A Study on the Recent Chinese Commercial Blockbuster Movies and Their Ideological Characteristics

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to examine the recent development of commercial blockbuster movies in China and explain the penetration of state ideologies into these movies. The narratives of Chinese commercial blockbuster movies, such as “The Flowers of War” by Director Zhang Yimo and “Aftershock” by Director Feng Xiaogang, tend to reflect state ideologies of social integration, nationalism, and patriotism. On one hand, the penetration of state ideologies into commercial blockbuster movies stems from the structural conditions of Chinese film industry within which film-makers could not but conform to the state’s ideological hegemony in order to make their projects successful in the market. On the other, it is a strategic economic decision on the part of film-makers who want to take advantage of the recent upsurge in nationalistic and patriotic sentiments among Chinese people. This phenomenon, therefore, can be viewed as a result of rational decision-making based on the reciprocal relationship between the state and the industry.