China has a long film history with the first Chinese film produced in 1905. China is predicted to become the largest market in the world for film by 2019. 

The history of Chinese film is usually described in successive generations and the films I would start with, in order to find my way into film from China, are made by directors belonging to the so called Fifth and Sixth Generations. 

The Fifth Generation started with the First Generation of film directors who graduated after the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). They soon dropped traditional ways of storytelling and opted for a more free and unorthodox approach. No more heroic, military struggles, but the drama of ordinary people’s daily lives. Psychological depth, evocative imagery and creative symbolism were added and it made the films interesting for a wider, western arthouse audience. The Fifth Generation ended roughly after the Tianmensquare demonstrations in 1989, although many of its directors continued to produce important films.

Some of the top directors of this Fifth Generation with some of their most prestigious films are:

• • Kaige Chen – Yellow Earth (1984) and Farewell, my Concubine (1993) 
  • Yimou Zhang – Red Sorghum (1987), Ju Dou (1990), The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), Not One Less (1998), The Road Home (1999)
  • Zhuangzhuang Tian – The Horse Thief (1986), Springtime in a Small Town (2002)

The Sixth Generation came to be in the post 1990 era when state censorship after the Tianmensquare events produced an underground movement with a different kind of storytelling. Much more individualistic, less romantic, more oriented towards contemporary urban life with issues like desorientation, rebellion and contemporary social tensions. 

The big name of the Sixth Generation is Zhangke Jia. He has become my favorite contemporary Chinese director and I am eagerly waiting for every next film that is released from him. When you want to find your way into his work, I would recommend you to start with The World from 2004, which gives a glimpse into China’s modernization. The film is an emotional journey into modern China, and gives glimpses of how modernization and urbanization affects its people. It discusses the rapid changes in the Chinese society, about what is lost and what is gained, a prominent theme for Sixth generation directors. 

Other Zhangke Jia films that I highly recommend are

• • Platform (2000)
  • Still Life (2006)
  • Ash is the Purist White (2018)

Other notable films from this period that I have seen and which also cover similar issues of the impact of modernization in China:

• • Shower – Yang Zhang (1999)
  • Suzhou River – Lou Ye (2000)
  • Uniform (2003) and Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) – Yinan Diao 
  • An Elephant Sitting Still – Bo Hu (2018)

I hope this gives you some guidance and I wish you many good, stimulating hours with the stories from this prominent film tradition!

Rinus, April 2019

*Image posted for non commercial purposes
under 'fair use' of copyright material in recommendation of the film

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