His other films, like Devils on the Doorstep (2000, Cannes Grand Prix) and Let the Bullets Fly (2010), were similarly well received. By the early 2011, Let the Bullets Fly has become the highest grossing domestic film in China's history.

Successes abroad

Since the late 1980s and progressively in the 2000s, Chinese films have enjoyed considerable box office success abroad. Formerly viewed only by cinetastes in the 1980s, its international appeal mounted after the immense international success of Ang Lee's period wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000, which earned Ang and Chinese cinema massive commercial and critical acclaim abroad. The multi-national production Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon achieved success at the Western box office, particularly in the United States, providing an introduction to Chinese cinema (and especially the Wuxia genre) for many and increased the popularity of many earlier Chinese films which may have otherwise been relatively unknown to Westerners. To date Crouching Tiger remains the most commercially successfully foreign-language film in U.S. history. Similarly, in 2002, Zhang Yimou's Hero was another international box office success. Its cast featured many of the most famous Chinese actors who were also known to some extent in the West, including Jet Li, Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Despite criticisms by some that these two films pander somewhat to Western tastes, Hero was a phenomenal success in most of Asia and topped the U.S. box office for two weeks, making enough in the U.S. alone to cover the production costs.

Other films such as Farewell My Concubine, 2046, Suzhou River, The Road Home and House of Flying Daggers have also been critically acclaimed around the world. The Hengdian World Studios can be seen as the "Chinese Hollywood", with a total area of up to 330 ha. and 13 shooting bases, including a 1:1 copy of the Forbidden City.

The successes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero increasing makes it difficult to demarcate what may be called the boundary between "Mainland Chinese" cinema and a more international-based "Chinese-language cinema". Crouching Tiger, for example, was directed by a Taiwanese director (Ang Lee). Its ethic Chinese leads include Mainland Chinese (Zhang Ziyi), Hong Kong (Chow Yun-Fat), and Taiwanese (Chang Chen) actors and actresses; the film was co-produced by an array of Chinese, American, Hong Kong, Taiwanese film companies. Likewise, Lee's Chinese-language Lust, Caution (2007) draws a crew and cast from Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland. This merging of people, resources and expertise from the three regions marks a movement that Chinese-language cinema is aiming to work towards, a wider international domain. Other examples of films in this mold include The Promise (2005), The Banquet (2006), Fearless (2006), The Warlords (2007), Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) and Red Cliff (2008-9). The ease with which ethnic Chinese actresses and actors straddle the mainland and Hong Kong is in part permitted by PRC state rules. Some artistes originating from the mainland, like Hu Jun, Zhang Ziyi, Tang Wei and Zhou Xun, obtained Hong Kong residency under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and have acted in Hong Kong productions. Tighter-financed Chinese-language cinema from the mainland are relatively localized in content; many mainland films are unable to find distributors abroad - these films were never released outside the PRC and can only be viewed through DVDs, VCDs or on satellite and cable TV channels.

List of Chinese film directors

Bu Wancang (1903–1974)

Cai Chusheng (1906–1968), major leftist filmmaker in the 1930s, later fell victim to the Cultural Revolution.
Cai Shangjun, Chinese screenwriter and director
Cao Baoping
Joan Chen (born 1961), Chinese actress and director.
Chen Daming, actor-turned-director.
Chen Guoxing (born 1956)
Chen Kaige (born 1952), major figure of the Fifth Generation, his epic Farewell My Concubine was the first Chinese film to win Cannes' coveted Palme d'Or.
Cheng Bugao (1893–1966)
Cheng Joanne Bilingual Chinese female director based in New York and Beijing known for her intercultural films including her documentary trilogy "China Gold Rush (2000)," "Mama's Gold: The Orphans Of Shangri-La (2003)" and "Golden Lotus: The Legacy Of Bound Feet (2006)"

Dai Sijie (born 1954), French novelist and director, born in China.
Diao Yi'nan (born 1969), screenwriter and director.
Ding Yinnan (born 1938)
Du Haibin, Chinese documentary filmmaker

Feng Gong (born 1957), comedic actor and sometimes-director.
Feng Xiaoning (born 1954), art designer turned director, part of the 1982 graduating class of the Beijing Film Academy
Feng Xiaogang (born 1958), director of popular films, including several "New Year" genre films.
Fei Mu (1906–1951), major auteur of the 1930s and 1940s, famed for his masterpiece, Spring in a Small Town.

Gan Xiao'er, Chinese filmmaker who focuses on Christianity.
Gao Qunshu
Gao Xiaosong (born 1969)
Gu Changwei (born 1957), Chinese cinematographer for many years, has directed two films.
Guan Hu (born 1969), Sixth-generation director
Xiaolu Guo (born 1973), Chinese-British film director and novelist.

He Jianjun (born 1960), Sixth Generation director.
He Ping (born 1957), director known for mixing Chinese and Western tropes.
He Qun (born 1956), a graduate of the 1982 class of the BFA as a member of the art department; later shifted to direction, including Country Teachers, the Golden Rooster winner of 1994.
Hou Hsiao-Hsien (born 1947), leading figure in Taiwan's New Wave cinema.
Hou Yong (born 1960), noted cinematographer for Tian Zhuangzhuang, Zhang Yimou, and others; occasional film director (2004's Jasmine Women).
Hu Bingliu, (born 1940), director Live in Peace, Golden Rooster winner of 1998.
Hu Mei (born 1956), female Fifth Generation director.
Huang Jianxin (born 1954), Fifth Generation director known for his films set in urban environments.
Huang Shuqin (born 1940), female film director.
Huang Zuolin (born 1906-1994), important playwright and film director; a student of Bernard Shaw.
Ann Hui, (born 1947), major female director based in Hong Kong, and a leading figure of the Hong Kong New Wave.
Huo Jianqi (born 1958), commercially-successful film director.

Jia Zhangke (born 1970), leading figure of China's Sixth Generation.
Jiang Wen (born 1963), famous Chinese leading man-turned-director.
Jian Yi (born 1975), Chinese independent filmmaker, artist, social entrepreneur. Founder of IFChina Original Studio www.ifchinastudio.org]
Jin Chen, Sixth generation director.

Li Jixian
Li Kaiwen (born 1992), filmmaker, screenwriter and producer-turned-slacker.
Li Pingqian (1902-1984)
Li Shaohong (born 1955), female Fifth Generation director.
Li Yang (born 1959), Sixth Generation director notable for his film Blind Shaft.
Li Yu (born 1973), female director.
Ling Zifeng (1917-1999).
Liu Bingjian (born 1963), Sixth Generation director.
Liu Fendou (born 1969), primarily a screenwriter for Zhang Yang, Liu has recently branched into producing and directing (for the 2004 film Green Hat).
Liu Hao (born 1968).
Liu Jiayin (born 1981), experimental filmmaker.
Liu Miaomiao (born 1962), female Fifth Generation director.
Lou Ye (born 1965), Sixth Generation director whose many run-ins with state authorities have hampered his filmmaking opportunities.
Lu Chuan (born 1970), Sixth Generation director notable for the environmental drama Kekexili: Mountain Patrol.
Lu Xuechang (born 1964), Sixth Generation director.
Lü Yue (born 1957), Fifth Generation cinematographer-turned-director.

Ma-Xu Weibang (1905–1961)
Ma Liwen (born 1971), female Chinese director.
Meng Jinghui (born 1966), experimental theater and film director.

Ning Cai, actor-turned-director
Ning Hao (born 1977)
Ning Jingwu
Ning Ying (born 1959)

Peng Xiaolian (born 1953), female Fifth Generation Chinese director known for her Shanghai-based films.

Sang Hu (1916-2004), important director who emerged in the late 1940s as part of the Wenhua Film Studio.
Shen Fu (1905–1994), major director who emerged in post-war China with important films like Myriad of Lights.
Shen Xiling (1904–1940), important director during the 1930s.
Sheng Zhimin, independent film director.
Shi Dongshan (1902-1955), Lianhua Film Company director active in the 1930s and 1940s.
Shi Hui (1915–1957), actor and director; committed suicide during the Anti-Rightist Campaign.
Shui Hua (1916-1995), major director of the 1950s and 1960s.
Shi Runjiu (born 1969), young director and part of the Sixth Generation.
Sun Daolin (1921-2007), veteran actor and director.
Sun Yu (1900–1990), one of the most important early directors of Chinese cinema.
Sun Zhou (born 1954), Chinese film director with extensive TV experience; known for his collaborations with Gong Li.

Tang Xiaodan (born 1910).
Teng Huatao, director who gained prominence in the early to mid 2000s.
Teng Wenji (born 1944)
Tian Zhuangzhuang (born 1952), major Fifth Generation director, his 1993 film Blue Kite was banned by China with Tian forced out of filmmaking for nearly ten years before his return with Springtime in a Small Town in 2001.

Wan brothers, animators.

Wan Laiming (1900–1997)
Wan Guchan (1900–1995)
Wan Chaochen (1906–1992)
Wan Dihuan (born 1900s)

Wang Bing (born 1967), documentary filmmaker.
Wang Chao (born 1964), Sixth Generation filmmaker.
Wang Fen, female Chinese director who debuted with her 2007 film The Case.
Wang Guangli (born 1966), modern Chinese director, active since 1997.
Wang Ping (born 1916)
Wang Quan'an (born 1965), Sixth Generation director, and winner of the 2007 Golden Bear for his film, Tuya's Marriage.
Wang Shuo (born 1958), famous novelist, screenwriter, and one-time director of the film, Father
Wang Xiaoshuai (born 1966), leading Sixth Generation filmmaker.
Wei Shiyu Louisa Hong Kong based female Chinese filmmaker, script translator, producer and educator.
Weng Shouming, also known as Robin Weng.
Wong Kar-wai (born 1958), Hong Kong film director, born in Shanghai.
Wu Tianming (born 1939), a member of the so-called "Fourth Generation," his role as head of the Xi'an Film Studio meant he often oversaw the works of several of his successors, notably Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige.
Wu Wenguang (born 1956), documentary filmmaker.
Wu Yigong (born 1938), director active in the 1980s and early 1990s, also a film producer.
Wu Yonggang (1907–1982), a major director from the 1930s, perhaps best known for his silent film, The Goddess.
Wu Ziniu (born 1953), Fifth Generation director.

Xia Gang (born 1953), Fifth Generation director.
Xiao Jiang (born 1972)
Xie Fei (born 1942)
Xie Jin (born 1923), veteran director active since the 1960s.
Xu Jinglei (born 1974), popular actress and director.

Edward Yang (1947–2007), major figure of Taiwan's New Wave cinema, best known for his film Yi Yi.
Yang Fengliang, Chinese film director in the 1980s and 1990s.
Yang Youxin, female director.
Ye Daying
Yin Li
Yin Lichuan (born 1973), female director.
Ying Liang (born 1976), independent film director.
Ying Yunwei (1904-1967)
Yuan Muzhi (1909–1978), actor and director who gained prominence in the 1930s.

Zhang Guoli (born 1955), actor turned director.
Zhang Jianya (born 1951), Fifth Generation director, noted for his urban comedies and more recently for his action/thriller films.
Zhang Jiarui (born 1958)
Zhang Junxiang (1911–1996)
Zhang Junzhao (born 1952), Fifth Generation director.
Zhang Lu (born 1956), Chinese director of Korean ethnicity.
Zhang Ming (born 1961), Sixth Generation filmmaker.
Zhang Nuanxing (1941–1995), female Chinese director, best known for her work Sacrifice of Youth (1985).
Zhang Shichuan (1890–1954), one of the founding fathers of Chinese cinema.
Zhang Yang (born 1967)
Zhang Yibai (born 1963), Chongqing-born filmmaker, known for his urban dramas.
Zhang Yimou (born 1951), one of the most successful Fifth Generation directors, Zhang's more recent films reflect a shift towards big budget historical epics.
Zhang Yuan (born 1963), major figure of the Sixth Generation.
Zhang Yuedong, stage and film director.
Zheng Dongtian
Zheng Junli (1911–1969), actor-director.
Zheng Zhengqiu (1889–1935), often considered one of the founding fathers of Chinese cinema, associated with the Mingxing Film Company.
Zhou Xiaowen (born 1954), Fifth Generation director.
Zhu Shilin (1899–1967)
Zhu Wen, (born 1969) author and director.

The List of Best Chinese Films

Here are the best Chinese films from the timeless kungfu & action classics, to most popular ones from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan & more.

The list includes significant movies from the artistic to the genre blockbusters like "Bodyguards and Assassins" that excel in terms of acting and storytelling. Some of the movies were inspired in part by the article by Xinhua.net. I've also added some of my favorite that were in Theatres in 2010 or Movies Released as DVDs or Blu-Ray in 2010. Please enjoy.

1 City of Life and Death [Blu-ray]

A thought provoking movie that shows us the cruelty of war and the extremes of humanity. This movie is about the rape of Nanking from the point of view of several difference protagoinists from the Chinese soldiers trying their best to defend the city, a Chinese family in the so called "safe zone" to a young Japanese officer.1 point

2 BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS

One of the best movies of 2009-2010, with a stellar cast of actors and brings the historical based movie to life. Catch Donnie in his most grueling fight scene yet with his toughest opponent yet. 1906, City of Victoria (British Colony of Hong Kong). In the distance of thirteen blocks, the one man who holds a nation's fate must survive relentless attempts on his life with only eight bodyguards to protect him. Against hundreds of assassins, these men must put their courage to the test in order to....0 points

All's Well End's Well Too 2010

100% fun and enjoyable movie with a stellar huge cast of famous Chinese actors and actress. This is one of those movies meant for the Chinese Lunar New Year period that exemplifies the sense of prosperity and happiness. It comes with an extremely happy ending of course.0 points

4 Shinjuku Incident [Blu-ray]

One of the most moving and touching film from Jackie Chan.Unreleased in mainland China due to its excessive violence, Derek Yee's crime picture Shinjuku Incident is a rare attempt of serious drama for action star Jackie Chan where he plays an ordinary Chinese immigrant in Japan. It has some great emotional scenes played by a talented cast of well known Chinese actors.0 points

5 In the Mood for Love - Criterion Collection

One of most iconic movie from Chinese director Won Kar Wai, with dazzling star power from Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. In the Mood for Love is a visual feast of delicate colors and fleeting longing moments seemingly suspended in time. One of my all time favorite Chinese film that is worth watching again and again.0 points

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Latest Movie Trailer: "Reign of Assassins" (2010)

Starring Michelle Yeoh and a strong cast of superb actors. Watch the trailer. You'll love it.

List of Sexy Chinese Movies

Learn about another form of sensual atmosphere from these Chinese movies.

One of the most beautiful movie is Director Wong Kar Wai's "In the Mood for Love" starring my favorites Chinse actress Maggie Cheung, and Ang Lee's take on modern couple relationships in "Eat Drink Man Woman".

Remember to check out the other niche lists of Chinese movies further down the pages.

In the Mood for Love - Criterion Collection

Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are polite and formal-until a discovery about their respective spouses sparks an intimate bond. At once delicately mannered and visually stunning, Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love is a masterful evocation of romantic longing and fleeting moments in time.1 point

2 Chinese Ghost Story

This popular and beloved film, produced by Tsui Hark and directed by Ching Siu Tung, is a standout in the Hong Kong supernatural-action genre and spawned many sequels and copycats. A Chinese Ghost Story stars Leslie Cheung as Ning Tsei-Shen, a timid and likable tax collector. Looking for a place to stay the night, he comes upon a spooky abandoned temple occupied by a tough Taoist swordsman (Ma Wu). Despite his warnings, Tsei-Shen stays anyway. Later he encounters a beautiful maiden (Joey Wang) w...1 point

3 Green Snake

Two snake demons and their love-hate relationships with mortal men is a dazzling visual feast filled with unforgettable images. Features: dolby digital sound. Languages: cantonese mandarin english and chinese subtitles. Trailers chapters. Studio: Tai Seng Entertainment Release Date: 08/23/2005 Starring: Maggie Cheung Run time: 98 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Tsui Hark0 points

4 Eat Drink Man Woman

From celebrated director Ang Lee (The Ice Storm, Sense and Sensibility) comes a movieso visually stunning that it spans the "beautiful balance of elementsmellow, harmonious and poignantly funny" (The Washington Post). This "charming study of love, family and tradition" (Leonard Maltin) "tickles both mind and body" (Movie Reviews UK). Trouble is cooking forwidower and master chef Chu (Sihung Lung) who's about to discover that no matter how dazzling and delicious his culinary creations might be, t...0 points

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The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. After 1949 and until recent times, the cinema of mainland China operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China. Some films with political overtones are still censored or banned in China itself. However, most of these films are allowed to be shown ab...

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See movies from legendary Chow Yun Fatt, Tony Leung, Jackie Chan and more.

Enjoy!

One of the Most Versatile Chinese Actor, "Chow Yun Fat"

Chow Yun-fat, SBS (born May 18, 1955) is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He mainly plays in dramatic films and has won three Hong Kong Film Awards for "Best Actor" and two Golden Horse Awards for "Best Actor" in Taiwan.

List of the Best "Chow Yun Fat" Movie

Hard Boiled (Two-Disc Ultimate Edition)

Curse of the Golden Flower [Blu-ray]

A Better Tomorrow

Peace Hotel

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Blu-ray]

Confucius

Hong Kong 1941

Movie trailer: "Hardboiled"

Hard Boiled - Trailer - (1992) - HQ

Movie "Hardboiled" on Amazon

John Woo + Chow Yun Fat = "Hardboiled" Intense Gun Ballet Action

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The Replacement Killers (Extended Cut) [Blu-ray]

Bulletproof Monk [Blu-ray]

Dragonball: Evolution

What Wikipedia says about Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE (born Chan Kong-sang, ; 7 April 1954) is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts. Jackie Chan has been acting since the 1960s and has appeared in over 100 films. Chan has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk...

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Jackie Chan showing us his Drunken Fist

Movie Trailer: "Drunken Master"

List of Jackie Chan Chinese Movies

Jackie Chan's Project A

Jackie Chan's Police Story (Special Collector's Edition)

Jackie Chan's Project A2

The Legend of Drunken Master [Blu-ray]

Police Story 3: Super Cop

New Police Story

Shinjuku Incident

Drunken Master

What Wikipedia says on the Martial Arts Action Star, Jet Li

Li Lian Jie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese martial artist, actor, film producer, wushu champion, and international film star who was born in Beijing, and has taken up Singaporean citizenship in 2009.

After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring from wushu at age 17, he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films, most notably the On...

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Donnie Yen (born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director, action choreographer and film producer. Apart from being a well-known film and television actor in Hong Kong, Yen has also gained international recognition for appearing in many films together with other prominent and internationally-known actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. He is considered to be Hong Kong's top action star; director Peter Chan mentioned that he "is the 'it' action person right...

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BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS

Flash Point

Wing Chun

Kill Zone (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (born 27 June 1962) is a Hong Kong film actor and former TVB actor. A major film star since the 1990s, Leung has won the Hong Kong Film Awards five times and the Golden Horse Best Actor awards thrice (in 1994, 2003 and 2007). Leung also won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award for his role in Wong Kar-wai's 2000 film In the Mood for Love.

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Red Cliff International Version - Part I & Part II [Blu-ray]

In the Mood for Love - Criterion Collection

Infernal Affairs (Wu jian dao)

An award-winning crime thriller in the intense tradition of HEAT and RESERVOIR DOGS ... critics everywhere have hailed INFERNAL AFFAIRS for its gritty action and international superstars. Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung -- HERO) is a hard-nosed veteran cop sent undercover to infiltrate the notorious Triad crime ring. An expert at bringing down violent syndicates, Chan thinks it's going to be a routine mission. What he's not prepared for is the discovery that the Triad's boss (Eric Tsang -- THE ACCIDEN...0 points

Happy Together [Blu-ray]

2046

Confession of Pain [Blu-ray]

Lust, Caution (Widescreen Edition)

Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing (12 September 1956 ? 1 April 2003), nicknamed elder brother (??),http://china.org.cn/english/NM-e/91868.htm (this is the English version of one of the biggest Internet news resources of Mainland China)Leslie Cheung - BiographyThousands of fans pay tribute to Leslie Cheung was a film actor and musician from Hong Kong. Cheung was considered as "one of the founding fathers of Cantopop", and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".Simon Broughton, Mark Ell...

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Chinese Ghost Story

Farewell My Concubine

Inner Senses

Days of Being Wild

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Double Tap

The Bride With White Hair 2

Greatest Chinese Actresses

Gong Li (; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese-born film actress. Gong first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou and is credited with helping bring Chinese cinema to Europe and the United States.

She has twice been awarded the Golden Rooster and the Hundred Flowers Awards as well as the Berlinale Camera, Cannes Festival Trophy, National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle Award, and Volpi Cup.

She married Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Soeng in 1996, and became a Singaporean citizen in 2008.Chong, Chee Kin (2008).

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Zhou Yu's Train

Shanghai Triad

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Chinese Box

Hannibal Rising [Blu-ray]

Shanghai (2010) DVD [Official Dual Language Edition]

Wong Kar-wai BBS (; Cantonese Yale: Wòhng Gà Waih; born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized films. Wong was listed at number three on the respected Sight & Sound Top Ten Directors list of modern times.http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/63/

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Chungking Express - (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]