Chinese National Cinema

Description

This introduction to Chinese national cinema covers three 'Chinas': mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Historical and comparative perspectives bring out the parallel developments in these three Chinas, while critical analysis explores thematic and stylistic changes over time.

As well as exploring artistic achievements and ideological debates, Yingjin Zhang examines how - despite the pressures placed on the industry from state control and rigid censorship - Chinese national cinema remains incapable of projecting a single unified picture, but rather portrays many different Chinas.

Reviews

'A remarkable scholarly achievement, evidenced by the author's extensive research, encyclopedic knowledge of his subject and refreshing interpretations of the major trends and developments in Chinese film history … this book establishes Zhang as the undisputed authority on Chinese cinema in the West.' - Zhiwei Xiao, California State University

'A model of forward-looking scholarship, and a superb addition to the National Cinemas series … eminently suited to adoption on courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.' - Julian Stringer, University of Nottingham, UK

'All in all, Chinese National Cinema is a masterly synthesis of a vast subject.' - The China Journal

Contents

1. Introduction: National Cinema and China 2. Cinema and National Traditions, 1905-29 3. Cinema and the Nation-People, 1930-49 4. Cinematic Reinvention of the National, 1945,78 5. Cinematic Revival of the Regional, 1945-78 6. Cinema and the Nation-State, 1949-78 7. Cinema and National/Regional Cultures, 1979-89 8. Cinema and the Transnational Imaginary, 1990-2002

Related Subjects

1. Cultural Studies
2. Film Studies