This book explores how Chinese films constructed an image of China in the 1980s through analyzing the characters, composition of space, and conflict patterns of the films. It also examines the relationship between the representations in Chinese cinema and the realities of Chinese society.
The study analyzes the imagery, metaphors, and cultural values of Chinese films in the 1980s to discover the common creative focus of Chinese film directors at the time. It also examines the specific creative elements and cultural significance of Chinese cinema in the 1980s. This book is neither a “period history” of Chinese cinema in the 1980s, nor a thematic study of the “fifth generation.” Rather, it is an analysis of films as narrative texts that reflected on history. It uses the perspectives revealed by characters, narrative patterns, and conflicts in films of the 1980s to examine how the era was perceived at that time, as well as how China’s national future and individuals’ personal futures were being conceptualized.
This title will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of Chinese Studies, Contemporary China Studies, Film Studies, and those who are interested in Chinese culture and society in general.
Wang Haizhou (author) is a professor of film studies at Beijing Film Academy and specializes in Chinese film studies and the general history, dynastic history, and regional history of Chinese films. He has recently focused on research on Chinese film, Chinese culture and tradition, as well as artistic tradition.
Jin Haina (translator) is a professor of translation, film, and communication studies at the Communication University of China and an adjunct researcher at the Advanced Innovation Center for Future Visual Entertainment at Beijing Film Academy. Her research interests include film translation, translation history, and film history.