East Asian cinema
Cinema of China Cinema of Hong Kong Cinema of Japan Cinema of Korea Cinema of Taiwan

The history of Chinese language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. The cinema of mainland China after 1949 has grown up somewhat suppressed by the Communist Party of China until recent times, and some films with political overtones are still censored or banned in China itself. Most of these films are allowed to be shown abroad in commercially distributed theaters or in film festivals, however. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... East Asian cinema (sometimes called Far Eastern cinema, Eastern cinema, Asian cinema or Oriental cinema) is a term used to refer to the film industry and films produced in, and/or by natives of, East Asia. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... Japanese cinema (映画; Eiga) has a history in Japan that spans more than 100 years. ... Korean cinema encompasses the motion picture industries of North Korea and South Korea. ... The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China and Cinema of Taiwan. ... Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: H nyǔ, Hu yǔ, or Zhōngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China and Cinema of Taiwan. ... ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... A film festival is the presentation or showcasing of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues. ...

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 did not start in earnest until 1916, centering around Shanghai, a thriving entrepot center and the largest city in the Far East then. For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Beijing opera or Peking opera (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a kind of Chinese opera which arose in the mid-19th century and was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The far east as a cultural block includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and South Asia. ...

Actress Zhou Xuan in Yuan Muzhi's Street Angel (1937)

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. The first truly important Chinese films were produced starting from the 1930s, when the "progressive" or "left-wing" films were made, like Cheng Bugao's Spring Silkworms (1933), Sun Yu's The Big Road (1935), and Wu Yonggang's The Goddess (1934). During this time the Nationalists and the Communists struggled for power and control over the major studios, and their influence can be seen in the ensuing films produced. The post-1930 era is called the first "golden period" of Chinese cinema, where several talented directors, mainly leftists, worked. Three production companies dominated the market in the early to mid 1930s: the newly formed Lianhua, the older and larger Mingxing, and the Shaw Brothers' Tianyi.^[1] The period also produced the first big Chinese movie stars, namely 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). Image File history File links Street_Angle. ... Image File history File links Street_Angle. ... Zhou Xuan Zhou Xuan (周璇, Wades-Giles: Zhou Hsuan) (1 August 1918 - 22 September 1957, Shanghai) was a popular Chinese singer and film actress. ... Yuan Muzhi (simplified Chinese: 袁牧之) (born March 3, 1909, died January 30, 1978), was an actor and director of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Spring Silkworms (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a 1933 silent film from China. ... Sun Yu (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (March 21, 1900 - July 11, 1990) was a major leftist film director active in the 1930s in Shanghai. ... Wu Yonggang (November 1, 1907 - December 18, 1982) was a prominent Chinese film director during the 1930s. ... This article is about the film. ... The Kuomintang of China (abbreviation KMT) (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Tongyong Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung1-kuo2 Kuo2-min2-tang3)[1], also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party in the Republic of China, now on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... Production company refers to a company responsible for the development and physical production of a film or television program. ... The Lianhua Film Company, full name Lianhua Film Production and Processing Company, Ltd. ... Mingxing Film Company (Mingxing yingpiang gongsi) or Star Films was one of the largest Chinese production companies during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s in Shanghai and Hong Kong. ... The Shaw Studio (邵氏片場), owned by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. ... A movie star is a celebrity who is well known for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. ... Ruan Lingyu (Chinese: 阮玲玉; Pinyin: RuÇŽn Língyù; April 26, 1910 - March 8, 1935) was a Chinese film actress. ... Zhou Xuan Zhou Xuan (周璇, Wades-Giles: Zhou Hsuan) (1 August 1918 - 22 September 1957, Shanghai) was a popular Chinese singer and film actress. ... Zhao Dan (Simplified: 赵丹; pinyin: Zhào Dān)(1915-1980)(born Zhao Fengao) was a Chinese actor popular in the golden age of Chinese Cinema. ... New Women (Traditional Chinese: 新女性, Pinyin: XÄ«n nÇšxìng) was a silent Chinese film made in 1934 in Shanghai by the Lianhua Film Company. ... Street Angel (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: MÇŽlù tiānshǐ) is a Chinese black-and-white film released in 1937. ...

The Japanese invasion of China, in particular their occupation of Shanghai, ended this golden run in Chinese cinema. All production companies except Xinhua closed shop, and many of the filmmakers fled Shanghai, relocating to Hong Kong, Communist- and Nationalist-controlled regions, 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" or "Isolated 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 the Japanese censors. 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.^[2] Following declared war with the Western allies in the aftermath of December 7th, 1941, this period largely ended; the solitary island finally being engulfed by the rest of the Japanese occupation. By the end of WWII one of the most controversial Japanese-authorized company, Manchukuo Film Association, would be separated and integrated into Chinese cinema. Combatants Republic of China Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai Fumimaro Konoe, Hideki Tojo, Matsui Iwane, Jiro Minami, Kesago Nakajima, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura, Umezu Yoshijiro Strength 5,600,000 4,100,000 (including 900... The Xinhua Film Company or New China Films, was one of the film companies to capitalize on the popularity of the leftist film movement in 1930s Shanghai, that had begun with the Mingxing and Lianhua Film Companies. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... Manchukuo Film Association Ltd. ...

The Second Golden Age, the late 1940s

Movie poster for Spring in a Small Town

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, Mingxing, and others had occupied in the previous decade. These included Xinhua, which by this time had become a dominant player in the industry, Kunlun Studios, and others. Many showed the disillusionment with the oppressive rule of Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party. Myriads of Lights (1948), Crows and Sparrows (1949), San Mao (1949), and, most importantly, The Spring River Flows East (1947) are the classics produced during this period. The Spring River Flows East, a three-hour-long two-parter directed by Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli, which depicts the struggles of ordinary Chinese folks during the Sino-Japanese war, was immensely popular during its time, making social and political references to the period. The Wenhua Film Company, one of the two important production companies formed by left-leaning film-makers in the city (the other one being a re-established Lianhua), also contributed some of the masterpieces of this era. Image File history File links Spring_in_a_Small_Town_Movie_Poster. ... Image File history File links Spring_in_a_Small_Town_Movie_Poster. ... Chiang Kai-shek (Chinese: 蔣介石 or 蔣中正, October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ... Crows and Sparrows (Simplified Chinese: 乌鸦与麻雀; Pinyin: Wūyā yŭ máquè) was a 1949 Chinese film made by Kunlun Studios on the eve of the Communist victory and directed by Zheng Junli. ... The Spring River Flows East (Simplified:一江春水向东流; Yi jiang chun shui xiang dong liu) was a 1947 Chinese film directed by Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli and is generally considered one of the greatest Chinese films ever made. ... Zheng Junli (December 6, 1911 - April 23, 1969) was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema. ...

Aside from a revitalized leftist movement, however, were films that illustrated the evolution and development of other dramatic genres. The romantic drama Spring in a Small Town (1948), a film made by Shanghainese director Fei Mu prior to the revolution, is often regarded by Chinese film critics as the greatest Chinese film of all time, including recently named by the Hong Kong Film Awards as the greatest Chinese-language film ever made in 2004,^[3] as well as being one of the most influential (an acclaimed 2002 remake by one of the Fifth Generation Chinese film maker Tian Zhuangzhuang can also be seen). Media:Example. ... Fei Mu (1906-1951) was a major Chinese film director from the pre-Communist era. ... Hong Kong Film Awards (香港電影金像獎), is the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong. ... Springtime in a Small Town was a 2002 Chinese film directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. ... Tian Zhuangzhuang (田壯壯, born in 1952 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese film director. ...

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 production 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 base in the middle of all the transition was the Changchun Film Studio. An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One U.S. propaganda poster, which warns against civilians sharing information on troop movements (National Archives) The much-imitated 1914 Lord Kitchener Wants You! poster Swedish Anti-Euro propaganda for the referendum of 2003. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... The White-Haired Girl (Chinese:白毛女; pinyin: Bái Máo Nǚ) is a Chinese opera and ballet by Yan Jinxuan to a Chinese libretto. ... Changchun Film Group Corporation (Chinese: 长春电影集团公司) is a film production company in Changchun, China. ...

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 as Communist propaganda by the government.^[4] 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 is Xie Jin, whose two films in particular, The Red Detachment of Women (1961) and Two Stage Sisters (1965), exemplify the growing expertise China has in the craft of motion pictures. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A newsreel is a documentary film that is regularly released in a public presentation place containing filmed news stories. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... An Australian anti-conscription propaganda poster from World War One U.S. propaganda poster, which warns against civilians sharing information on troop movements (National Archives) The much-imitated 1914 Lord Kitchener Wants You! poster Swedish Anti-Euro propaganda for the referendum of 2003. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Beijing Film Academy (北京电影学院; pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng Diànyìng Xuéyuàn; abbreviated BFA) is a prestigious film school located in Beijing, China. ... Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ... Folk arts have a long history in China. ... Chinese paper art In a culture that invented paper back in the 1st century AD (Cai Lun, during the Han Dynasty), Chinese paper arts have existed for thousands of years, spanning from painted or pattern cut paper fans, lanterns, to decorative designs and structures accomplished by folding and/or cutting. ... Shadow puppet from Java. ... Sun Wukong puppet in pò·-tÄ“-hì. Glove puppetry (POJ: pò·-tÄ“-hì; Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as budai muouxi, shoucao kuileixi, shoudai kuileixi, chang-chung hsi (pinyin: zhÇŽngzhōngxì), xiaolong, or zhihuaxi is a type of local opera using cloth puppets that originated during the 17th century... It has been suggested that Chinese Painting Arts be merged into this article or section. ... Havoc in Heaven (Chinese: 大闹天宫, Da nao tian gong) is a Chinese animation feature film directed by Wan Laiming and then produced by all 4 of the Wan brothers. ... Wan Lai-Ming Wan Lai-Ming (Chinese: 万籁鸣, January 18, 1900 - October 7, 1997) was born in Nanjing, China. ... This is the earliest known photo of 3 of the Wan brothers: Laiming, GuChan and ChaoChen. ... The Times BFI London Film Festival is the UKs largest public film event, screening 300 films from 60 countries. ... Xie Jin (谢晋, born 21 November 1923 in Zhejiang, China) is a Chinese film director. ...

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. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Red Detachment of Women (红色娘子军, pinyin hongse niangzi jun) is a Chinese ballet which premiered in 1964. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

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. A film festival is the presentation or showcasing of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues. ...

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 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...

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 the Tianyun Mountains (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). Image File history File links Blue_kite_poster. ... Image File history File links Blue_kite_poster. ... Wu Yonggang (November 1, 1907 - December 18, 1982) was a prominent Chinese film director during the 1930s. ... Xie Jin (谢晋, born 21 November 1923 in Zhejiang, China) is a Chinese film director. ... The Golden Rooster Awards (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: Jīn Jī Jiăng) are the most prestigious awards in film given in China. ... Tian Zhuangzhuang (田壯壯, born in 1952 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese film director. ... (Original title: 藍風箏) 1993 Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival and Best Film at Hawaii International Film Festival (both 1993) The story is told from the perspective of a young boys (Tietou) growing up in the 50s and 60s in Beijing. ...

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. The first generation of filmmakers to produce Chinese films since the Cultural Revolution, they jettisioned traditional methods of storytelling and opted for a more free and unorthodox approach. Most had graduated from the Beijing Film Academy since 1982. A One And an Eight (1983) and Yellow Earth (1984) (directed by Chen Kaige and photographed by Zhang Yimou) 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 Children (1987), Farewell My Concubine (1993), Ju Dou (1989), 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. 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. Chen Kaige (Simplified Chinese: 陈凯歌; Traditional Chinese: 陳凱歌; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chen Kai-ko) (born August 12, 1952) is a famous Chinese film director. ... Zhang Yimou (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ;  ) (born November 14, 1951) is an internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker and one-time cinematographer. ... Farewell My Concubine (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese: , pinyin: Bàwáng Bié JÄ«; Translation: Overlord Leaves Concubine) is a Chinese Fifth Generation film directed by Chen Kaige in 1993. ... Ju Dou (Chinese: 菊豆; Pinyin: Jú Dòu; 1991) is a Chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou and Yang Fengliang (though it is almost universally considered to be a product of Zhangs vision as director) and starring Gong Li as the title character. ... Raise the Red Lantern (Simplified Chinese: 大红灯笼高高挂; Traditional Chinese: 大紅燈籠高高掛; pinyin: Dà Hóng DÄ“nglóng Gāogāo Guà; literally Hang High the Big Red Lantern) is a 1991 Chinese film, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Tian Zhuangzhuang (田壯壯, born in 1952 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese film director. ... Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (IPA: AmE: ; Ita: []) (born November 17, 1942) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild Of America award winner and critically acclaimed American film director. ... Zhou Xiaowen (b. ...

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 Xian Film Studio, while continuing to make films like Old Well (1986) and The King of Masks (1996). Wu Tianming (Simplified Chinese: 吴天明, Traditional Chinese: 吳天明; born 19 October 1939 in Shaanxi Province, China is a Chinese film director. ... The King of Masks (pinyin: Bian Lian) is a 1996 Chinese film directed by Wu Tianming. ...

The Fifth Generation movement effectively ended in 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 stayed in the United States, Huang Jianxin left for Australia, while many others went into television-related works. The Unknown Rebel - This famous photo, taken on 5 June 1989 by photographer Jeff Widener, depicts a lone protester who tried to stop four advancing tanks until he was pulled into the crowd by several onlookers. ... English release of The Emperors Shadow. ...

The Sixth Generation and beyond, 1990s - present

The recent era has seen the "return of the amateur filmmaker" as state censorship policies have produced an edgy underground film movement loosely referred to as the Sixth Generation. These films are shot quickly and cheaply, which produces a documentary feel: long takes, hand-held cameras, ambient sound (see cinema verite). Many films are joint ventures and projects with international investment. Some important Sixth 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), and Lou Ye (Suzhou River). Censorship is the removal or withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body. ... Cin ma V is the first album by an alternative rock group Dramarama, released in November 1985. ... Wang Xiaoshuai (王小帅, born 22 May 1966 in Shanghai, China) is a Chinese film director. ... Beijing Bicycle (2002) is a film by the 6th generation Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai about a boy from the Chinese countryside and his search for the bike he depends upon for his job. ... Zhang Yuan (å¼ å…ƒ, born in 1963 in Nanjing, China) is a film director. ... East Palace, West Palace (SC: 东宫西宫, pinyin: Dōng gōng xÄ« gōng) is a 1996 film directed by Zhang Yuan starring Han Si, Hu Jun and Zhao Wei. ... Jia Zhangke (Simplified Chinese: 贾樟柯; Traditional Chinese: 賈樟柯; pinyin: ) (born 1970) is a Chinese film director. ... Unknown pleasures is a 2002 movie directed by Jia Zhangke, starring Wei Wei Zhao and Tao Zhao. ... Platform (Chinese: 站台; Pinyin: ) is a 2000 film written and directed by Jia Zhangke. ... The World film poster The World (Chinese: Shijie) is a 2004 film written and directed by Jia Zhangke. ... Lou Ye (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Lou2 Yeh4) (born 1965) is a Chinese film director who is commonly grouped with the Sixth Generation directors of Chinese cinema. ... The French poster for Suzhou River - River of Love Suzhou River 苏州河 (2000) is a film noir by Lou Ye about a tragic love story set in contemporary Shanghai. ...

Unlike the Fifth Generation, the Sixth Generation brings a more individualistic, anti-romantic life-view and pays more attention to contemporary urban life, especially affected by disorientation.

New documentaries

Two decades of reform and marketization have brought dramatic social changes in mainland China, reflected not only in fiction film. Wu Wenguang's Bumming in Beijing is now seen as the first work of the New Documentary Movement (NDM) in China. Another internationally acclaimed documentary is Wang Bing's epic nine hour tale of deindustrialization Tie Xi Qu ("West of tracks"). Li Hong, the first women in the NDM, in Out of Phoenix Bridge 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.

A new Chinese international cinema?

In 1999, the multi-national production Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon achieved massive success at the Western box office despite being disregarded by some Chinese cinema-goers as pandering to Western tastes. Nevertheless, it provided an introduction to Chinese cinema (and especially the Wuxia genre) for many and increased the popularity of many Chinese films which may have otherwise been relatively unknown to Westerners. UK DVD cover Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a Chinese-language wuxia (chivalric martial arts) film released in 2000. ... Wǔxiá (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: , Mandarin IPA: , Cantonese Pinyin: mou5 hap6), literally meaning martial (arts) heroes, is a distinct quasi-fantasy sub-genre of the martial arts genre in literature, television and cinema. ...

In 2002, Hero was made as a second attempt to produce a Chinese film with the international appeal of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The cast and crew 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, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, directed by Zhang Yimou. The film 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. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Jet Li (born Li Lianjie on April 26, 1963 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese martial artist, actor and action star. ... Zhang Ziyi (章子怡; pinyin: Zhāng Zǐyí) (born February 9, 1979 in Beijing, China) is one of the most well-known Chinese film actresses working today, with a string of Chinese and international hits to her name. ... Maggie Cheung in Clean Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (張曼玉; pinyin: Zhāng Mànyù; Cantonese: dzoeng1 maan6 juk9/juk2) (born September 20, 1964) is a multi award-winning actress from Hong Kong. ... Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chinese: 梁朝偉; pinyin: ) (born June 27, 1962) is a Hong Kong movie and ex-television actor. ... Zhang Yimou (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ;  ) (born November 14, 1951) is an internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker and one-time cinematographer. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

The successes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero blur what may be called the boundary between Mainland Chinese cinema and a more international-based "Chinese-language cinema". Crouching Tiger, for example, was made by a Taiwanese director (Ang Lee), but its leads include Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland Chinese actors and actresses while the funding is from overseas. This merging of people, resources, and expertise from three regions (China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) seemed to imply big-budgeted Chinese-language cinema is moving toward an international arena looking to compete with the best Hollywood films. Further examples of films in this would include House of Flying Daggers (2004), The Promise (2005) and The Banquet (2006). However, tighter-financed Chinese-language cinema are still relatively localized in content as seen in those from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan, especially in the latter two where many of the films have not yet found international distributors abroad. This article is about the history, geography, and people of the island known as Taiwan. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In this map of China, the light-coloured areas represent Mainland China, while yellow coloured area refers to Taiwan. ... House of Flying Daggers (Chinese: ; pinyin: ), is a 2004 action/romance movie directed by Zhang Yimou. ... The Promise (Chinese: 无极/無極) is an epic fantasy movie directed by Chen Kaige and starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse. ... The Banquet (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yè Yàn; literally The Night Banquet) is a 2006 Chinese wuxia-drama film, directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Zhang Ziyi. ...

Sources

• Film History: An Introduction. Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell. Second edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.
• The Oxford History of World Cinema. Geoffrey Nowell-Smith (ed). Oxford University Press, 1999.

See also

• East Asian cinema
• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong action cinema
• Cinema of Taiwan
• List of Chinese actors
• List of Chinese actresses
• List of Chinese directors
• List of Chinese films
• List of Chinese production companies (pre-PRC)
• Chinese animation

East Asian cinema (sometimes called Far Eastern cinema, Eastern cinema, Asian cinema or Oriental cinema) is a term used to refer to the film industry and films produced in, and/or by natives of, East Asia. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industrys global fame. ... The history of Chinese-language cinema has three separate threads of development: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China and Cinema of Taiwan. ... The following is a list of notable actors from Mainland China. ... The following is a list of notable actresses from Mainland China. ... The following is a list of notable film directors from Mainland China. ... Cinema of China This is a chronological list of films produced in mainland China. ... The following is a list of notable film production companies from Mainland China (including Hong Kong) before the Communist takeover in 1949. ... This page is about the development of animation and comic industry in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. ...

Further reading

• Rey Chow, Primitive Passions: Visuality, Sexuality, Ethnography, and Contemporary Chinese Cinema, Columbia University Pres 1995
• Shuqin Cui, Women Through the Lens: Gender and Nation in a Century of Chinese Cinema, University of Hawaii Press 2003
• Dai Jinhua, Cinema and Desire: Feminist Marxism and Cultural Politics in the Work of Dai Jinhua, eds. Jing Wang and Tani E. Barlow. London: Verso 2002.
• Laikwan Pang, Building a New China in Cinema: The Chinese Left-Wing Cinema Movement, 1932-1937, Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc 2002
• Jay Leyda, Dianying, MIT Press, 1972.
• Harry H. Kuoshu, Celluloid China: Cinematic Encounters with Culture and Society, Southern Illinois University Press 2002 - introduction, discusses 15 films at length
• Yingjin Zhang, Chinese National Cinema (National Cinemas Series.), Routledge 2004 - general introduction
• Cheng, Jim, Annotated Bibliography For Chinese Film Studies, Hong Kong University Press 2004

Jay Leyda (1910-1988) was an avant-garde filmmaker and film historian, noted for his work on U.S, Soviet and Chinese Cinema. ...

References

May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

External links

• Asia Society: The Cinema Scene - Asia Society's regular podcast program containing news, reviews and interviews related to Asian Film
• Asian Cult Cinema
• Asian movie news
• Chinacinema.frA French site on Chinese Cinema
• Cinemasie—A database about Asian Cinemas, including Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.
• Chinese Cinema learning center maintained by the University of California, San Diego
• Chinese Cinema Page
• Chinese Movie Database
• Database of articles on Chinese cinema including those on Chinese directors, films, and movements.
• Essay on 3 Chinese Films and the Cultural Revolution
• MCLC Resource Center--Media
• Timeline of Chinese Cinema by the Hollywood Reporter
• UK Festival of Chinese Cinema: Cinema China 2007

Cinema of China

Actors • Directors • Films A-Z • Film chronology • Cinematographers • Festivals • Producers • Screenwriters • The University of California, San Diego (popularly known as UCSD, or sometimes UC San Diego) is a public, coeducational university located in La Jolla, California. ... The Hollywood Reporter is one of two major trade papers of the film industry in the United States, the other being Variety. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Cinema of China This is a chronological list of films produced in mainland China. ...