Chinese Cinema a the Millennium: Defining ‘China’ and the Politics of Representation

Abstract

Chinese-language cinema has been undergoing dramatic changes since 2000. Many of these changes parallel economic, political, social, and other cultural developments that have radically transformed the Chinese-speaking world. As Chinese cinema develops out of this diverse population, transnational exchanges, diasporic alliances, and immigrant connections complicate any picture of a “national” or unitary Chinese cinema (Zhang, 2004). However, culture, language, ethnicity, and history link Chinese communities together, and the dynamics of a marketplace in which Chinese-language films circulate make the study of Chinese cinema a fecund research topic. From popular commercial features to esoteric exercises in film art for cultured elites, Chinese cinema continues to make a mark on world film screens. In addition to looking at the current scholarship on contemporary Chinese-language cinema, this essay explores the key themes, issues, and concerns found on Chinese screens at the millennium.