TY - CHAP
T1 - Narrating History in Reform Era Chinese Cinema
AU - HOU, Yiyang
PY - 2026/3
Y1 - 2026/3
N2 - In 1981, Mysterious Buddha (Shenmi
de dafo, dir. Zhang Huaxun), an action-packed thriller film produced by
Beijing Film Studio, achieved stunning box office success in the domestic
market, asserting its status as the first martial arts film made in the
People’s Republic of China (hereafter PRC).1 The
following year, After Being Trapped (Youbu zhihou, dir.
Hua Ke) was released by Changchun Film Studio. Although a fictional story of
Chinese intelligence agents battling the Japanese invaders during the Second
World War, After Being Trapped was still categorised by China
Film Yearbook as a revolutionary history film. In 1983, August First
Film Studio released Four Crossings of the Chishui River (Sidu chishui,
dir. Gu Dexian and Cai Jiwei), which portrayed Mao Zedong leading the Red Army
in its fight against the Kuomintang’s encirclement during the 1930s. The film
was part of the military film studio’s broader effort to spark national
enthusiasm for stories about revolutionary history, and this trend of
revolutionary history-themed films persisted into the late 1980s and early
1990s. In 1989, Changchun Film Studio launched The Founding of New
China (Kaiguo dadian, dir. Li Qiankuan and Xiao Guiyun), as a
‘revolutionary history mega film’, produced with substantial government
subsidies and featuring some of China’s top filmmaking talents.2
AB - In 1981, Mysterious Buddha (Shenmi
de dafo, dir. Zhang Huaxun), an action-packed thriller film produced by
Beijing Film Studio, achieved stunning box office success in the domestic
market, asserting its status as the first martial arts film made in the
People’s Republic of China (hereafter PRC).1 The
following year, After Being Trapped (Youbu zhihou, dir.
Hua Ke) was released by Changchun Film Studio. Although a fictional story of
Chinese intelligence agents battling the Japanese invaders during the Second
World War, After Being Trapped was still categorised by China
Film Yearbook as a revolutionary history film. In 1983, August First
Film Studio released Four Crossings of the Chishui River (Sidu chishui,
dir. Gu Dexian and Cai Jiwei), which portrayed Mao Zedong leading the Red Army
in its fight against the Kuomintang’s encirclement during the 1930s. The film
was part of the military film studio’s broader effort to spark national
enthusiasm for stories about revolutionary history, and this trend of
revolutionary history-themed films persisted into the late 1980s and early
1990s. In 1989, Changchun Film Studio launched The Founding of New
China (Kaiguo dadian, dir. Li Qiankuan and Xiao Guiyun), as a
‘revolutionary history mega film’, produced with substantial government
subsidies and featuring some of China’s top filmmaking talents.2
U2 - 10.4135/9781036204556.n35
DO - 10.4135/9781036204556.n35
M3 - Book Chapter
SN - 9781529623222
T3 - Sage Handbooks of Modern China Series
SP - 775
EP - 810
BT - The Sage Handbook of Interpreting Chinese History
A2 - STAPLETON, Kristin
A2 - FAN, Xin
A2 - DONGEN, Els van
PB - SAGE
ER -