The article discusses the lines of development of Chinese cinema by describing the respective development in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as well as offering a comparison and contrast among the three.
It first dwells on a comprehensive depiction of Chinese Cinema from 1896 until recently. The time period can be roughly divided into four phases. The first time period is from 1896 to 1949, the year New China was founded. In the early phase, Chinese cinema was mostly associated with alienness since most of the films were about western works or made by foreign films. It was regarded as an imported art. Later, the function of Chinese cinema as a politically educative medium was gradually realized by the officialdom.
In 1932, the Communist Party established the Mingxing Film Company so as to influence China’s film-making. The close connection between literature and cinematography was also another important characteristic during this time. From 1949 to 1966, which was the second phase, witnessed the strong feature of cinema as a medium of political education.
During this period, the films were made from Soviet Union’s models, and only importing movies from the Soviet Union was permitted. The third phase falls within the year from 1966 to 1976 when the notorious Cultural Revolution happened. Film making was strictly restricted by the Gang of Four. The films mainly dealt with two themes: political function and indigenous art. The last phase is from 1976 until now after Deng Xiaoping adopted the Opening and Reforming policy.
Chinese cinema began to develop in a healthy and vital way with the emergence of the Fifth Generation of filmmakers, which was represented by Chen Kaige’s Yellow Earth. Later, the Sixth Generation of directors began to play important roles in China’s film making, represented by He Jianjun, Hu Xueyang, Wang Xiaoshuai and etc. They sought to make the balance between forces of localism and globalism and produce authentic films.
The next part of the article illustrates the historical development of the cinema in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Hong Kong’s film industry started to grow steadily since 1909 and attracted many Mainland directors. Most of the movies are associated with martial arts, which provides the audience cheap escapist fantasies. During the last ten and fifteen years, Hong Kong movies have done great jobs in achieving the artistic effect while entertaining the public meanwhile.
From 1949, Taiwan’s cinematography witnessed fast growth, which also attracted many Mainland directors. In recent years, Taiwanese cinema and directors are enjoying wide international acclaim. Unlike Hong Kong, Taiwanese films focus on women’s sentiment rather than Men’s physical fights.
With the state interference and the struggle between localism and globalism, Mainland China may be seen as a much worse environment for making movies. Nonetheless, Taiwan and Hong Kong also face problems and challenges. For Hong Kong, the output of the film industry is diminishing and there is also a challenge from its return to Chinese sovereignty. Taiwan, on the other hand, should deal with restrictive government regulations and the high cost of production. In summary, the film industries of the three places have entered a new phase since the 1980s, when the films try to explore contemporary Chinese subjectivity, more emphasis on the inner world rather than the outside society.
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