1

World Cinema (ASIAN)

2

ASIAN CINEMA

3

Asian Cinema(Eastern Cinema)

Covering,

– East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan),

– Southeast Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia,

Philippines, Indonesia),

– Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan 

and Uzbekistan)

– West Asia (Iran, Arab, Turkish).

– South Asia (India)

East Asian Cinema*

*East Asian Cinema

*East Asian cinema produced in East Asia (China, Hong

Kong and Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

*It is part of Asian cinema.

*Other countries include Mongolia, 

Vietnam, Singapore, North Korea and Macau.

*The largest markets in East Asia are China, Japan and

South Korea.

CHINESE CINEMA

Chinese

Cinematic History

BeginningsCinema was introduced in China on  August 11, 1896.

The Battle of Dingjunshan

The first Chinese film, was made in 1905

Directed by Ren Jingfeng.

Made by Beijing's Fengtai Photography.

based on an episode in Luo Guanzhong's

historical novel Romance of the Three

Kingdoms.

translated as Conquering the Jun Mountain.

a recording of a Beijing opera performance of

the Battle of Mount Dingjun and constitutes the

first Chinese film ever made.

The only print was destroyed in a fire in the late

1940s.

Actor Tan Xinpei in The Battle of

Dingjunshan, 1905

A Couple in Difficulty The country’s first feature film was “Nanfu, Nanqi” (A Couple in

Difficulty), with funding and distribution by the Asia Film Company,

and actual filming done by the Xinmin (New People) Company.

The script was written by Zheng Zhengqiu, and co-directed by him

and Zhang Shichuan.

The actors were all from the theatre, and in keeping with the

prevailing theatrical custom of the day that men and women not

appear together on stage, all the actors were men.

This film is now lost.

1930s, considered the first “Golden period" of Chinese cinema.

ZHUANG ZI TESTS HIS WIFE (1913)

In 1913, Yan shanshan founded the Hong Kong

Meihua Film Company with Li Minwei, the "Father of

Hong Kong Cinema“ and the director of Zhuang Zi

Tests His Wife.

They were married on January 7, 1914. That same year, they fi lmed the

movie, Zhuang Zi Tests his Wife.

Li played the role of Zhuang's wife and Yan Shanshan, who played the

role of the servant gir l , became the fi rst Chinese movie actress.

I t was signifi cant because the tradition of feudalism was strong in China.

So Yan’s role was a breakthrough for Chinese movies and Chinese

females.

After that, Yan starred in The God of Peace(1926), Five Revengeful

Gir ls(1928), and Reviving Romance(1928), which were al l produced by

Shanghai Minxin Fi lm Company.

She stopped acting in 1928 and she passed away in 1952 at the age of

56.

ABOUT

Zhuang Zi Tests His Wife was adapted from a scene in a Cantonese

opera, Zhuang Zi 's Dream of a Butterfl y.

The story goes, soon after Zhuang Zi dies, his wife fi nds a new lover.

He is testing his wife to see if she is loyal to him.

The role of Zhuang Zi was played by Li Beihai and Li Minwei played the

role Zhuang Zi 's wife.

Special eff ects were employed in Zhuang Zi Tests His Wife to make

Zhuang Zi 's ghost appear. It was also the fi rst t ime that special eff ects

were used.

Zhuang Zi Tests His Wife was important for two reasons. One, it was the

fi rst movie that was shown abroad, and two, it was the fi rst t ime a

female actress appeared in a Chinese movie.

PLOT

This is the first full-length film made in China Directed by Reng Pengnian and starring Shao Peng, A nameless,

real-life prostitute. This film is a documentary-type drama

depicting the sensational real-life murder

of a prominent Shanghai call girl by a

Shanghai businessman and his two

accomplices. The director made the film for a very small amount of money,

using amateur actors and a former call-girl. The film played in a theatre in Shanghai that was generally used

for first-run international movies.

Yan Ruisheng - 1921

Laborer's Love

Laborer's Love is a 1922 short film (Silent) produced in China, and premiered October 5, 1922 at the Olympic Theater in Shanghai.

It is also known as Romance of a Fruit Peddler and as "Cheng the Fruit Seller".

Productions by Mingxing Film Company, directed and written by Mingxing co-founders Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengqiu, respectively.

Plot

An unemployed carpenter finds temporary work selling

fruit from a pushcart.

He meets and falls for a doctor's daughter, but her

father opposes the relationship due to the young man's

humble station, but he will approve a suitor who helps

to rescue his failing medical practice.

The carpenter restructures the staircase to a gambling

club outside the doctor's office so that it collapses

whenever anyone walks on it.

The resulting number of injured seeking treatment so

increases the doctor's income that he gladly accepts

the carpenter as his son-in-law.

It is full-length feature Silent film in 1923 with the production of "An Orphan Rescues His Grandfather" 

Director : Zhang Shichuan Screenplay : Zheng Zheng This is a story of an orphan who rescues his

grandfather from his own folly.

An Orphan Rescues his Grandfather

The plot begins with a middle-aged man, Yang

Shouchang, who is happily married and has a son who is

married.

But tragedy strikes and his son has an accidental death.

His son’s wife is pregnant, but an evil nephew convinces

Yang that the woman’s child is someone else’s.

Yang then banishes her from the house and allows his

nephew to be the executor of his will.

Eventually, the banished wife bears a son and he grows to

be an intelligent boy.

PLOT

Meanwhile, the aging Yang sees his fortune being wasted

by his nephew, but builds a school for underprivileged

children with some of the remaining money.

After the school is built, his grandson, unbeknownst to him,

attends the school and impresses him with his intelligence.

Meanwhile, the nephew plots to kill Yang and take the rest

of the family money.

But the plot is discovered by the young boy who tells Yang.

Yang then kills his nephew in a confrontation.

Before dying, the nephew tells Yang the truth and Yang

reunites with his daughter-in-law and grandson.

Legend of the White Snake

Bai She Zhuan (1926)  (Legend of the White Snake)alternate title:  Yi Chuan Bai She Zhuan (1926) (Legend of the Demon White Snake)

 Silent.  Direction:  Shao Zuiweng.  Screenplay:  Shao Shanke.  Cinematography:  Xu Shaoyu.  Cast:  Hu Die, Wu Suxin, Jin Yuru, Wei Pengfei, Wang Wukong.

The legend of the White Snake and the Green Snake emerged from oral traditions, then in print, and in the modern era has been related numerous times through operas, stage plays, films and TV. 

Of the several motion picture versions the most widely known and popular has probably been the 1993 Hong Kong production Green Snake.

Directed by Tsui Hark and co-starring Maggie Cheung and Joey Wong. 

PLOT

In this 1926 release, the first motion picture treatment

of the legend.  What is known is that Hu Die played the

White Snake, who transforms herself into a woman and

falls in love with a human. 

Early martial arts star Wu Suxin was the Green Snake,

the White Snake's friend and protector, who

unfortunately also has a knack for creating chaos.

SING-SONG GIRL RED PEONY

•  China’s First “talkie” movie,• Using the sound-on-disc technology, was made in 1931.• Directed by Zhang Shichuan, screenwriter by Hong Shen.

OTHER SILENT FILMS

• Cheng Bugao's Spring Silkworms (1933), 

• Wu Yonggang’s The Goddess (1934).

• Cai Chusheng’s Song of the Fishermen (1934)

• Cai Chusheng’s New Women (1935) translated

as New Woman.  

• Sun Yu's The Big Road (1935).

CROSSROADS (1937 FILM)

Crossroads is a 1937 Chinese seriocomedy film

directed by Shen Xiling, starring Bai Yang and Zhao Dan

PLOT The film is set in Shanghai in 1937. Four young men, freshly graduated

are unemployed.

Xu even thinks of suicide but his roommate, Zhao (played by Zhao Dan,

famous actor), convinces him to go back to his family instead.

Liu decides to join the Communists and fight the Japanese in the North.

Only Zhao and Tang, both dreamers (one wants to be a writer, the other

one a sculptor), prefer to stay in Shanghai, and both manage to find a

job.

Meanwhile a new tenant, a young woman, Yang, who got a job at the

factory, arrives next to Zhao's place, they cross each other often at the

trolley station but they don't know they are neighbours....

The 2nd Golden Age, late 1940s

• The film industry continued to develop after 1945.

• Classics Film such as 

• Spring River Flows Eastward (1947) by Cai Chusheng and

Zheng Junli, 

• Crow and Sparrow (1949) by Chen Baichen and Zheng Junli

• Light of Million Hopes(1948) by Shen Fu.

• These films had high artistic value in screenplay writing,

directing, performance, cinematography, music, art design and

other aspects. Filmmaking developed more quickly in the

1940s than it had in the 1930s.

The Communist Era takeover in 1949

• the government saw motion pictures as an

important mass production art form and

propaganda.

• The number of movie-viewers increased sharply,

from 47 million in 1949 to 4.15 billion in 1959.

• In 1956, the Beijing Film Academy was opened.

• The first wide-screen Chinese film was produced

in 1960.

Bruce Lee & Kongfu Movie• American-born Chinese martial artist, instructor,

actor and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts system.

• one of the most influential and famous martial artists of all time.

• widely known as the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular culture

• Bruce Lee (November 27,

1940 – July 20, 1973) was a 

• Hong Kong American 

martial artist, 

• Hong Kong action film actor, 

• martial arts

 instructor,filmmaker, and

• the founder of Jeet Kune Do.

Bruce Lee (Lee Jun-fan)

Bruce Lee as a Baby Jeet Kune Do

emblem

Bruce Lee Main Filmography

• 1971The Big Boss• 1972Fist of Fury• 1972Way of the Dragon• 1973Enter the Dragon• 1979Game of Death

Jackie Chan - 成龙 Chéng Lóng

Chinese martial artist, actor, director, producer, stuntman and singer.

one of the most well-known names in Kung fu and action movies worldwide, known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and use of props including furniture and other set pieces as improvised weapons.

very popular and successful singer

2006Rob-B-Hood ( 寶貝計劃 )

2005The Myth ( 神話 )

2004New Police Story ( 新警察故事 )

Twins Effect II ( 千機變 II - 花都大戰 )

Around the World in 80 Days

2003The Medallion

The Twins Effect ( 千機變 )

Shanghai Knights

2002The Tuxedo

2001Rush Hour 2

The Accidental Spy ( 特務迷城 )

2000Jackie Chan Adventures

Shanghai Noon

1999 King of Comedy ( 喜劇之王 )

Gorgeous ( 玻璃樽 )

Who Am I? ( 我是誰 )

1998 Rush Hour

1997 Mr. Nice Guy ( 一個好人 )

1996 Police Story 4: First Strike ( 警察故 事 IV 之簡單任務 )

Rumble in the Bronx

1995 Thunderbolt ( 霹靂火 )

1994 Drunken Master II ( 醉拳 II)

1993 Once a Cop (aka Project S)

Crime Story ( 重案組 )

City Hunter ( 城市獵人 )

1992 Police Story 3 ( 警察故事 III 超級警察 )

The Twin Dragons ( 雙龍會 )

1991 A Kid from Tibet ( 西藏小子 )

Armour of God II: Operation Condor ( 飛鷹計劃 )

1990 Island of Fire (aka "The Prisoner") ( 火燒島 )

JET LI - 李连杰 - L LIÁNJIÉǏ• won fifteen gold medals and

one silver medal in Chinese wushu (martial art sport) championships

• his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Then in the U.S.

• beginning with role as the lead villain in Lethal Weapon 4, first leading role in a Hollywood movie was in Romeo Must Die.

SOME OF HIS FAMOUS CHINESE FILMS • The Shaolin Temple series (1, 2 and 3),

which are considered to be the films which sparked the rebirth of the real Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China;

• The Once Upon a Time in China series (Chinese title: Wong Fei Hung), about the legendary Chinese folk hero;

• Fist of Legend (Chinese title: Jing Wu Ying Xiong), a remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (Jing Wu Men in Chinese, named after the martial arts school);

• The Fong Sai-Yuk films, about another Chinese folk hero. As one might expect from a martial artist of his caliber, he performs most of his own stunts.

• 2006 Rogue

Fearless• 2005 Unleashed/Danny the Dog• 2003 Cradle 2 the Grave• 2002 Hero• 2001 The One

Kiss of the Dragon• 2000 Romeo Must Die• 1998 Lethal Weapon 4

Hitman• 1997 Once Upon a Time in China VI• 1996 Black Mask

Dr. Wai and the Scripture Without Words

( 冒險王 Mo him wong)• 1995 Meltdown

My Father is a Hero• 1994 The Bodyguard from Beijing

( 中南海保鑣 Zhong Nan Hai bao biao)

Fist of Legend

Legend of the Red Dragon

• 1993 Fong Sai-Yuk II; Fong Sai-Yuk

The Kung Fu Cult Master

( 倚天屠龍記之魔教教主 Yi tian tu long ji zhi mo jiao jiao zhu)

• Last Hero in China

( 黃飛鴻之鐵雞斗蜈蚣 Wong Fei-hung chi tit gai dau neung gung)

• Tai Chi Master

• Once Upon a Time in China III

• 1992 Once Upon a Time in China II

• 1991 Once Upon a Time in China

• Swordsman II

• 1989 The Master

• 1988 Dragon Fight

• ( 龍在天涯 Long zai tian ya)

• 1986 Born to Defense

• Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin( 南北少林 Nan bei Shao Lin)

• 1983Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin( 少林小子 Shao Lin xiao zi)

• 1982Shaolin Temple

CHINESE DRAMA DIRECTORS

Zhang Yimou - 张艺谋

Chen Kaige – 陈凯歌

Jia Zhangke - 贾樟柯

Jiang Wen – 姜文 Zhang Yuan – 张元 Wang Xiaoshuai – 王小帅

ZHĀNG YÌMÓU ( 张艺谋 ) internationally acclaimed Chinese

fi lmmaker and cinematographer

Zhang's fi rst work, One and Eight

(as director of photography), was

made in 1984

collaborated with Chen Kaige to

photograph one of the defi ning

Chinese fi lms of the 1980s,

Yellow Earth (1984)

in 1986, cinematographer and

actor — a role in Old Well that

won him Best Actor at the Tokyo

International Film Festival.

directorial debut

stars Gong Li and Jiang Wen.

The cinematography (DP Gu

Changwei) use of rich, intense colors,

giving the fi lm a strong visual impact.

"Red Sorghum" garnered international

acclaim for Zhang and eventually won

the Golden Bear for Best Picture at

the 1988 Berlin Fi lm Festival.

RED SORGHUM- 红高粱 - HÓNG GĀOLIÁNG-1987

Starring:

Cinematography:

Starr ing:

Starr ing Gong L i & L i Baot ian

an ear ly example of Zhang's unique use

of colors and lush c inematography.

the fi rst entry in Chinese c inema to be

nominated for an Academy Award for

Best Foreign Language Fi lm.

i s set in the 1920s, te l ls the story of a

wealthy old text i le man who marr ies a

ju icy young br ide and hires a desperate

young nephew and enslaves both of

them with h is cruel wi l l .

JÚ DÒU – 菊豆 - 1991

Nominated for an Academy Award for

Best Foreign Language Fi lm in 1992

noted for i ts opulent visuals and

sumptuous use of colors.

shot in Qiao's Compound in the

ancient city of Pingyao, in Shanxi

Province

offi cials fearing that the story would

be taken as an al legory against

Chinese communist authoritarianism.

was init ial ly banned from theatrical

release in China.

RAISE THE RED LANTERN -1992

THE STORY OF QIU JU- 1992

won the Golden Lion for Best

Picture at the 1992 Venice

International Film Festival.

It tells of a peasant woman,

Qiu Ju, who lives in a rural

area of China and whose

husband suff ers a slight (a

kick in the groin) at the hands

of the vil lage head. She then

travels to a big city despite

her pregnancy but has to deal

with its bureaucrats in order to

fi nd justice.

Starring: 葛优 Gě Yōu

based on the novel of the same name

written by Yu Hua.

To Live featured an epic framework

about the resi l ience of the ordinary

Chinese folks, personifi ed by its two

leads, amidst three generations of

historical upheavals throughout Chinese

pol it ics of the 20th century.

banned in Mainland China at the t ime

due to its satir ical portrayal of various

pol icies and campaigns of the

communist government. I t won the

Grand Jury Pr ize at the Cannes Fi lm

Festival as wel l as the Best Actor Award

for Ge You.

TO LIVE - 活着 – HUOZHE - 1994

• Writer: Yu Hua

• Shanghai Triad ( 摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥 - yao a yao, yao dao waipo qiao 1995)

• gangster drama

• The film is set in the criminal underworld of 1930s Shanghai

• Keep Cool ( 有话好好说 – you hua haohao shuo 1997)

• a small-scale film about life in modern China

• Starring by Jiang Wen

• about a young bookseller in 1990s China, marked a move away from earlier period pictures of Zhang's earlier work to a more realistic or documentary period• Not One Less ( 一个都不能少 -Yī gè dōu bù néng shǎo 1999)

•Made in the neorealist/documentary-drama style

• won 10 international film award including awards at, São Paulo International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival (including the Golden Lion award for Best Picture).

• using a troupe of non-professional actors

• The Road Home ( 我的父亲母亲 ; Literal translation: "My Father and Mother")

• featuring Zhang Ziyi, is a simple throw-back narrative centering around a love story between an unidentified narrator's parents.

• nominated for and won several prestigious international film awards at the Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival• Happy Times ( 幸福时光 Xìngfú Shíguāng; 2000)

• relatively minor film by Zhang, represented his second foray into modern Chinese city life

•an official selection for the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002.

• Hero ( 英雄 Yīng Xióng) 2002

•Chinese martial arts, drama and adventure film

•his first foray into the historical fiction genre

•a huge international hit. one of the few foreign-language films to debut at #1 at the U.S. box office, and was one of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2003 Academy Awards.

• House of Flying Daggers ( 十面埋伏 shí miàn mái fú) 2004

• more of a love story than a typical martial arts film.

•Use of strong colors again is a signature of Zhang in this movie

•the film and its director were fairly heavily criticized locally in China. Many Chinese critics felt that the film lacked a strong storyline or message, that the dialogue was poor, and that Zhang was simply trying to appeal to Western audiences with heavily choreographed fight scenes and extensive use of computer-generated imagery.• Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles ( 千里走单骑 qiān lǐ zǒu dān qí) 2005

• starring Japanese actor, Takakura Ken

• return to the more low-key drama that characterized much of Zhang's earlier pieces.

• The film stars legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura, who wishes to repair relations with his alienated son, eventually led by circumstance to set out on a journey to China.

Chén Kǎigē - 陈凯歌• His films are known for their visual flair and

epic storytelling.

• first movie, Yellow Earth (1984), is one of

his most famous and important works

• His most famous film in the West, Farewell

My Concubine (1993)

• n 2002, Chen made his first, and to-date

only English-language film, Killing Me

Softly, a thriller starring Heather Graham

and Joseph Fiennes

Chén Kǎigē Movies• Farewell My Concubine (1993)

•nominated for two Academy Awards and winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival

Temptress Moon (1996)

• Together (2002)

• about a young violinist and his father •The Emperor and

the Assassin 1999

• Technical Prize at the Cannes film festival in 1999

Jiāng Wén - 姜文

Native of Beijing in New York Chinese film actor and director

Jiang became renowned in China for his

starring role in the 1992 TV series A Native

of Beijing in New York, which made him

one of the well-loved actors of his

generation.

Jiang wrote and directed his first film in

1994, In the Heat of the Sun, adapted

from a novel by Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo

Jiang Wen Starring Movies Red Sorghum Hibiscus Town

Green TeaWarriors of Heaven & Earth

Devils on the Doorstep

The Missing Gun

Jiang Wen Directing Movies

In The Heat Of The Sun adapted from a novel by Wang Shuo. A

tale set in the Cultural Revolution won the Venice International Film

Festival's Best Actor prize for its young lead actor Xia Yu as well as the Golden Horse Film Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

Starring Xia Yu

Jiang Wen - Devils on the Doorstep set during the Japanese occupation

of China in the early 1940s

won the Grand Prix in the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

ZHANG YUAN 张元

• Little Red Flower ( 看上去很美 2006)

• Green Tea ( 绿茶 , Lü cha (2003)

• I Love You ( 我爱你 , Wo ai ni) (2003)

• Seventeen Years ( 过年回家 , Guo nian hui jia)

(1999)

• Crazy English ( 疯狂英语 , Fengkuang yingyu)

(1999)

• East Palace, West Palace ( 东宫西宫 , Dong gong xi

gong) (1996)

• Danish Girls Show Everything (Danske piger viser

alt) (1996)

• Sons ( 儿子 , Erzi) (1996)

• The Square ( 广场 , Guang Chang) (1994)

• Beijing Bastards ( 北京杂种 , Beijing za zhong)

(1993)

• Mum ( 妈妈 , Mama) (1992)

JIǍ ZHĀNGKĒ - 賈樟柯

• 2006 - Still Life (Sanxia haoren)( 三峡好人 ) (Winner of the Golden Lion Award at the 63rd Mostra of Venice) • 2004 - The World (Shijie) ( 世界 ) • 2002 - Unknown Pleasures (Ren xiao yao) ( 任逍遙 ) • 2001 - In Public • 2000 - Platform (Zhantai) ( 站台 ) • 1997 - Xiao Wu ( 小武 ) • 1996 - Dudu • 1995 - Xiao Shan hui jia • 1994 - Zai Beijingde yi tian

His films treat themes of alienated youth, contemporary Chinese history and globalization, as well as his signature usage of the long-take, colorful digital video and his minimalist/realist style.

Other Directors

• Wang Xiaoshuai ( 王小帅 )• Beijing Bicycle (2001)

• LU Xuechang ( 路学长） Kala.My Dog ( 卡拉是条狗 )

Lou Ye ( 娄烨 )Suzhou River ( 苏州河 )

陆川 (Chuan Lu)Kekexili: Mountain Patrol

Guan Hu ( 管虎） Dirt ( 头发乱了 )

Chinese Comedy Direct –

Féng Xi ogāng ǎ 冯小刚0 Banquet aka Ye Yan (2006) 0 A World without Thieves aka Tian Xia Wu

Zei ( 天下无贼 ) (2004)

0 Cell Phone aka Shou Ji ( 手机 ) (2003)

0 Big Shot's Funeral aka Da Wan ( 大腕 ) (2001)

0 A Sigh aka Yi Sheng Tan Xi ( 一声叹息 ) (2000)

0 Sorry Baby aka Mei Wan Mei Liao ( 没完没了 ) (1999)

0 Be There or Be Square aka Bu Jian Bu San ( 不见不散 ) (1998)

0 Dream Factory aka Jia Fang Yi Fang ( 甲方乙方 ) (1997)

0 Lost My Love aka Yong Shi Wo Ai ( 永失我爱 ) (1994)

Big Shot's Funeral

Lost My Love

Dream FactoryBe There or Be Square

Sorry BabyA Sigh

THE END