Chinese Cinemas of Self-Determination: Impacts of Films on Anti-Imperialism and Nationalism

Abstract

Modern China witnesses a plethora of anti-imperialist and postcolonial themed films, which, in contrary from the former artistic medium, benefitted from evolving cinematic technologies that allow more rapid distribution of information. Consequently, such genre of films triggered multifaceted social impacts across the Sinophones. The late-nineteenth-century semi-colonial China, marked by a profound power imbalance with colonizers, incited widespread public outrage and introspection. With the introduction of cinematic industries in China in the 1920s, filmmakers seamlessly integrated anti-colonial and progressive ideologies into their screenplay, venturing to galvanize Chinese citizens for decolonization and self-determination. Due to the infusion of political rhetoric in films, the medium continuously evoked and prompted the Chinese populace, exerting a monumental influence on Chinese anti-colonial and anti-imperialist pursuits. The activeness of such genres in the present-day Chinese entertainment industry reflects their incremental incorporation into a modern Chinese identity, centering on postcolonial reflections. Accordingly, the author will explore anti-imperialist films from the fledgling Chinese film industry to their recurrent presence in contemporary Chinese cinema, which contributed to the shaping of a postcolonial Chinese identity.