Chinese Cinema

Origins

The first motion picture to be shown in China was in 1896. That same year, in Shanghai, the first footage shot on Chinese soil was captured. It was not until 1905 that the first Chinese film was shot, which was a filmed production of the Beijing Opera, The Battle of Dingjunshan. The film industry settled itself in Shanghai, and though early films were produced by foreign investors, during the 1920s many Chinese production companies came into existence. The entire industry was largely influence by the United States, on both the business and technical side, until the 1930s.

The Leftist Movement

The films of Cheng Bugao, Sun Yu and Wu Yonggang represent the progressive “left-wing” themes of the Chinese Leftist Movement films. The films themselves are marked by a strong focus on class struggle and Japanese aggression. The Leftist Movement is considered to be the first golden age of Chinese cinema, and, though a bit paradoxical considering the films’ focus on the struggling lower class, this era produced the first Chinese movie stars. During the 1930s, the Chinese Nationalists and Communists both had controlled over certain production companies, and fought for the attention of the people through the subject matter of their films.

The Communist Era

After Communist takeover in 1949, the showing of Hollywood and Hong Kong productions were banned. The Communist Party sought to control the film market as a means of producing films for the reason of propaganda. Only movies that were about peasants, soldiers, worker, and party-strict content were permitted. Influence shifted from the United States to Russia, and many Chinese filmmakers were sent to Moscow to study filmmaking before the Beijing Film Academy was opened in 1956. During the early 1960s, the Party’s censorship was loosened on films, which led to the solidification of China’s proficiency in filmmaking.

The Fifth and Sixth Generation

The Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers began during the 1980s. Mostly made of graduates of the Beijing Film Academy, these filmmakers began to experiment with film by using new narrative techniques and by using their films as a mouthpiece to speak of the hardships and hypocrisies of the Communist Revolution in China. The films of Chen Kaige and Zhang Yumou are examples of Fifth Generation films, and were both popular in China as well as throughout the world.

The Sixth Generation is a post-1990s happening. After the Tiananmen Square demonstrations, the Chinese government once again became strict on censorship. These limitations forced the film movement underground, and due to the loss of production costs, these films are marked by a low-budget, cinema verite style. The films of the Sixth Generation focus more on individual rights and anti-Romantic sentiments.