Topic: Chinese Cultural Revolution

Direction Zhang Yimou

Cast Gong Li · Ge You · Jiang Wu · Niu Ben

Synopsis To Live (1994) follows the journey of Fugui, a man from a once-affluent family whose life takes a dramatic turn due to his gambling addiction and a streak of misfortune. He loses his family home in a dice game with...

Direction Chen Kaige

Cast Gong Li · Leslie Cheung · Zhang Fengyi · Lu Qi

Synopsis Farewell My Concubine (1993) unfolds as a dual narrative, intricately weaving together the lives of two Beijing Opera performers who are bound by a deep, brotherly bond, and the woman who disrupts their relationship. Simultaneously, the film endeavors to encapsulate...

Direction Zhang Yimou

Cast Zhou Dongyu · Shawn Dou · Chen Taisheng · Rina Sa

Synopsis The Love of the Hawthorn Tree (2010) unfolds a poignant tale of love blossoming between a young woman and a young man amidst the tumultuous backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and '70s. Despite their differing economic backgrounds,...

Direction Zhang Yimou

Cast Gong Li · Chen Daoming · Zhang Huiwen · Guo Tao

Synopsis Coming Home (2014) follows the story of Lu Yanshi and Feng Wanyu, a deeply committed couple whose lives are abruptly torn apart when Lu is imprisoned in a labor camp due to political reasons, coinciding with Feng's severe injury in...

Direction Jiang Wen

Cast Xia Yu · Ning Jing · Geng Le · Tao Hong

Direction Dai Sijie

Cast Zhou Xun · Chen Kun · Ye Liu · Wang Shuangbao

Synopsis The Little Chinese Seamstress (2002) is set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution in the 1970s. The narrative revolves around Luo (Chen Kun) and Ma (Liu Ye), two urban youths who are dispatched to a remote mountain village for...

Direction Jia Zhangke

Cast Joan Chen · Lü Liping · Chen Jianbin · Zhao Tao

Synopsis 24 City (2008) unfolds in contemporary Chengdu, where the state-owned Factory 420 is closing its doors to pave the way for a lavish residential development known as "24 City." The narrative weaves together the lives of three generations and eight...

Direction Tian Zhuangzhuang

Cast Lü Liping · Li Xuejian · Yi Tian · Zhang Wenyao

Synopsis The Blue Kite (1993) unfolds in the heart of Beijing, 1953, on Dry Well Lane, where Chen Shujuan and Lin Shaolong begin their married life. The following year, their son, affectionately called Tietou (Iron Head), arrives. The omnipresence of the...

Direction Zhang Yang

Cast Joan Chen · Sun Haiying · Zifeng Liu · Ge Gao

Synopsis Sunflower (Xiang ri kui) (2005) chronicles the journey of a family through three decades of Chinese history. The narrative begins in 1976, the final year of the Cultural Revolution, as 9-year-old Xiangyang reunites with his father, a man he barely...

Direction Joan Chen

Cast Li Xiaolu · Lopsang · Qian Zheng · Gao Jie

Synopsis Xiu Xiu (1998) follows the journey of a young teenage girl, Xiu Xiu, who is dispatched to a secluded area of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975, as part of China's Cultural Revolution. After a year, she is...

Direction Chen Kaige

Cast Xie Yuan · Yang Xuewen · Chen Shaohua · Zhang Caimei

Synopsis King of the Children (1987) follows the journey of a young individual who, during the Cultural Revolution, is sent to the remote province of Yunnan. Despite his own limited education, he is tasked with educating a group of peasant children...

Direction Wang Xiaoshuai

Cast Gao Yuanyuan · Li Bin · Yao Anlian · Wang Xueyang

Synopsis Shanghai Dreams (2005) unfolds in the 1960s, during a period when the Chinese government urged many urban families to relocate to underdeveloped rural areas to boost local industries. The narrative centers around a 19-year-old girl residing in Guizhou province, where...

Direction Zhang Yimou

Cast Yi Zhang · Fan Wei · Li Xiaochuan · Yu Ailei

Synopsis One Second (2020) follows a convict who is dispatched to a labor camp in the barren northwest region of China during the tumultuous Cultural Revolution. Driven by a singular goal—to catch a glimpse of his daughter in a newsreel—he cleverly...

Direction Jia Zhangke

Synopsis I Wish I Knew (2010) delves into the lives of individuals and their personal narratives, along with the architectural evolution of Shanghai. The documentary spans from the mid-19th century, when Shanghai was established as a bustling trading port, through to...

Direction Wang Xiaoshuai

Cast Liu Wenqing · Wang Jingchun · Yan Ni · Wang Ziyi

Synopsis 11 Flowers (2011) unfolds in the tumultuous period preceding Mao Zedong's passing. The narrative follows Wang Han, a curious 11-year-old from the province of Guizhou, who encounters a fugitive hiding in the woods. The desperate criminal attempts to persuade Wang...

Direction René Viénet · Francis Deron · Jean-Paul Tchang

Direction Zhang Nuanxing

Cast Li Fengxu · Feng Yuanzheng

Direction Wang Xiaoshuai

Cast Tong Wang · Shi Yu · Guo Tao

Synopsis So Close to Paradise (1998) follows the journey of two young rural laborers who, like countless others, depart from their village in pursuit of prosperity in the bustling city. Each young man takes a distinct route to achieve success, leading...

Direction Xie Jin · Huang Shuqin

Cast Zhu Shimao · Cong Shan · Niu Ben · Zhao Ziyue

Synopsis The Herdsman (1982) follows the emotional journey of Xu Jingyou (Liu Qiong), an American businessman who travels to China in 1980 with the intention of reuniting with his son, Lingjun (Zhu Shimao), and bringing him back to the United States...

Direction Mitsuo Yanagimachi

Cast John Lone · Koichi Sato · Sammi Davis · Vivian Wu

Synopsis Shadow of China (1989) unfolds against the backdrop of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, where Henry Wong, an idealistic anticommunist, escapes mainland China as a political refugee alongside his girlfriend, Moo-Ling. In Hong Kong, Henry reinvents himself as a wealthy and...