Scholar says Chinese films less censored
By: Edgar Zuniga
Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: News
Mao Zedong's communist China used the movie industry to distribute its propaganda and ideology to the masses, said Yunfeng Song, a Fulbright scholar and visiting professor at UNLV.
Song said that after the creation of the People's Republic of China, Chinese films became increasingly more government-controlled because Zedong thought cinema should serve all people and elevate them through a sense of "revolutionary romanticism."
Song made his comments during a lecture at the Hinckley Institute of Politics on Thursday, entitled "Politics and Film: Evolution of Chinese Contemporary Cinema." About a dozen students and faculty gathered to hear Song speak about the evolution of communist China and watch a screening of the 2007 Chinese film "Going Home."
After Zegong's cultural revolution, the Chinese government became more open to the internationalization of its films, Song said. This international marketing of Chinese films continued with films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "The House of Flying Daggers" and smaller-budgeted productions such as "Going Home," he said.
"I told my own family they should watch ("Going Home") some time because it's a very moving film," said Howard Lehman, a U political science professor and a two-time Fulbright scholar. "Normally what we see in blockbuster Chinese movies in the last few years are kind of fantastic stories, but this one talks about poverty and the working class and how not everyone is benefiting from globalization."
The film depicts the story of a man trying to go back to his hometown to lay to rest the body of his dead friend. Pretending his friend is incredibly drunk, the protagonist travels through numerous parts of China going through comical yet heart-wrenching experiences. The film depicts life in rural China where most people have not benefitted from China's growing economy.
Before the film screening, Song said the 1949 film "Bridge" was the first to portray members of the communist party in a positive way -- one of the first inklings of China's communist future. "Crows and Sparrows" in 1951 portrayed the ancient regime negatively, and one of the last privately-made films in China was "The Life of Wu Xun" in 1950, a film that Zedong heavily criticized in the editorial page of the state-run newspaper The People's Daily.
After Zedong's strong criticism, many filmmakers were afraid to explore controversial topics, and by 1952 all private studios in China closed. In the 17 years following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the communist government produced 603 feature films and more than 8,000 documentaries and news reels.
Song's visit was part of an effort to raise awareness about the Fulbright program for students and professors.
Jonathan Codell, a graduate student in educational psychology, said in the last few years the U has not sent as many Fulbright students or professors as other universities in the state. Codell said the program sends students and professors to research and promote their area of study in a foreign country. With the experience, the Fulbright scholar brings back contacts, knowledge and can then welcome foreign colleagues to his or her university.
"I think (the Fulbright program) is fantastic not just for faculty, but for students, and it's an excellent opportunity after graduation to go overseas and learn, teach, research and get paid," Lehman said. "This year we had a recent undergrad, who graduated in German, go and become a teacher's assistant in a German high school."
Lehman traveled as a Fulbright scholar twice, lecturing in Slovakia and Japan during his sabbatical years. Lehman is also the faculty Fulbright representative on campus.
For more information, visit www.fulbright.org or contact Lehman at lehman@poli-sci.utah.edu.
e.zuniga@chronicle.utah.edu
Song said that after the creation of the People's Republic of China, Chinese films became increasingly more government-controlled because Zedong thought cinema should serve all people and elevate them through a sense of "revolutionary romanticism."
Song made his comments during a lecture at the Hinckley Institute of Politics on Thursday, entitled "Politics and Film: Evolution of Chinese Contemporary Cinema." About a dozen students and faculty gathered to hear Song speak about the evolution of communist China and watch a screening of the 2007 Chinese film "Going Home."
After Zegong's cultural revolution, the Chinese government became more open to the internationalization of its films, Song said. This international marketing of Chinese films continued with films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "The House of Flying Daggers" and smaller-budgeted productions such as "Going Home," he said.
"I told my own family they should watch ("Going Home") some time because it's a very moving film," said Howard Lehman, a U political science professor and a two-time Fulbright scholar. "Normally what we see in blockbuster Chinese movies in the last few years are kind of fantastic stories, but this one talks about poverty and the working class and how not everyone is benefiting from globalization."
The film depicts the story of a man trying to go back to his hometown to lay to rest the body of his dead friend. Pretending his friend is incredibly drunk, the protagonist travels through numerous parts of China going through comical yet heart-wrenching experiences. The film depicts life in rural China where most people have not benefitted from China's growing economy.
Before the film screening, Song said the 1949 film "Bridge" was the first to portray members of the communist party in a positive way -- one of the first inklings of China's communist future. "Crows and Sparrows" in 1951 portrayed the ancient regime negatively, and one of the last privately-made films in China was "The Life of Wu Xun" in 1950, a film that Zedong heavily criticized in the editorial page of the state-run newspaper The People's Daily.
After Zedong's strong criticism, many filmmakers were afraid to explore controversial topics, and by 1952 all private studios in China closed. In the 17 years following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the communist government produced 603 feature films and more than 8,000 documentaries and news reels.
Song's visit was part of an effort to raise awareness about the Fulbright program for students and professors.
Jonathan Codell, a graduate student in educational psychology, said in the last few years the U has not sent as many Fulbright students or professors as other universities in the state. Codell said the program sends students and professors to research and promote their area of study in a foreign country. With the experience, the Fulbright scholar brings back contacts, knowledge and can then welcome foreign colleagues to his or her university.
"I think (the Fulbright program) is fantastic not just for faculty, but for students, and it's an excellent opportunity after graduation to go overseas and learn, teach, research and get paid," Lehman said. "This year we had a recent undergrad, who graduated in German, go and become a teacher's assistant in a German high school."
Lehman traveled as a Fulbright scholar twice, lecturing in Slovakia and Japan during his sabbatical years. Lehman is also the faculty Fulbright representative on campus.
For more information, visit www.fulbright.org or contact Lehman at lehman@poli-sci.utah.edu.
e.zuniga@chronicle.utah.edu
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