The early years of the history of Chinese film have lately been the subject of resurgent interest and a growing body of scholarship has come to recognise and identify an extraordinarily diverse and complex period. This volume explores the development of Chinese film from 1896 to 1949. The volume covers the screening of foreign films in Shanghai, Hong Kong and other coastal cities in China, the technological and industrial development of Chinese national cinema, key filmmakers and actors of early Chinese cinema, changing modes of representation and narration, as well as the social and cultural contexts within which early Chinese films were produced and circulated. The relationship between the War of Resistance against Japan and the Chinese civil war and Chinese film is also explored. The book will be essential reading for scholars and students in film studies, Chinese studies, cultural studies and media studies, helping readers develop a comprehensive understanding of Chinese film.

The Reform and Opening-up of China since the late 1970s has not only transformed the economic and political situation of the country but also transformed the Chinese film industry. This volume focuses on the 40 years of the history of Chinese film in the post-Mao era. As all aspects of film production, distribution, and exhibition have been commercialized, Chinese film has become an industry of immense scale and has grown by leaps and bounds. Meanwhile, contemporary Chinese film is marked by a new zeitgeist, with Chinese film closely integrated with Chinese society and the economy. The author argues that the Chinese film industry clearly stands at a turning point where the future of Chinese film and the way to further awaken, change, and shape film production have become important issues worth consideration in contemporary film history. The book will be an essential reading for scholars and students in film studies, Chinese studies, cultural studies and media studies, helping readers to develop a comprehensive understanding of Chinese film.

Since 1949, Chinese film has been greatly influenced by a variety of historical, cultural, and political events in the history of the People’s Republic of China. This volume explores the development of Chinese film from 1949 to 1976. This volume restores Chinese film to its original historical form and assesses its complex relationship with society, politics, culture, and art in the Maoist period. The 17-year films, Cultural Revolution-era films, the influence of model operas, and the documentary newsreels of Xinwen Jianbao are discussed. Combining a macro-perspective with a micro-perspective, the author analyzes the special characteristics of Chinese film in this period and showcases the inheritance and differences between earlier Chinese film and Chinese film in the newly founded the People’s Republic of China. The book will be essential reading for scholars and students in film studies, Chinese studies, cultural studies, and media studies, helping readers develop a comprehensive understanding of Chinese film.

A pathbreaking collection of essays on early Chinese-language cinema

This volume explores the development of Chinese film from 1949 to 1976. The author exhibits the complex relations of film with society, politics, culture, and art in the Maoist period, and showcases the inheritance and differences between earlier Chinese film and Chinese film in the newly founded People's Republic of China.

Perhaps no art form in China has engendered as much controversy or has had such a checkered past as film. From the horrors of war to the red carpet at Cannes, the history of Chinese film has illustrated the extremes of politics and art in a delicate dance that has captivated the attention of art and film historians for decades. Ding Yaping's authoritative, accessible, and concise history of Chinese cinema comprehensively covers the early years of pro-China propaganda films through the first decade of the twenty-first century, where Chinese film now represents a cinematic movement of the highest order. Ding traces the development of Chinese film as a source of high culture from the 1990s to the present day.

Illustrating the cultural significance of film and its power as a vehicle for social change, this book reveals the intricacies of the cultural movement and explores its connections to other art forms such as photography, drama, and literature.