A few things that i found very interesting from Lee’s writing were the inspirations and influences of early Chinese films. He stated that “the development of modern Chinese cinema was closely connected with this urban setting in which cinema figured prominently as a new commodity and a new item in the modern lifestyle of leisure and entertainment” (74). Indeed, the development of cities paralleled the introduction of cinemas, giving directors new ideas for telling stories and cinematographers new angles to depict those stories in. With this rapid stride towards modernity, the Chinese public set their gaze westward, with many attempting to emulate western lifestyle which was perceived as “superior”. But despite this general sentiment, the tastes of Chinese audiences and directors were heavily shaped by traditional media such as print (84) and theater (94). In particular, Chinese and western films differed greatly when it came to being diegetic: western films aimed to make the camera “invisible”, as to bring the audience into the scene (89), while Chinese films made it more clear that audiences were “viewing” a film much like they would a play.
Nice summary on the early development of Chinese cinema and how it is shaped by media and soft influences. I especially enjoyed your original thought of the difference between Chinese and Western cinema. An example (from the reading or from your own thoughts) would help illustrate your point more concretely.