2004 was a good year for Chinese cinema. Official figures show that 320 films were produced from 2003 onwards, even though many were not distributed in cinemas. Box office takings were good, too. After a decade in which American films dominated the domestic market, Chinese films finally took the upper hand in terms of box office revenue. According to figures published by SARFT (China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television), 2004 earnings topped 1.5 million RMB (about 150 million Euros), 55% of which came from domestic productions. The biggest money spinners were House of Flying Daggers by Zhang Yimou, A World Without Thieves by Feng Xiaogang and Kung Fu Hustle by Stephen Chiau. The latter was a Hong Kong production, but in terms of distribution it is a domestic film according to the recent CEPA agreement between mainland China and Hong Kong.
True, the most successful films were those which resembled contemporary Hollywood models: spectacular, made with considerable technology and finance, and featuring stars. Many say that these films represent the only hope of survival for the Chinese film industry. The debate has become increasingly polarised between those who want to preserve the trdaitioal characteristics of Chinese cinema, and those who have an eye on the potential of the domestic market. The latter would play to the Chinese public rather than to international juries, and not worry too much about international distribution. In a country which is rapidly becoming part of the globalised economy, some commentators have compared the effects of Hollywood cinema to the effects of McDonald’s fast food. Taste becomes unified across the globe, and everybody likes the same thing. The televising of the Oscar ceremony, which in 2004 drew unprecedented viewing figures in China, is one sign of this phenomenon. There are also an increasing number of American production companies establishing a permanent foothold in the Chinese market.
What’s more, since China joined the World Trade Organisation, foreign film and television companies have been moving in to dish out Chinese language entertainment for local audiences. Columbia, Viacom, Disney, and Warner Brothers now have joint ventures, and are part of the domestic film industry. Even the authoritative scholar Ni Zhen of the Beijing Film Academy, one of the most famous teachers of the Fifth Generation, stated in a recent public debate that it was "provincial" to assume that China could merely use its own national characteristics to define Chinese cinema. He went on to suggest that a conservative stance would inevitably impede the industry’s progress. According to Ni, it is necessary to embrace "innovative multiculturalism" to guarantee a share of the international market. In support of this argument, he cited the example of Asiatic films, notably Korea’s My Sassy Girl, Japan’s, The Ring, and Hong Kong’s Infernal Affairs, whose remake rights have been bought by the major American companies.
Of course, this discourse does not take into consideration the chronic financial restraints which make it impossible for most national productions to compete with the spectacular films to which the Chinese public has become accustomed since the invasion of American cinema. Poor finance delivers low-quality productions, which in turn are not distributed, and so fail to attract further investment, and so forth. The rising cost of box office tickets (which range from 30 RMB to 100 RMB) does nothing to help the situation. A recent survey by the China Film Association suggested that the most advantageous price for the average audience was 10 RMB, which is equivalent to the cost of a pirated DVD. In another survey conducted by the Beijing Student Film Festival, people’s favourite films were Hollywood (41%) followed by Hong Kong and Taiwan films (33.6%), then European films (19.1%); only 10.8% of votes went to national films. On the other hand, even House of Flying Daggers - an enormous commercial success just like its predecessor Hero - received much criticism from academics and cinema pundits who claimed the film was indeed spectacular, but ultimately inane.
Digital cinema is becoming the format of choice for young filmmakers, the most recent example being Searching for Mao’er (2004), the debut film of Wang Lu, but digifilms have limited chances for distribution, despite prophecies that digital cinema would become the cinema of the future in China. As is well known, and apparently confirmed by camcorder sales in China, the digital revolution will come, but for the moment distribution networks still remain to be converted to digital. There are, however, many independent films currently in the production stage. Xie Dong has completed Summer, and Zhang Yuan is in post-production on his new film. Wang Chao has completed his Day and Night, and Li Yang is working on Red Passion. Huo Jianqi’s Time to Love, and Yim Ho’s West Lake Moments were released on St Valentine’s Day.
As for the expected censorship reforms, 2004 did not see any significant changes despite debate about the need for a coherent classification system. The only real change was the rehabilitation of some filmmakers previously considered "underground" artists. These included Zhu Wen, whose first film Seafood (2001) was not even released on DVD. Zhu presented his new film, South of the Clouds at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the most important showcase for "mainstream" films, where it was one of the most popular screenings. Jia Zhangke, too, has completed his first work approved by the Film Bureau, The World. Despite its official seal of approval, it provides another poetic and lucid criticism of the state of Chinese society, which is increasingly orientated towards unbridled consumerism.
This enormous social problem is also touched upon in mainstream films such as A World Without Thieves, about a couple of seasoned criminals who feel compassion for the ingeniousness of a poor young casual worker who is convinced thieves do not exist in the world. The fact that this film, as with all Feng Xiaogang’s previous works, was released just before the New Year, a time when people traditionally express wishes and hopes for the future, offers further reflection on its significance. In fact, for the film’s premier in Beijing, a gala evening was organised in aid of the capital’s impoverished students.
Moreover, the production of several films in an officially non-existent genre - films about "national minorities" - is but another example of interest in groups that have been socially and historically marginalised. The famous Mongol actor Ning Cai made his first debut as a director in the 2004 film Season of the Horse. This uses the story of a stubborn horse breeder to launch an appeal to save the cultural identity of a nomadic population. Tian Zhuangzhuang has again demonstrated courage with the production of a documentary film Delamu which re-visits the culture of the border region between Tibet and Yunnan. It is a work of extraordinary beauty and was one of the first documentaries to be distributed on the theatre circuit.
After the success in 2003 of his film When Ruoma was 17, Jerry Zhang used the same formula. But this times it’s funny. The Bride from Shangri-la is the story of a rebellious girl in the Yi minority who doesn’t know she’s a feminist. The film’s positive energy is in part due to the lively performance of the young actor Zhang Jinchu, a rising star of Chinese cinema. Zhang’s also the protagonist of one of the most important films of 2004, Peacock by Gu Changwei. This famous director of photography took up the challenge of directing a film set at the end of the Cultural Revolution. The film is located in the tradition of the so-called Fifth Generation, in which individual stories are set against the background of the major events which shaped history. Hou Yong is another director of photography turned film director who has made an excursion into this genre with Jasmine Women.
Xu Jinglei, whose film Letter from an Unknown Woman confirms her talent as an actor and intelligent film director, dared to employ a European subject-matter for her film. It’s based on a short story by Stefan Zweig and set in China. Max Ophuls had brought the story to the screen in his famous 1948 film of the same title.
In the context of a gradual expansion of styles and genres, it’s worthwhile to note that the thriller genre is making inroads. It’s a slow process, because of censorship. Among thrillers released was Suffocation by Zhang Bingjian, a mixture of horror and surrealism in which the distinction between reality and the mind’s perception of reality is quite subtle. Other films included The Killing Game of Agan and The Blood Stained Kite by Ma Xiaorui. Even the black comedy The Last Level by Wang Jing, which is based on a true tabloid article about a man obsessed with videogames who remained in front of his computer for forty days, manages to create some suspense. Attempts to challenge the limits of conventional good taste do not stop here. Green Hat, by Liu Fendou, is a daring story of infidelity. Although the film has not been - and will not be - released in China, it’s symptomatic of how attitudes are changing in the country.
China will celebrate the centenary of its national cinema in 2005. The first film produced in China was The Battle of Dingjunshan in 1905. There will be a series of events, debates and exhibitions which offer the film industry, and the public, an important opportunity to reflect on how cinema has shaped the country’s cultural identity and on what the future holds.