A Companion to Chinese Cinema

“This outstanding anthology offers an encyclopedic coverage of Chinese cinema from multiple angles, and will be the standard reference in Chinese cinema studies in the years to come.”
Sheldon Lu, University of California, Davis

“Like its editor, this Companion is reliable, encyclopedic, and friendly. Traveling from silent melodramas to the urban generation, from Mainland China to Hong Kong and Taiwan, we now have the docent we need.”
Dudley Andrew, Yale University

“This stunning collection – a must-read for anyone interested in the complicated dynamics of Chinese cinema past and present – features state-of-the-art research by highly respected veteran scholars and brilliant newcomers.”
Paul G. Pickowicz, University of California, San Diego

A Companion to Chinese Cinema features a collection of original readings that offer a comprehensive overview of the evolution and current state of Chinese cinema. Essays consider Chinese cinema from a variety of historical and geopolitical centers – Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan – and offer a critical examination of major accomplishments of Chinese film studies in various categories: film history and geography, industry and institution, media and arts, genre and representation, and issues and debates.

This collaborative project brings together specialists across a range of disciplines to consider Chinese cinema from a variety of methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks. This interdisciplinary approach allows for an unprecedented breadth of innovative ideas that facilitate a better understanding of Chinese cinema as it relates to artistic projects, social practices, political institutions, and expanding international markets. A Companion to Chinese Cinema offers an important analysis of a growing force in international cinema.