RMIT International University Vietnam

Assignment Cover Page

Subject Code: COMM2489

Subject Name: Asian Cinema

Location & Campus (SGS or HN) where SGS

you study:

Title of Assignment: Critical Reviews

Student name: Bui Phan Minh Anh

Student Number: S3743208

Teachers Name: Rimi Khan

Group Number:

Assignment due date: 18th December 2020

Date of Submission: 18th December 2020

Number of pages including this one:

Word Count: 1400

I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and
agree to the content and expectations of the Assessment Declaration.
In this paper I will discuss how China cinema preserves and develops its own cultural
perception, ideology and nationalism under the strong impact of Hollywood cultural
imperialism.

I. The concept of U.S cultural imperialism and brief introduction of the Chinese
cinema

The U.S.'s cultural imperialism, which was formed in the post-World War II era, is also
known as 'cultural dependency and synchronization,' 'ideological imperialism,' and 'soft
imperialism' (White 2001). The American movies and soap operas contributed an
essential role in promoting the concept of cultural domination and U.S ideological
motives (Rauschenberger 2003). By absorbing the term 'Hollywoodization,' Asia's
cinematic industry has interpreted the transplantation of U.S. ideology and influenced the
Hollywood style of making-film (Rampal n.d.).

China - the worlds' largest film market (Zhang 2020), started to embrace cinema's
introduction and interpretation with 'Western Shadowplays' in the Shanghai
entertainment complex in 1986 (Zhu n.d.). In 1905, China set a landmark in its cinema
by releasing the first image-series named Dingjun Mountain and opened the pathway to
establish the Chinese cinema industry (Rojas 2013). After 25 years, the first golden era
of Chinese cinema was created based on the left-wing movement's mass success
(Johnson 2004). Apart from other cinema industries, shadow opera is the foundation
and backbone of the distinctive Chinese cinema, transmitting cultural value and local
authenticity (Berry & Farquhar 2006). The shadow opera proved that Chinese cinema
was not dominated by Western-style realism but mostly influenced and created by a
local popular cultural extension (Berry & Farquhar 2006). However, left-wing cinematic
intellectuals and Chinese film-makers strongly protested Hollywood's importation and
believed the U.S films perturbed the national cinema industry (Su 2011). At that time,
Hollywood's ideology was against the Chinese government's concept of idealism, which
brought illusion, endangered Chinese cultural perception and spirituality (Su 2010).
Furthermore, the group consciousness, expectation of cultural cinema among Chinese
people, and the emergence of private corporations producing domestic films support the
escape of China cinema from Hollywood dominations to transmit the traditional Chinese
ideology (Wang 2018).

The statement of Wim Wenders: 'The Americans have colonized our subconscious'
seems not to remain valid with the cinema of China.

II. Ideology of Chinese cinema

At the beginning of Chinese cinema's first golden era, the left-wing films reflected the
political objectives and ideological understanding (Pang 1997). Those movies educated
citizens about nationalism and transmitted a message of anti-imperialism and anti-
capitalism from the West (Pang 1997). Since the revolution of communism, the Chinese
government considered cinema as a tool to promote its political ideology and
governmental propaganda and enacted a law banning Hollywood productions (Esther
1997).
 Figure 1: Bridge (1949)

Figure 2: The White Haired Girl (1950)

The Communist Party started to control mass media by producing political films, such as
‘Bridge’ promoting nationalism, workers’ glorification and Communism transformation
(Zhang 2004) and ‘The White Haired Girl’ promoting modern Chinese revolution ballet
(Wilkinson 1974).
Maoist China also formulated a concept of 'new people' and 'new nation' by writing,
producing, and propagating national and political narratives through films (Chen 2003).
After 1949, the Chinese government strictly controlled the cinema industry by releasing
various regulations and censorship to force film-makers to follow the Maoist policy of arts
and literature (Cheng, Li & Xing 1998).

Being produced during the cultural revolution, Breaking with Old Ideas strictly followed
the Maoist ideology 'new nation' and promoted the role model of mass character as the
nationalism concept, instead of individualism (Zhang & Xiao 1998). This movie focused
on illustrating the portrait of national solidarity and Chairman Mao's vision of the
educational revolution (Marion 2008).

Figure 3: Breaking with Old Ideas (1975)

Another exceptional example of Communism ideology was transmitted through 'The

Legend of Mount Tianyun,' which followed China's political campaigns from the 1970s to
1980s (Chen, Liu & Anbin 1997). Even though 'The Legend of Mount Tianyun'
advertised the concept of humane expressions and romantic relationships between
people, the undeniable in-depth concern of the movie highlighted the loyalty of Chinese
people and intellectuals to the Communist Party (Chen, Liu & Anbin 1997).

It can be seen that under the wide-range impact of Hollywood movies, the cinema of
China knew how to protect its essence and promoted governmental ideology throughout
the concept of seventh art even though various creative but inappropriate
cinematographic products had been eliminated by not following the regulations.

Figure 4: Legend of Tianyun Mountain (1980).

III. Cultural values in China cinema

With the domination of Hollywood cinema, China is under pressure to preserve its
cultural essence and develop the national cinema industry (Leilei 2014). Also, to balance
the aesthetic expression and political, social value are a challenge for this country during
the wave of U.S movies (Leilei 2014). Above all, the consciousness of nationalism and
expectation of domestic cinema has encouraged film-makers to promote Chinese culture
and tradition throughout their products and surpass the Western wave (Wang 2018).

1. Martial Arts
Hero - a cultured blockbuster of China, became the first Chinese-language film to reach
No. 1 at the U.S box office in two consecutive weeks and earned $177 million worldwide
(Box Office n.d).

Figure 4: Hero (2002)

‘‘House of Flying Daggers’, which mainly promoted Chinese traditional martial arts and
fashion, was successful with over $11 million in United States box office and $92 million
worldwide (Box Office n.d.).

Figure 5: House of Flying Daggers (2004)

 2. Cuisine
A part of Chinese culture - Chinese culinary heritage always features within every China
cinematographic product as the way to promote the culture and tradition (Kuang 2017).

Audiences can easily spot various signature scenes of Chinese cuisine in both traditional
and modern Chinese cinema namely: traditional dinner (Figure 6), drinking wine habit
(Figure 7) or making Chinese dumplings (Figure 8).

Figure 6: A traditional Chinese dinner in ‘Jiu Liu overload’

Figure 7: A scene of drinking Chinese traditional wine in ‘Ashes of Love’

 Figure 8: Making dumplings in ‘The Old Lady’s House of Dumplings’

3. Traditional costumes
In historical movies, China successfully promoted its traditional costumes and widely
spread Chinese tradition worldwide (Koshoibekova 2015).

The traditional Qing dynasty costume was carefully demonstrated through the movie
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (Figure 9).

Figure 9: The Qing dynasty in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’

The Tang dynasty costume was featured in ‘House of Flying Daggers’ (Figure 10) - one
of the most successful Chinese-language films in the U.S. market.

Figure 10: ‘House of Flying Daggers’

The Chinese ‘Qibao’ also was promoted in the movie named Lust, Caution with the
charming and elegant essences (Figure 11).

Figure 11: Qibao in ‘Lust, Caution’

III. How China shapes the 21st Hollywood cinema?

It can be denied that Hollywood and the Western cinematographic industry already left a
mark in Chinese cinema at its first establishment (Pang 2002). However, being a
lucrative business for Hollywood (Brzeski & Coonan 2014) allows China to shape and
orient the U.S. film industry to follow the strict regulations of the Chinese government
(Heritage n.d.) and embed the Chinese elements in their movies (Guoxin et al. 2017).
Additionally, Disney and Marvel aim at the Chinese market by releasing the project
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ featuring a Chinese-Canadian actor -
Simu Liu (Clark 2019).

Figure 12: Simu Liu as ‘Shang-Chi’ in the conference of Marvel

Disney also released two versions of Mulan, the English version will be promoted
globally, and the Mandarin version will be exclusively released in China (Tseng 2020)
with the ambition to dominate the world’s largest market.

Figure 13: Liu Yifei in Mulan Live Action

To break down the Chinese walls of regulations, Hollywood tends to embed Chinese
elements into their movies to attract more Chinese audiences. ‘The Karate Kids’ -
featuring Jackie Chan and the film’s setting was mainly China and promoting China’s
Great Wall as well as martial arts, earned $132 worldwide after 12 days (Li 2010).

Figure 14: ‘The Karate Kid’ (2010)

The movie ‘Kungfu Panda’ of Dreamworks Animations, featuring Chinese animal

representatives and Chinese culture, was recorded as a success at the China’s box
office with $275 million USD worldwide (Barboza 2008).

Figure 15: Kung Fu Panda

IV. Conclusion

The statement of Win Wender about the cultural imperialism of American culture is
considered to oppose the China cinema. Even though China cinema in the 21st has
been standing out like the previous generations, Hollywood cinema has to change itself
and transmit an appropriate message to enter the largest film industry. The Chinese
cinema still preserves its cultural perception, nationalism, and ideology, but Hollywood is
forced to change for not being censored or banned. To expand the business to the
lucrative but conservative Chinese market, which always prioritizes nationalism and
cultural values, adaption and transformation would be the only way for Hollywood
filmmakers.
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