The local cinema industry had a venerable history, and after 1949, many leading filmmakers stayed in China to work for the cause of social transformation and national rejuvenation. Many had trained in Shanghai and had been active in that city’s cosmopolitan film culture. They had been exposed to western, in particular Hollywood, cinema for years, although after the Communist takeover Soviet and Eastern European films, as well as works from the non-socialist world, were also readily accessible. The style of all of these kinds of film had an impact on the burgeoning revolutionary film industry in China, as did the denunciation of a number of politically harmful films in the 1950s like The Life of Wu Xun (directed by Sun Yu) and The Secret History of the Qing Court. Filmmakers and audiences gradually learnt what constituted a “good” as opposed to a “bad” film experience.

Chinese heroes in Chinese stories were powerfully popular with audiences, and they created a central element of popular socialist culture. Books or stories were made into films, or films were used as the basis for comics and books and thus circulated through various cultural media, the impact of certain characters, images and tropes being strengthened thereby. Many of these films underwent a revival in popularity during the 1990s when Chinese-produced “classics” were regularly featured on daytime TV and in late shows.

This site will explore a number of feature films in depth, with related readings and excerpts to be made available.