The author discovered how the development of modern Chinese cinema was closely related to the urban setting and the influence of Hollywood films on local filmmakers and directors. Some interesting ideas that I found include the close relationship between movies and movie magazines, which echoed traditional Chinese aesthetics and aimed at facilitating the shaping of the central concept of the film as well as the characteristics of the film characters. The article also inspired my thinking about how cinema has served as an everyday urban space. Throughout history, Chinese cinema has undergone numerous innovations, ranging from open and noisy teahouses

Continue reading[READING RESPONSE] Leo Ou-Fan Lee

Lee depicted the urban milieu of Shanghai in the 1930s. I am particularly interested in the relationship between the film text and the urban culture, and how film-viewing habits have affected their lifestyle. Lee mentioned the unique aesthetic of the feminine in Chinese film, which is different from“rampant body fetishism” in the photos of Hollywood stars. The film shapes the self-identification of modern China women, they learn how to act, how to dress and how to think like new-era women through film. In Chinese films, the female has a much more important role compared to Hollywood. Instead of serving as

Continue readingLee, Leo Ou-fan