This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Xiaoling Zhang Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Death of Heroes in China

School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham, UK

This article examines Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Zhang Yimou's first forays into the martial arts/action genre, against the shifting cultural landscape in contemporary China. It first offers a sketch of the development of the Fifth Generation filmmakers and Zhang Yimou's career trajectory in relation to the latest development in the cultural politics of contemporary Chinese cinema as a guide to the contextual structures which frame the examination of the two films. The article then goes on to a detailed reading of Hero and House of Flying Daggers. The author believes that drawing upon issues both internal and external to the "text" of the films yields new insights into the relationship between Chinese artists and the Party in terms of rebellion, co-option, and resubmission. The reading of the films leads to the conclusion that the films embody acts of change as well as continuity with the Fifth Generation and Zhang's career development, thus extending existing views on the relationship between filmmakers and the Party.

Key Words: martial arts films • Zhang Yimou • death • rebellion • co-option

China Information, Vol. 22, No. 1, 119-137 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0920203X07087724


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?