Rules of the forbidden game: Violence in contemporary Chinese cinema

Abstract

This article examines the new trend in the filmic representation of violence in contemporary Chinese cinema by analysing more recent key works made by the renowned Fifth Generation film-makers in the new millennium in terms of their production economy and aesthetics, the specific generic conventions, narrative structures and strategies employed and the promotional and critical discourses of the distributors, exhibitors and critics. The article argues that the form and function of these films can best be explored by focusing on the rules by which this new type of filmic discourse on violence is produced and regulated within the context of the emerging global cultural economy in relation to international politics.