Chinese Cinema Research Articles

An Analysis of Aesthetic Need Factors in Chinese Film and Television culture Art : Focus on Art students at Chinese universities

An Analysis of Aesthetic Need Factors in Chinese Film and Television culture Art : Focus on Art students at Chinese universities

禅宗思想与中国电影创新发展的四个维度

禅宗思想与中国电影创新发展的四个维度

Research on the Development of Chinese Film Creation in 2012

Research on the Development of Chinese Film Creation in 2012

Blindness Challenging Melodrama in Your Eyes Tell (2020) and Blind Massage (2014)

While blindness has been a recurring motif in melodramatic fiction films, this article argues that some contemporary East Asian films about blindness provide a template for challenging ableism and melodramatic conventions via textual analysis. Based on the work of Peter Brooks, Linda Williams, and other significant studies on melodrama and blindness, I first introduce three main characteristics of and gaps in melodrama (virtue, dichotomy, and the moral occult) while examining the connections between blindness and melodrama in East Asian film history. Then I explore how filmic representation in East Asian can question melodramatic conventions and disrupt the dichotomy between disability and non-disability by using the Japanese film Your Eyes Tell (2020) and the Chinese film Blind Massage (2014) as case studies. Your Eyes Tell begins to problematize the melodramatic dichotomy and ableism by attaching great importance to multiple senses, whereas Blind Massage emphasizes the diversity of blindness and challenges melodramatic patterns by representing the body, emotions, affect and sound in very specific ways.

Gender Stereotypes and Composition in the Chinese Film Industry: A Study of the Top 15 Grossing Films

ABSTRACT This study employed qualitative textual analysis to explore gender representation in the 15 highest-grossing films in China. Applying the doing gender framework, the study revealed that there are limited efforts toward gender equality, pervasive stereotypes, and patriarchal and heteronormative ideologies across different genres. Women are portrayed through family-oriented lenses, and an Iron Lady image has emerged, perpetuating shallow perceptions of femininity and maintaining male power. Furthermore, female actors composed only one-fifth of all actors, and there were no female cinematographers or editors. This study underscores the pressing need for the Chinese film industry to promote gender equality.

Chiny w Hollywood. Wpływ wzrostu chińskiego rynku kinowego na treść współczesnych filmów hollywoodzkich

In this article I analyse the ways in which contemporary American movies are altered due to the growing influence of the emerging entertainment media market in China. For the first time in history, 2020 saw Chinese box office overtake its American counterpart in terms of yearly income. This milestone illustrates how significant the Chinese market has become. The At the same time, being an authoritarian regime, the PRC has a robust, refined and strict system of censorship at its disposal. In order for a foreign film to be admitted into the Chinese cinemas, it has to pass domestic censorship. In some decades, particularly in the 1970s, American movies were able to promote values which were not adhering to the mainstream, or were even a platform for criticism of the domestic establishment. Currently, the US film industry is predominantly driven by capitalist logic — box office appears to be the main factor dictating the content (and outlook) of fiction films. This model is exploited by China through imposition of numerous restrictions and regulations. In my analysis I show how “forbidden” topics, plots or even small details become altered in order to satisfy the regulations introduced by the Chinese government.

Multiphase and Multistakeholder English Translation Processes Behind Subtitling Chinese Auteur Films

The professional translation processes involved in subtitling Chinese auteur films are under-reported in audiovisual translation literature. The present study investigates the translation processes employed for Chinese films destined for an international audience with a focus on fifth- and sixth-generation directors’ films. These film auteurs depict China’s diverse cultural elements and contemporary social reality, for which English subtitles provide an essential bridge to connect to an international audience. Interview data collected from ten established Chinese-to-English translators/subtitlers, whose names are credited in the selected films, identify two remarkable features of subtitling these contemporary Chinese auteur films: Multiple phases of the translation processes employed across the filmmaking lifespan and multiple stakeholders involved in the wider translation processes beyond translators/subtitlers. Actor-Network Theory is used to elicit interwoven relationships among the various human and non-human actors connected to translating/subtitling activities across different stages of filmmaking. These findings confirm that translating/subtitling is not an isolated post-production task but rather permeates all filmmaking phases. This can be a key factor in contributing to overall quality, which is critical in disseminating subtitled films by some of China’s most celebrated auteurs. Lay summary The international film market has increasingly featured Chinese films, especially the works by established Chinese directors, such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Jia Zhangke and Jia Zhangke. Their films reflect China’s cultural conventions and contemporary social reality. English subtitling is the most popular mode of translation to distribute Chinese films among the English-speaking audience. However, little is known about the agents involved in translating the Chinese high-profile films and the translation processes. To fill this knowledge gap, we interviewed ten translators or subtitlers contributing to the translation of the four aforementioned directors. The collected interview data inform us that many other stakeholders (e.g. directors, producers, screenwriters, distributors and subtitle editors) play a role in the shaping of the final English subtitles shown on the screen, and translation of Chinese films takes place throughout the whole filmmaking process (i.e. film development, pre-production, post-production, distribution and exhibition). A sociological framework is adopted to demonstrate the interwoven relationships among the various human (i.e. translators/subtitlers and other stakeholders) and non-human actors (i.e. accompanying materials and translation products) connected to translating/subtitling activities across different stages of filmmaking. It is argued that such a multiphase and multistakeholder process helps to improve the overall quality of Chinese film subtitling.

Feminism Up on Stage A Discussion on the Deformation of Female Images in Chinese Film and TV Works

Taking Chinese film and TV works as the research subject, this paper attempts to analyze the development of feminism and the deformation of the female image shaped by film and TV works, summarize and reflect on the motives as well as the results of these works. We deploy a case-study methodology to scrutinize the evolution of feminism and the prevailing trend of distorted female portrayals in film and TV. It identifies three primary modes of distortion in the depiction of women in three mediums. This paper also aims to advocate that film and TV works should reasonably shape female image, veritably reflect the voice of females and convey feminism, and positively promote the development of feminism in China. At the same time, we advocate that filmmakers ought to fathom the true essence of feminism, genuinely reflecting the authentic voices and demands of women. We also hope that this paper will have a deeper significance for the subsequent research.

Genre and Translation Style in Chinese Translation of Hollywood Blockbuster Movie Titles in Mainland China and Hong Kong

The title of a movie is the first to attract the audience's attention. Poorly translated movie titles may result in a “low box office”, as translators in different countries have their styles and preferences in translating film titles, which might eventually result in different translations of the same movie title and cause confusion to the audience. This qualitative research used exploratory induction to investigate the influence of genre and translation style on the Chinese translation of Hollywood blockbuster movie titles in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Titles of 300 Chinese movies produced between 2001 and 2020 were purposefully selected from the top 50 Hollywood movies in the adventure, horror, and action genres. Genre was found to be slightly effective in the choice of translation style and strategies. Among the three genres, horror was found to have the greatest influence on the choice of translation strategy. It was concluded that translators from Mainland China were more conservative in title translation compared to translators from Hong Kong, whose attempt was to create innovative translations. The findings may have some theoretical and practical implications for film translators, book translators, advertising translators, translation trainers, and trainees.

Objectification, Bodily Revenge, and National Identity: Refashioning ‘Comfort Women’ in Chinese Cinema

ABSTRACT Considering comfort women as both a contested object of knowledge and a productive figure, this article examines the representational endeavours undertaken by Chinese filmmakers in the past three decades. Specifically, it analyses three fictional films – How Many Levels are Hells (1992), Zhenzhen (2002), and City of Life and Death (2009) – which were produced in disparate socio-political and historical circumstances. Central to this article is a careful examination of women’s violated bodies on screen that have aroused nationalistic sentiments and concomitantly unsettled the very nationalism produced under the rubric of an ingrained masculinist public culture. The article highlights how these cinematic representations address the thorny problems of commodification and objectification of women’s sexuality, the crisis of survival faced by former comfort women, and the universal suffering of comfort women regardless of their nationalities. In a broader sense, by interrogating the comfort women issue as a purveyor of knowledge, the article contributes to the film studies of female sexuality and the memorialisation of World War II in contemporary China.

Analysis of the Phenomenon of Star Tax Evasion and Countermeasures for Governance

Against the backdrop of steady economic development in China, the quality of life of the people is constantly improving, and their spiritual needs are gradually increasing. The film and television industry has ushered in unprecedented development opportunities and produced superstars, forming a fan economy. Therefore, industry practitioners, especially film and television stars, have a relatively high-income level. However, due to the development of the film and television industry, there has been a mismatch in the personal income tax collection and management system, resulting in a significant loss of tax revenue. The frequent occurrence of high-income celebrities evading huge taxes indicates that there are certain loopholes in the personal income tax collection and management of high-income groups in China's film and television industry. This article is based on the problems discovered in the Zheng Shuang tax evasion case, delving into the issue of personal income tax collection and management, and proposing beneficial solutions. In response to the current issue of personal income tax collection and management in China's film and television industry, the following suggestions are proposed: optimizing the tax system, strengthening tax collection and management, and improving the tax related environment. Through the research in this article, we hope to provide some ideas for the tax authorities to strengthen the personal income tax collection and management of the film and television industry, and reduce the loss of personal income tax.

Aesthetics of Chinese Neorealism Film -- A Case Study of Xiaoshuais The Days

This study examines the field of Chinese neorealism through the lens of acclaimed director Wang Xiaoshuai. Through an in-depth examination of Wang Xiaoshuais filmography, the significant influence of neorealism on the development of Chinese cinema will be teased out. The article concentrates on Wang Xiaoshuais works The Days and seeks to elucidate the distinctive style traits and artistic techniques he used to create his works. Also, the study examines how Wang Xiaoshuai depicts reality and investigates in depth the complex relationship between individuals and society depicted in his films. Through the analysis of themes and visual styles in Wang Xiaoshuais neorealist works, this study intends to disclose the characteristics of sixth-generation filmmakers who reinterpret the realist tradition. This helps us better comprehend the artistic portrayal of individual lives by Chinese filmmakers during the period of accelerated social change in the Chinese film industry during the late 1990s.

The Dilemma of Shaping Female Roles in Chinese Films: A Case Study of the Film Lost in the Stars

The female roles in Chinese films face the dilemma of stereotyping in a patriarchal society. As a way of cultural dissemination, the image expression of female roles will become an important form of expressing female voices. Therefore, breaking through the dilemma of female role shaping is particularly important. Through text analysis, this study analyzes the three female roles in the film Lost in the Stars and explores the reasons for the difficulties in shaping female roles from the directors, audiences and industries. The portrayal of female roles by directors with patriarchal ideology makes them become the individual who is stared at. The excessive expectation of female roles by female audiences has led female roles to move from one extreme to another. The inherent entertainment nature of movies renders female characters a significant subject of discourse. The scarcity of female participants within the film sector results in diminishing womens expression and their relegation to silence. The convergence of these intricate elements culminates in the quandary of molding female roles within Chinese cinema.

Cultural Translation in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a groundbreaking film in Chinese cinema history, etched its name in the annals of cinema by becoming the first foreign-language film from China to clinch an Oscar. This monumental achievement not only marked a historic milestone but also laid a robust foundation for subsequent Chinese cinematic endeavors to carve their niche in the global film and television landscape. Director Ang Lee, renowned for his versatile filmmaking prowess, embarked on the audacious mission of seamlessly blending Chinese cultural nuances with Western ideologies within the canvas of this cinematic masterpiece. This essay embarks on a compelling exploration of cultural translation, wherein the writer delve into how Ang Lee masterfully transmits the profound essence of traditional Oriental martial arts cinema to Western audiences. Through an in-depth analysis of a specific case study, the writer dissect Ang Lees ingenious methods for constructing a shared cultural context that bridges the chasm between these two distinct worlds. By shining a spotlight on Ang Lees extraordinary accomplishment in transcending cultural boundaries through the medium of film, the writer unravel the intricate layers of this cinematic triumph, expanding the understanding of its significance in the realm of global cinema.

Performance Style under the Traditional Realist Director Concept of Chinese Films in the 1980s

Since the new era, Chinese films have been hovering between art and politics. While they are striving to find the subject status of film art, they are difficult to completely separate from politics. From 1979 to 1980, characters such as intellectuals, workers, and farmers in Chinese films lived as ordinary people in specific situations in the film, and they demonstrated the political character endowed by the times. An important feature of Chinese film performance culture under the concept of traditional realist directors is that the creation of intellectual characters has become mainstream, such as Fu Bin’s identity as an ordinary reporter in The Trill of Life (1979),Qiu Shi’s identity as an intellectual in the movie Evening Rain (1980), and group portraits of intellectuals in Legend of Tianyun Mountain (1980). Another important feature of Chinese film performance culture under the concept of traditional realist directors is the comedic expression of workers’ identity politics, such as the portraits of workers in the movies What a Family (1979) and Twins Come in Pairs (1979). Chinese film performances under the concept of traditional realist directors have also created a number of peasant images with political characters, such as the peasant group in The Plough (1979) and Jiang Maofu in Laughter in the Moon Village (1981).

The growth of Soviet music in the scope of Chinese cinema in the early period of the establishment of New China: an example of the interlude “Oh, the snowball tree is in blossom” in the film and television works of Ivan Perilyev

In the early days of the founding of New China, there was an international situation with close political contact between China and the Soviet Union. I still remember the title of “Big Brother of the Soviet Union”, which shows the political and cultural exchange and blending between these two countries. In the film industry culture, Soviet films and their unique musical melodies and content materials have inspired the development of Chinese films. The musical elements in the films can make the film works more valuable, and it is easier for them to have emotional impacts and fluctuations to invoke empathy and association. This article will analyze and discuss the films in the early days of the founding of New China through the development and influence of Soviet music in China at that time and through the detailed analysis of the specific work “Happy Life” by Ivan Pyryev to search for and summarize the clues of the rooted development of Soviet music in the Chinese film industry and its role and significance in future film and television development.

The Fragility of Authorship for Film Directors in Contemporary China

Despite its progressive liberalisation and development, the Chinese film industry is still subject to strict control from the China Film Administration (CFA). Laws and regulations evolved since the 1990s, but they leave large space to interpretation, opening the door to a long process of negotiation that can alter the vision of the directors. In the early 1990s, the Sixth Generation of directors changed the canons of Chinese art-house cinema, adopting a gritty neo-realist style, investigating the darker sides of Chinese society, and working outside the official studio system. Despite recognition in the international festival circuit, which deprived them of national distribution, they decided to return to the fold. The negotiation process with the CFA makes their authorship fragile, and the necessity to continue to be present in the festival circuit risk to put them in a double occupancy position. This article will analyse what are the factors that fragilise the authorship of contemporary Chinese art-house directors and what are the countermeasures adopted by some of them to preserve their authorship.

Analysis of the Use of the Yellow River in Chinese Movie

As a symbol of Chinese culture and history, the Yellow River plays an important role in movies. The Yellow River is not only a geographical landmark, but also has rich symbolic meanings and is often used to convey profound emotions, ideas and themes. In the movie, the audience can find that the different states of the Yellow River, the flow of the water, the presentation of the scenery as well as the audio-visual elements all contain multi-level symbolic meanings, and these symbols not only enhance the artistry of the movie, but also allow the audience to have a deeper experience in terms of emotion and thought. While exploring these symbols in depth, the rich connotation of Chinese culture can also be better understood.

A Multimodal Discourse Analysis on Subtitle Translation of the Knockout: A Chinese Political-Themed TV Drama

In recent days, more and more Chinese films and TV series including political-themed TV series are aired internationally and have received extensive attention with the improvement of the quality of Chinese audiovisual works. Such political-themed TV works are produced to reflect social realities and include the bulk of political terminology such as official titles and institution names as well as concepts related to newly-mentioned political terms and slogans, which may be quite unfamiliar to foreign audience. Therefore, audiovisual translation and subtitling play an important role in avoiding misunderstanding. Although a striking number of studies on subtitle translation have been made, these analyses appear to emphasize more on the verbal mode instead of different multimodal contexts. Guided by the theory of multimodal discourse analysis, this paper is aimed to analyze the characteristics of the subtitle translation of China’s politicalthemed TV series in terms of content, conversation and social semiotic levels by building a micro-corpus based on the research materials of the knockout. This paper will discuss not only the translation of interlingual subtitles for dialogues or monologues, but also that of other captions shown on the screen such as voiceover and images of shop signboards, in order to point out the shortcomings and provide reference for further relevant studies.

Festival Marketing: Film Promotion Shaped by Traditional Chinese Culture Taking the Spring Festival Comedy Film as an Example

In recent years, with the continuous growth of the Chinese film market and the improvement of the cultural level and consumption willingness of Chinese residents, the holiday film market has gradually developed in China. The Chinese holiday film market has sprouted since the Spring Festival, and then developed into Spring Festival movies, National Day movies, summer movies, etc. Under different schedules, it is the background of holiday culture that highlights this film market phenomenon. How to combine the cultural background of film festivals with the film industry is an important challenge that the Chinese film market needs to face. This article adopts the method of case analysis, and through the comedic elements of Spring Festival films, it can be concluded that films should adhere to content innovation, integrate patriotism, cater to the aesthetic needs of the public, achieve a balance between business and art, in order to reflect and summarize, and promote the better development of the Chinese film market.