Editing Cinema of China (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of cinema in China}}

=== Beginnings ===
[[File:Lady Meng Jiang - Tianyi magazine.jpg|thumb|upright|1926 [[Tianyi Film Company|Tianyi]] film ''[[Lady Meng Jiang]]'', starring [[Hu Die]]]]

[[Motion pictures]] were introduced to China in 1896. They were introduced through foreign film exhibitors in [[treaty ports]] like Shanghai and Hong Kong.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Jie |title=Cinematic Guerillas: Propaganda, Projectionists, and Audiences in Socialist China |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |year=2023 |isbn=9780231206273}}</ref>{{Rp|page=68}}

China was one of the earliest countries to be exposed to the medium of film, due to [[Auguste and Louis Lumière|Louis Lumière]] sending his cameraman to Shanghai a year after inventing [[cinematography]].<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Ye, Tan |title=Historical dictionary of Chinese cinema |date=2012 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc |others=Zhu, Yun, 1979- |isbn=978-0-8108-6779-6 |location=Lanham |oclc=764377427}}</ref> The first recorded screening of a motion picture in China took place in [[Shanghai]] on 11 August 1896 as an "act" on a variety bill.<ref>Berry, Chris. "China Before 1949", in ''The Oxford History of World Cinema'', edited by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith (1997). Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 409.</ref> The first Chinese film, a recording of the [[Peking opera]], ''[[Dingjun Mountain (film)|Dingjun Mountain]]'', was made in November 1905 in [[Beijing]].<ref name="Geiselmann2">{{cite web |author=Martin Geiselmann |year=2006 |title=Chinese Film History - A Short Introduction |url=http://www.univie.ac.at/Sinologie/repository/ueLK110_ChinFilmgesch/filmgeschichteSkript.pdf |access-date=2007-07-25 |publisher=The University of Vienna- Sinologie Program}}</ref> For the next decade the production companies were mainly foreign-owned, and the domestic film industry was centered on Shanghai, a thriving [[entrepot]] and the largest city in the [[Far East]].<ref name=":Qian2">{{Cite book |last=Qian |first=Ying |title=Revolutionary Becomings: Documentary Media in Twentieth-Century China |date=2024 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=9780231204477 |location=New York, NY}}</ref>

=== Main melody dramas ===
During the late 20th century, a period when socialist dramas were beginning to lose viewership, the Chinese government began to involve itself deeper into the world of popular culture and cinema by creating the official genre of the "main melody" (主旋律 ''zhǔxuánlǜ''), inspired by Hollywood's strides in musical dramas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ma |first=Weijun |date=September 2014 |title=Chinese Main Melody TV Drama: Hollywoodization and Ideological Persuasion |journal=Television & New Media |volume=15 |issue=6 |pages=523–537 |doi=10.1177/1527476412471436 |issn=1527-4764 |s2cid=144145010}}</ref> In 1987, the Ministry of Radio, Film and Television issued a statement encouraging the making of movies which emphasizes the main melody to "invigorate national spirit and national pride".<ref>Rui Zhang, ''The Cinema of Feng Xiaogang: Commercialization and Censorship in Chinese Cinema after 1989''. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2008, p. 35.</ref> The expression ''main melody'' refers to the musical term ''[[leitmotif]]'', which translates to the 'theme of our times', which scholars suggest is representative of China's socio-political climate and cultural context of popular cinema.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Staging China: new theatres in the twenty-first century |date=2016 |publisher=Palgrave MacMillan |isbn=978-1-137-52944-2 |editor=Li Ruru |oclc=936371074}}</ref> These main melody films, still produced regularly in modern times, try to emulate the commercial mainstream by the use of Hollywood-style music and special effects. A significant feature of these films is the incorporation of a "[[Red songs movement|red song]]", which is a song written as propaganda to support the People's Republic of China.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wang |first=Qian |date=2013-09-23 |title=Red songs and the main melody: cultural nationalism and political propaganda in Chinese popular music |journal=Perfect Beat |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=127–145 |doi=10.1558/prbt.v13.i2.127}}</ref> By revolving the film around the motif of a red song, the film is able to gain traction at the box office as songs are generally thought to be more accessible than a film. Theoretically, once the red song dominates the charts, it will stir interest in the film that which it accompanies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yu |first=Hongmei |date=2013 |title=Visual Spectacular, Revolutionary Epic, and Personal Voice: The Narration of History in Chinese Main Melody Films |journal=Modern Chinese Literature and Culture |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=166–218 |issn=1520-9857 |jstor=43492536}}</ref>

Main melody dramas are often subsidized by the state and have free access to government and military personnel.<ref>Braester, Yomi. "Contemporary Mainstream PRC Cinema" in ''The Chinese Cinema Book'' (2011), edited by Song Hwee Lim and Julian Ward, BFI: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 181.</ref> The Chinese government spends between "one and two million RMBs" annually to support the production of films in the main melody genre. [[August First Film Studio]], the film and TV production arm of the [[People's Liberation Army]], is a studio that produces main melody cinema. Main melody films, which often depict past military engagements or are biopics of first-generation CCP leaders, have won several Best Picture prizes at the Golden Rooster Awards.<ref>Rui Zhang, ''The Cinema of Feng Xiaogang: Commercialization and Censorship in Chinese Cinema after 1989''. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2008, p. 38–39.</ref> Some of the more famous main melody dramas include the ten-hour epic ''[[Decisive Engagement]]'' (大决战, 1991), directed by Cai Jiawei, Yang Guangyuan and Wei Lian; ''[[The Opium War (film)|The Opium War]]'' (1997), directed by [[Xie Jin]]; and ''[[The Founding of a Republic]]'' (2009), directed by [[Han Sanping]] and Fifth Generation director Huang Jianxin.<ref>Braester, Yomi. "Contemporary Mainstream PRC Cinema" in ''The Chinese Cinema Book'' (2011), edited by Song Hwee Lim and Julian Ward, BFI: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 181–182.</ref> ''[[The Founding of an Army]]'' (2017) was commissioned by the government to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army, and is the third instalment in The Founding of a Republic series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-02 |title=Chinese Main Melody Film Wins Over Young Moviegoers {{!}} CFI |url=http://chinafilminsider.com/young-moviegoers-chinese-militarys/ |access-date=2019-11-13 |website=China Film Insider}}</ref> The film featured many young Chinese pop singers that are already well-established in the industry, including [[Li Yifeng]], [[Liu Haoran]], and [[Lay Zhang]], so as to further the film's reputation as a main melody drama.

=== The sixth generation ===
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| source = — The sixth generation director [[Jia Zhangke]]'s accusation of China's older filmmakers in an essay.<ref>{{Cite magazine|author=[[Evan Osnos]]|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/05/11/the-long-shot|title=The Long Shot|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=2009-05-04}}</ref>
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The post-1990 era has been labeled the "return of the amateur filmmaker" as state [[censorship]] policies after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests produced an edgy underground film movement loosely referred to as the Sixth Generation. Owing to the lack of state funding and backing, these films were shot quickly and cheaply, using materials like [[16 mm film]] and [[digital video]] and mostly non-professional actors and actresses, producing a documentary feel, often with long takes, hand-held cameras, and ambient sound; more akin to [[Italian neorealism]] and [[cinéma vérité]] than the often lush, far more considered productions of the Fifth Generation.<ref name=Greatfall>Rose, S. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/01/china.film "The great fall of China"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 2002-08-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.</ref> Unlike the Fifth Generation, the Sixth Generation brings a more individualistic, anti-romantic life-view and pays far closer attention to contemporary urban life, especially as affected by disorientation, rebellion<ref name="Stephen Teo">{{cite web |url= http://sensesofcinema.com/2003/feature-articles/li_yang/|title= "There Is No Sixth Generation!" Director Li Yang on ''Blind Shaft'' and His Place in Chinese Cinema|author= Stephen Teo|date= July 2003|access-date= 3 April 2015}}</ref> and dissatisfaction with China's contemporary social marketing economic tensions and comprehensive cultural background.<ref name="Corliss">{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,103002,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206165948/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,103002,00.html | archive-date=6 February 2007 | magazine=Time | first=Richard | last=Corliss | title=Bright Lights | date=2001-03-26|access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> Many were made with an extremely low budget (an example is [[Jia Zhangke]], who shoots on digital video, and formerly on 16&nbsp;mm; [[Wang Xiaoshuai]]'s ''[[The Days (1993 film)|The Days]]'' (1993) was made for US$10,000<ref name="Corliss"/>). The title and subjects of many of these films reflect the Sixth Generation's concerns. The Sixth Generation takes an interest in marginalized individuals and the less represented fringes of society. For example, [[Zhang Yuan (director)|Zhang Yuan]]'s hand-held ''[[Beijing Bastards]]'' (1993) focuses on youth [[punk rock|punk]] [[subculture]], featuring artists like [[Cui Jian]], [[Dou Wei]] and [[He Yong (rock musician)|He Yong]] frowned upon by many state authorities,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/beijing-zazhong-1200433948/|title= Review: 'Beijing Zazhong'|author= Deborah Young
|date= 4 October 1993|access-date= 3 April 2015|work= Variety}}</ref> while Jia Zhangke's debut film ''[[Xiao Wu]]'' (1997) concerns a provincial [[pickpocket]]. While many Fifth Generation filmmakers have become darlings of mainstream Chinese culture, Sixth Generation filmmakers have often experienced harsh treatment by the state's censorship and regulatory system, despite their success at international film festivals and arthouse markets.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Xu |first=Gary G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=huEWFfNp8hMC |title=Sinascape: Contemporary Chinese Cinema |date=2007 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-5450-4 |pages=47–48}}</ref>

As the Sixth Generation gained international exposure, many subsequent movies were joint ventures and projects with international backers, but remained quite resolutely low-key and low budget. Jia's ''[[Platform (2000 film)|Platform]]'' (2000) was funded in part by [[Takeshi Kitano]]'s production house,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/features/2014/05/16/a-touch-of-sin-interview-with-jia-zhangke/|title= A Touch of Sin: Interview with Jia Zhang-ke|author= Pamela Jahn |date= 16 May 2014|access-date= 3 April 2015|work= Electric Sheep}}</ref> while his ''[[Still Life (2006 film)|Still Life]]'' was shot on [[High Definition video|HD video]]. ''Still Life'' was a surprise addition and Golden Lion winner of the 2006 [[Venice International Film Festival]]. ''Still Life'', which concerns provincial workers around the [[Three Gorges]] region, sharply contrasts with the works of Fifth Generation Chinese directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige who were at the time producing ''[[House of Flying Daggers]]'' (2004) and ''[[The Promise (2005 film)|The Promise]]'' (2005). It featured no star of international renown and was acted mostly by non-professionals.

Many Sixth Generation films have highlighted the negative attributes of China's entry into the modern [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[market economy|market]]. [[Li Yang (director)|Li Yang]]'s ''[[Blind Shaft]]'' (2003) for example, is an account of two murderous con-men in the unregulated and notoriously dangerous mining industry of northern China.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/07/movies/filming-the-dark-side-of-capitalism-in-china-578819.html | title = Filming the Dark Side Of Capitalism in China | access-date = 2008-04-10 | author = Kahn, Joseph|date= 2003-05-07| newspaper = New York Times}}</ref> (Li refused the tag of Sixth Generation, although admitted he was not Fifth Generation).<ref name="Stephen Teo"/> While Jia Zhangke's ''[[The World (film)|The World]]'' (2004) emphasizes the emptiness of [[globalization]] in the backdrop of an internationally themed amusement park.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2005/festival-reports/new_york2004/ | title = Minimalism and Maximalism: The 42nd New York Film Festival | access-date = 2007-04-28 | author = Rapfogel, Jared |date= December 2004| magazine = Senses of Cinema |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070913090619/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/festivals/05/34/new_york2004.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-09-13}}</ref>

Some of the more prolific Sixth Generation directors to have emerged are Wang Xiaoshuai (''[[The Days (1993 film)|The Days]]'', ''[[Beijing Bicycle]]'', ''[[So Long, My Son]]''), [[Zhang Yuan (director)|Zhang Yuan]] (''[[Beijing Bastards]]'', ''[[East Palace West Palace]]''), Jia Zhangke (''[[Xiao Wu]]'', ''[[Unknown Pleasures (film)|Unknown Pleasures]]'', ''[[Platform (2000 film)|Platform]]'', ''[[The World (film)|The World]]'', ''[[A Touch of Sin]]'', ''[[Mountains May Depart]]'', ''[[Ash Is Purest White]]''), [[He Jianjun]] (''[[Postman (1995 film)|Postman]]'') and [[Lou Ye]] (''[[Suzhou River (film)|Suzhou River]]'', ''[[Summer Palace (2006 film)|Summer Palace]]''). One director of their generation who does not share most of the concerns of the Sixth Generation is [[Lu Chuan]] (''[[Kekexili: Mountain Patrol]]'', 2004; ''[[City of Life and Death]]'', 2010).

==== Notable Sixth Generation directors ====
In the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, two of China's Sixth generation filmmakers, Jia Zhangke and Zhang Ming – whose grim works transformed Chinese cinema in the 1990s – showed on the French Riviera. While both directors represent Chinese cinema, their profiles are quite different. The 49-year-old Jia set up the [[Pingyao International Film Festival]] in 2017 and on the other hand is Zhang, a 56-year-old film school professor who spent years working on government commissions and domestic TV shows after struggling with his own projects. Despite their different profiles, they mark an important cornerstone in Chinese cinema and are both credited with bringing Chinese movies to the international big screen. Chinese director Jia Zhangke's latest film ''Ash Is Purest White'' has been selected to compete in the official competition for the Palme d'Or of the 71st Cannes Film Festival, the highest prize awarded at the film festival. It is Jia's fifth movie, a gangster revenge drama that is his most expensive and mainstream film to date. Back in 2013, Jia won Best Screenplay Award for ''A Touch of Sin'', following nominations for ''Unknown Pleasures'' in 2002 and ''24 City'' in 2008. In 2014, he was a member of the official jury and the following year his film ''Mountains May Depart'' was nominated. According to entertainment website [https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/cannes-picks-asia-most-anticipated-titles-1202751347/ Variety], a record number of Chinese films were submitted this year but only Jia's romantic drama was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. Meanwhile, Zhang will make his debut at Cannes with ''The Pluto Moment'', a slow-moving relationship drama about a team of filmmakers scouting for locations and musical talent in China's rural hinterland. The film is Zhang's highest profile production so far, as it stars actor Wang Xuebing in the leading role. The film was partly financed by iQiyi, the company behind one of China's most popular online video browsing sharing sites.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gbtimes.com/chinese-director-jia-zhangke-to-compete-at-cannes-2018|website=gbtimes.com|access-date=2019-11-12|title=Chinese director Jia Zhangke competing at Cannes 2018|archive-date=12 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112043410/https://gbtimes.com/chinese-director-jia-zhangke-to-compete-at-cannes-2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Diao Yinan]] is also a notable member of the sixth generation whose works include [[Black Coal, Thin Ice|''Black Coal Thin Ice'']], [[The Wild Goose Lake|''Wild Goose Lake'']], [[Night Train (2007 film)|''Night Train'']] and [[Uniform (film)|''Uniform'']] which have premiered at festivals such as Cannes and received acclaim abroad.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kenny|first=Glenn|date=2020-03-05|title='The Wild Goose Lake' Review: A Noir Thriller in Wuhan|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/movies/the-wild-goose-lake-review.html|access-date=2021-07-19|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>