Starting from reviews about previous literature (Burch), the author pointed out that the earliest period of Chinese cinema has been recognized as “chaotic” and thus academically valueless by most relevant studies. However, through evaluating the main themes and filming techniques of films around that period, early Chinese films show great complexity (Bhabha) – filming techniques borrowed from the west and spirit from locals. It is a hybrid, a result of historical necessity (colonialism), but also a practical approach to reproduce the essence of traditions (theatrical adaptations), indicating the existing social problems such as regulating marriage (Labourer’s Love), propagating political opinions,

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First we discussed the “hibridity” in the early chinese cinema. Based on the second reading, people in China used to watch shadowplay in a teahouse, since it is the perfect place for many people to gather around . When the western culture came in, this is where they implement “hibridity”. From there, they started to play movies in their teahouse, in which it depicts a modernity in the history of chinese cinema. We also discussed what differs montage and long shot in a film scene. As long shot can create a more realistic views on the scene by providing center

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Early cinema as a foreign medium not only allowed local audiences to appreciate foreign cultures but also allowed people to experience new forms of art. For this reason, Hollywood films are very popular in China, especially among writers or students. However, I believe that Chinese films cannot just imitate the acting style and camera features of Hollywood films, they need to choose a suitable shooting method and content about the local culture to dominate more in the local market. This act allows for a deeper connection between the film and the cultural context of the local city and facilitates the

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The Urban Milieu of Shanghai Cinema described the development of Chinese cinema in Shanghai. As the film being imported from foreign, an interaction was created between the film and print culture. At the same time as Hollywood films imported from foreign countries created large impacts on Chinese audiences, viewing habits of Chinese audience, shaped by print cultures had also exerted an impact on filmmakers. Referring to the reading Teahouse, the first projection of film was located in the teahouse, where the teahouse has represented an early version of foreign cinema. However, comparing to the architecture design of teahouse, cinema provides

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As I read, I learned about the obstacles Chinese film has overcome to reach its current status. In the beginning, 90% of films were imported. As films thrive in teahouses, by twisting with shadow play，referring to and influenced by fiction, it becomes a media for entertainment, escape from reality, immersing in the exotic world of fantasy while enriching reading habits. Going through resembling foreign films, learning from failures, reflecting the masses’ problems; being helped by literati, aware of enlarging the market and making audiences interested in, the industry grows swiftly. What surprises me is that the film gives women the

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Leo Ou-Fan Lee’s article depicts the development period of Shanghai Cinema, its unique characteristics and its corresponding influence on the general public.  The growth of Shanghai Cinema was inevitably intertwined with the Hollywood films. The penetrative influence by Hollywood movie stars was shown on movie magazines: Marlene Dietrich in Morocco, Claudette Colbert in It All Happened One Night and Katherine Hepburn in Morning Glory, were all classical representations. Regarding film production of Shanghai Cinema, mimicry on shot angle and ensemble management of Hollywood could be evidently seen.  The uniqueness of Shanghai Cinema was traceable to spectatorship, traditional literary narrative mode

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