The development of Chinese film industry has been greatly influenced by the modernization of the urban city as well as the introduction of Hollywood movies.
As theatres replacing the traditional amusement halls, the urban citizens started to accept this new entertainment which is widely spread within the city. Initially it was only Hollywood films being projected most of the time, because of the advanced technology and sufficient capital invested, and Chinese native filmmakers were catching up by imitating and learning from the Hollywood techniques and culture notions. As a result, Chinese movies started to present a ‘hybridity’ combining these ‘western learnings’ with traditional Chinese culture that generally was the native print culture (literature and drama) that nurtures the mass audience.
It is pleasant that Chinese people tried to make films that depict the traditional native culture in stead of totally and directly copying western modes, despite of the tough environment of the film industry. With the technological development in recent ages, Chinese filmmakers proved that our film can be just as good as Hollywoods with “the rise of Gong Li as the vedette of this new oriental cinematic reverie have ushered Chinese cinema into spotlight of the international film scene.”(Zhang Zhen)
Sun Manling
3036099502
It is enjoyable to read your insightful analysis of the development of the Chinese cinematic industry at the early age. Focusing on the evolution from traditional native theatre to modernized film makes your writing in-depth. I would suggest you reflect more on several questions: 1) In the evolution from traditional performance to a digital medium, what has stayed and what has gone? 2) To what extent does the native drama genre influence the development of digital film? 3) What are the differences and similarities between film and native performance genres in terms of set design?