Reform and Opening—Up Drives Chinese Film Industry Boom

Liao Bowen Ding Yaping

“Since the beginning of reform and opening-up， a number of Chinese films have gained recognition worldwide，” notes Chinese cinephile Wu Gensheng， an expert on the development of the Chinese film industry. “In 1983， My Memories of Old Beijing， directed by Wu Yigong， won the Golden Eagle Prize （Best Feature Film） at the Second Manila International Film Festival. Red Sorghum， directed by Zhang Yimou， was awarded the top prize Golden Berlin Bear at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival in 1988. Chinese movies have been award winners at Cannes International Film Festival since Zhang Yimous Ju Dou won the Luis Bunuel Special Award in Cannes in 1990.”

In June， Wu made a special trip to Shanghai to visit an exhibition titled “Everlasting Pictures – Movie Poster Exhibition Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-Up.” There， Wu saw classic posters， trailers and the prizes won by 180 films.

With the advancement of reform and opening-up， Chinese film production has evolved from limited themes to wide-ranging subject matters， from black-and-white to diverse forms such as 3D and IMAX. And Chinese movies can now be simultaneously released domestically and overseas.

40 Years On

When the “cultural revolution” （1966-1976） ended， Chinese peoples caltural needs and sensibilities gradually expanded， fueling a sharp rise in domestic demand for movies. In 1979， the average Chinese person went to the movies 28 times and combined movie viewership nationwide was 29.3 billion person-times. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics， Chinas total population was approximately 971 million， so 29.3 billion trips to the movies imply that on average one Chinese person went to see a movie multiple times. Both figures set all-time records. To meet the surging demand for movies， Chinese film makers explored new avenues of movie creation， production and distribution.

At the beginning of reform and opening-up， people were most impressed by films about the fate of Chinese people including intellectuals during the “cultural revolution” and reflections on human nature， as well as romantic movies that had long been shunned. Representative films of the period include Legend of Tianyun Mountain， The Herdsman， Hibiscus Town， Sacrifice of Youth， Red Sorghum， Old Well and Life. With further deepening of reform and opening-up， China entered a stage of rapid development， and Chinese movie goers aesthetics and tastes became more diverse， prompting filmmakers to continue enriching movie themes to include urban life， workplace competition， traditional Chinese costume plays featuring martial arts， as well as espionage， to meet the growing demand.

In the mid-1980s， Zhang Yimou， Chen Kaige， Tian Zhuangzhuang， Wu Ziniu， Huang Jianxin and others， who collectively have been known as the fifth-generation directors of China， emerged and steeply advanced film reform. In addition to inheriting Chinese traditional culture， these directors also integrated reflection of tradition， spirit of innovation and international practices to open up a new situation for Chinese films with bold exploration in film-making. Masterpieces of these directors include Zhang Yimous Red Sorghum， The Story of Qiu Ju and Not One Less， Chen Kaiges Yellow Earth and Farewell My Concubine， Jiang Wens In the Heat of the Sun and Still Life by Jia Zhangke， who is known as an outlier straddling the fifth-generation directors of China. All these films expanded more room for art creation. Efforts made by Chinese filmmakers have paid off， and Chinese films have attracted the attention of the world， leading to Chinese directors and actors increasingly honored at various international film festivals.

In the process of continuous exploration and development of film art， Chinese film industry has also begun to shift from planning to a market economy. Themes of Chinese films have continued to be enriched， which has driven the film market to further develop. Films have transformed from cultural production works made despite scarcity to a vibrant modern film industry with more abundant themes and diverse forms of expression—the dawn of a new era.

Theater chains， international practice for film distribution and screening， were introduced in 2002. A year later， The Interim Provisions on Film Production， Distribution and Screening Qualifications was introduced. Investors in filmmaking have become increasingly diversified， and privately-funded films have risen sharply， becoming an important force in film production.

From 1978 to 2008， China produced 4，500 feature films. From 2009 to 2017， it produced a total of 5，789 feature films. From 2002 to 2017， the box office increased from 1 billion yuan （US$0.15 billion） to 55.9 billion yuan （US$8.19 billion）. In 2002， there were 8，000 movie screens in China， and more than 50，000 movie screens in 2017.

From China to the World

On October 1， 2017， hundreds of viewers were watching the movie Xuan Zang attentively in a cinema in Naypyidaw， capital of Myanmar， and from time to time laughed heartily. It was the first time a movie theater in Myanmar screened a foreign film dubbed in the Myanmar language， bringing excitement to moviegoers. Xuan Zang was well received for its touching plot， perfect dubbing and magnificent scenes. In recent years， China and Myanmar have continuously strengthened exchange and cooperation in the field of film and television. A China-Myanmar film dubbing base was established in Yangon at the end of 2016， and Xuan Zang completed its Myanmar language dubbing at this base.

Good movies have launched a journey across wide-ranging movie themes in market， and even the overseas market， which has expanded the field of artistic expression for Chinese films. After the turn of the 21st Century， Chinas accession to the World Trade Organization， film industrialization， signing of Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement， implementation of a theater chain， introduction of policies to be further opened up and more importantly， diversified methods of film production and marketing in the internet era， have all combined to dramatically affect the creation and expression forms of Chinese films.

In the 21st Century， Chinese film and television industry has continued to hone domestic production while gradually expanding from China to abroad. In June 2006， China Film Promotion International organized a large-scale international event of “Beijing Screenings，” inviting and receiving overseas film buyers and professionals from various international film festivals who came to China to purchase and distribute Chinese films. So far， more than 500 domestic films have been screened， and hundreds of Chinese films have been sold to distributors in more than 70 countries and markets around the world through “Beijing Screenings，” making it an important window for Chinese films to reach the overseas market.

With the advancement of the Belt and Road construction， China and ASEAN countries have strengthened cooperation in film. On November 25， 2014， the first ASEAN Cultural Week， or ASEAN-China Film & TV Co-production and Tourism Forum with the theme of “Emerging Creativity： Celebrating ASEAN Diversity through Films”， was held in Beijing. Representatives from Malaysia， Indonesia and Thailand introduced their respective governments preferential policies for film cooperation and discussed cooperation strategies and opportunities for China-ASEAN films and how to make a co-produced film with both critical acclaim and strong box office. Consensus is that any good co-production should have a strong story first and foremost.

In 2017， the ASEAN-China Film Festival was held in Kuala Lumpur， Malaysia. Seven Chinese films including Wolf Warriors 2 and Shock Wave as well as 23 films from 10 ASEAN countries were screened. Famous Chinese actress Jiang Wenli， who presided over the jury of the festival， noted that in recent years， many Chinese films that chose to shoot in Southeast Asian countries have achieved good box numbers. She hopes the festival will enable the two sides to achieve better two-way communications and enable Chinese audiences to better understand Southeast Asian cultures while bringing more outstanding Chinese movies to Southeast Asian countries.

While China and ASEAN have strengthened cooperation in film screenings， co-productions between China and member countries have also increased. The first co-production film between China and Singapore was Meeting the Giant， based on a real story of teen Chinese basketball players doing professional training in Singapore. At the end of 2017， the first co-production between China and Indonesia， Tsunami， which tells the story of Chinese rescue team participating in the Indian Ocean tsunami rescue operation at the end of 2004， began filming in Jakarta.

In the past 40 years of Chinas development， film has remained an important topic and has undergone historic changes. Reform and opening-up has allowed a rapidly rising image of China to spread to the world through Chinese movies.