FILE PHOTO: Hero (2002), a wuxia (Chinese martial arts) film loosely inspired by assassination plots targeting Ying Zheng, who became the first emperor of China and established the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.)

From the establishment of the China Film Co-Production Corporation in Beijing in 1979 to China’s rise as the world’s largest film market in 2020, the integrity of China’s film industry, along with the sophistication and international influence of its cinematic art, has consistently grown. Over this period, the film studies community in China expanded from specialized institutions such as the China Film Archive, the Institute of Film and Television at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, and the China Film Association, to include university faculty and graduate students from film-related programs nationwide. Meanwhile, major academic film journals—including Contemporary Cinema, Film Art, World Cinema, and Journal of Beijing Film Academy—were established in succession, consciously guiding the direction of Chinese film research and addressing the “real issues” within the domestic film industry. Under their influence, Chinese film studies has progressed through four stages, evolving from the introduction of Western film theories to the gradual development of its own theoretical framework, and ultimately toward independent innovation.

Foundational period

During this period, film journals introduced Western film theories into China, exerting profound influence on both Chinese film studies and the market-oriented reform of the domestic film industry. A notable example is the 1980 publication in World Cinema of translated French film theories and analyses of internationally renowned directors. This practice continues to this day, affirming the journal’s tradition of focusing on the introduction of film theories and the publication of international award-winning screenplays. Contemporary Cinema and Film Art also publishtranslated theoretical works, but with a stronger emphasis on China’s film industry and significant cinematic phenomena. Contemporary Cinema plays a leading role in new release film reviews, research on industry developments, and inquiries into cinematic art and technology, while Film Art distinguishes itself in areas such as film history, filmmaker profiles, discussions on film creation, and analyses of cinematic trends.

Expansionary period

In 1994, the Chinese government issued the Notice on Further Deepening the Reform of the Film Industry, which allowed holders of film distribution rights to directly distribute their films to distribution and screening entities at all levels in 21 provinces and cities. Shanghai Paradise Co., Ltd took the lead in implementing the cinema chain model, with over 70 cinemas joining the Yongle chain by 1995. In 1996, Beijing Forbidden City Film Co., Ltd. was founded, and its debut production The Dream Factory (1997) earned a remarkable 36 million yuan at the box office. Around the same time, foreign films began entering China under a revenue-sharing scheme, marking the county’s integration into the global film market system. Influential scholarly articles also appeared during this period, such as Yin Hong’s seminal “An Analysis of Current Strategies in Chinese Cinema” and Zhang Yiwu’s “Identity of a Shared Community: Intellectuals in 1990s Cinema.” Box office rankings of domestic films and research on the domestic film market became key features of film journals. By the end of the 1990s, as the third creative wave of Chinese cinema gained momentum and the works of fifth- and sixth-generation directors drew strong reactions, academic journals responded accordingly.

Vigorous growth

In 1999, as China made significant progress in its accession to the WTO, the import quota for revenue-sharing foreign films was raised from 10 to 20. Yet the Chinese film industry did not decline amid the competition of imported blockbusters; rather, it thrived. The success of the wuxia film Hero (2002) sparked a nationwide boom in the production of Chinese commercial blockbusters, and the domestic market share of Chinese films steadily increased. Leading journals published essays debating this striking phenomenon while also keeping sight of medium- and low-budget art films and the emerging category of “new mainstream cinema.” In this period, Chinese film studies exhibited disciplinary characteristics, adhering to well-defined academic norms in criticism, historical commentary, theoretical inquiry, and interview-based research. Major film journals had each developed distinctive hallmarks, building their scholarly brands by cultivating signature columns and organizing academic events.

‘Chinese school of film studies’

Alongside China’s explicit commitment to enhancing the global reach of its cultural industries, as reflected in policy documents such as the 14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Development and the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Chinese Cinema—several influential schools of thought have emerged in Chinese film studies. The most prominent is the “Chinese school of film studies,” promoted through the Advanced Innovation Center for Future Visual Entertainment, founded in 2016 at the Beijing Film Academy. With a strong talent pool and substantial funding, this group has made impressive strides in research on film technology and artistic theory, establishing a theoretical framework centered on Chinese traditions and characteristics.

The foundation, expansion, and maturation of Chinese film studies are the result of the collective efforts of generations of filmmakers, distributors, and scholars. Chinese film scholars have persistently explored ways to interpret cinema—an art form of Western origin—through the lens of Chinese aesthetics, ultimately contributing to the establishment of a film theory framework with Chinese characteristics and to the flourishing of the domestic film industry.

Wang Fanghua is a professor from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Anhui Agricultural University.