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Part 1: a Brief History of the Chinese Film Industry 1896 –A Film by The Part 1: A brief History of the Chinese Film Industry 1896 –a film by the Lumiere Brothers, premiered in Paris in December 1895, was shown in Shanghai 1897 – American showman James Ricalton showed several Edison films in Shanghai and other large cities in China. This new media was introduced as “Western shadow plays” to link to the long- standing Chinese tradition of shadow plays. These early films were shown as acts as part of variety shows. 1905 – Ren Jingfeng, owner of Fengtai Photography, bought film equipment from a German store in Beijing and made a first attempt at film production. The film “Dingjun Mountain” featured episodes from a popular Beijing opera play. The screening of this play was very successful and Ren was encouraged to make more films based on Beijing opera. Subsequently, the base of Chinese film making became the port of Shanghai because of better access to foreign capital, imported materials and technical cooperation between the Chinese and foreigners. 1907 – Beijing had the first theatre devoted exclusively to showing films 1908 – Shanghai had its first film theatre 1909 – The Asia Film Company was established as a joint venture between American businessman, Benjamin Polaski, and Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengqui. Zhang and Zheng are honoured as the fathers of Chinese cinema 1913 – Zhang and Zheng made the first Chinese short feature film, which was a documentary of social customs. As female performers were not allowed to share the stage with males, all the characters were played by male performers in this narrative drama. 1913 – saw the first narrative film produced in Hong Kong WW1 cut off Shanghai’s supply of raw film from Germany, so film production stopped. 1916 – raw film came in from the USA and film production resumed 1918 – The Commercial Press formed a Motion Picture Department and made films under the 5 categories of: landscape, current events, educational,new drama and costume drama. By 1929 there were 233 film theatres in 7 Chinese cities. Before WW1 European films, especially from French companies such as Pathe and Gaumont dominated Post WW1 these were replaced by American films from Hollywood 1930s – was considered as the first golden period of Chinese cinema and saw the advent of the Leftist Cinematic Movement. The dispute between Nationalists and Communists was reflected in the films produced. These films had an emphasis on class struggle and external threats (notably from Japan) 1937 – After the Japanese invasion of China and occupation of Shanghai, film makers moved to Hong Kong, Chongquing and otherplaces 1941 – Princess Iron Fan was the first Chinese animated feature film to be released The end of WW2 meant film production could be resumed in Shanghai where the first Chinese colour films were subsequently made 1949 – Communist Revolution. The government saw cinema as an important mass production art form and a tool for propaganda. 1951 – As a result of the Communist Revolution, pre 1949 Chinese films were banned as well as productions from Hollywood and Hong Kong as the Communist Party wanted to tighten control and produce their own films. Attendance at film showings increased sharply. 1967 – 1972 – During the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese film industry was severely restricted and came to a virtual standstill. 1972 – Chinese film production revived underthe strict jurisdiction of The Gang of Four. 1986 – Gang of Four were overthrown 1980s – immediately after the Cultural Revolution the film industry flourished, depicting the emotional traumas left by the revolution. These films were known as “scar dramas”. However, during this period the Chinese film industry faced hard times because of competition and concern from the authorities that popular thriller and martial arts films were socially unacceptable. Mid – late 1980s – brought increased popularity of Chinese cinema abroad, especially among Western art house audiences. Several films won major international awards: Red Sorghum 1987 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02D6sfEtckA The Story of Qui Ju 1992 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vivaoPZhIH8 Farewell to my Concubine 1993 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKHwZr6X3Og 1989 – protests in Tiananmen Square partially ended this period of Chinese film making.State censorship policies produces an edgy underground film movement, but many of the films produced were frowned upon by state authorities. Post 1990 – Films were made outside the main Chinese film making industry and were played mainly to audiences on international film circuits. It is difficult to demarcate the boundary between Mainland Chinese and more internationally based Chinese language films which are co-produced with Chinese, Taiwanese, American and Hong Kong film companies. 2000 – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a Chinese film And 2002 – Hero, another Chinese film, both achieved international commercial success. Following these successes Chinese language films have increased and have moved into the international domain. Chinese cinema audiences have continued to grow and Chinese films have broken box office records (due in part to the quota system!) Jan 2014 – 6 of top ten highest grossing films in China are domestic productions with Lost in Thailand (2012) being the highest grossing Chinese film in the domestic market, being the first to reach 1 billion yuan. Today, owing to the influx of Hollywood films (despite the number being screened each year having been curtailed), the domestic market faces mounting challenges. Although the industry is growing, few domestic films have the box office impact of Hollywood blockbusters Censorship of the Film Industry in China China’s quota system restricts foreign film imports to 34 titles a year. This is since 2012. Prior to that the restriction was for just 20 titles a year. This import quota share is due to open up in 2017 – 2018, which will have an impact on Chinese film makers who will see the level of protection go down. Hollywood’s goal is not to open up the quota system, but to have no quota system operating. Robert Cain in “How to Be Censored in China – a Brief Filmmaking Guide, describes the “lack of transparency and seeming arbitrariness of the permitting and distribution approval process”. He explains that censorship is designed toprotect the status quo of authoritarian rule in China and the government decides what is “appropriate” irrespective of viewers’ age, as there is no rating system in China. There is a censorship committee of about 30 people from a broad array of backgrounds who are appointed by The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The aims of censorship are to promote Confucian morality, political stability and social harmony. Filmmakers submit films and after about 15 days should (but don’t always) have a response and have the opportunity to make changes to comply. However, no advice is given as to what you should do, you are just told what you can’t do. A summary of taboos: Sex and violence Obscenity Religion Superstition Gambling Drinking Drug abuse Criminal activity Also, any story not rooted in scientific fact eg. time travel or ghosts. Is likely to be axed. Likewise any hint of criticism of the Communist Party, its leadership or its legitimacy is prohibited. It would seem you have to have rather a bland story line to get past censorship and it is best not to have a Chinese villain and wise to show China in a good light somewhere in your film. Xie Fei, a professor at Beijing Film Academy and an award winning Chinese film director, says “it (censorship) has become a corrupt black spot for controlling the prosperity of the cultural and entertainment industry, killing artistic exploration and wasting administrative resources” He describes that many Western films, only let in after the quota, are subject to cuts. Instead of having no rating system, Xie would like China’s censors “to move from the current administrative review system to a rating system that allows for a self governed and self disciplined film industry bound by legal restrictions and administrative supervision.” Can China’s Film Industry ever Rival Hollywood? China’s film industry is the world’s third largest, both in terms of number of films produced and box office takings. However, with a few high profile exceptions, its films have not made an impact on the world stage and are struggling at home to compete with Hollywood productions. This concerns the Chinese, as they want to export their own view of the world and are becoming more assertive in this, having seen the “soft power” prowess of American films and TV shows. China recognises that film can be a powerful tool to introduce the Chinese people and culture to the outside world. Therefore, many Chinese filmmakers are adopting a Hollywood style production in place of their traditional propaganda films and historical epics.There are a number of art house dramas and documentaries made without state backing, but these are banned in China. Despite Chinese films becoming more sophisticated, they face many challenges. There is a lack of appetite for local language films among younger audiences, they face poor marketing of their films and a shortage of bankable Chinese actors, with younger Chinese stars not travelling internationally. Also, Chinese films are held back by censorship which rules out more modern subjects like sex or homosexuality. The Chinese film industry is not producing enough variety of films to fend off the Hollywood invasion, and added to this there is a lack of commercial directors as well as movie stars. Without China’s quota system, the industry would be taken over by Hollywood films. A Few More Facts! Hendian World Studios in China is the largest film studio in the world. In 2012, China became the second largest market in the world by box office receipts. In 2013, the gross box office in China was 21.8 billion yuan, with domestic films claiming a 59% share of this.
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