Elitism, populism, Chinese culture, and transnational industries: A cultural-genre study of Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou's film narratives

Using a culture-genre approach that incorporates Theodor Adorno's theory of the cultural industry, Diana Crane's theory of cultural domains, David Bordwell's narration mode, and Robin Wood' genre theory, this study compares narratives of two Chinese filmmakers, Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, by putting their films within the contexts of Chinese history and culture and the transitions of Chinese film industry influenced by globalization. The history of the two directors' works is reconstructed through surveying the historical data and literature related to Chinese history, culture, and film industry, including government economic and film policies, published interviews with the two directors, and various academic or non-academic publications. The cultural-genre poetic analysis of their works in different periods shows how the two directors' narratives adapted to changes in the Chinese film industry which was impacted by China's economic reform, film censorship, and Hollywood's invasion. The analysis also shows what an important role the two directors played in the transition of film from pedagogical tool to film as art and later as entertainment in China and finally in making progress in the world film market.