Research On "Go North" Of The Hong Kong Director Group After CEPA

In the late 19 th century, Hong Kong film met unprecedented difficulties under the influence of alternating political power and the Asian financial crisis. Hong Kong filmmakers began to think about the future of Hong Kong films. With the return of Hong Kong to China, the opening of mainland film market and the increasing interaction between Hong Kong and mainland China. Hong Kong directors gave their hope to mainland China, the unlimited potential and untapped market. In 2003, the Central Government and the Hong Kong SAR Government signed the protocol, "Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement"(CEPA). With its gradual implementation as well as further communication and cooperation of films in Hong Kong and Mainland China, A large number of Hong Kong directors, such as Wong Jing, Xu Ke,Zhou Xingchi,Chen Jiashang,Chen Kexin,Du Qifeng,Liu Zhenwei,Xu Anhua and so forth began to make films in the mainland. Over the past decade, Hong Kong directors gradually get a full understanding of the mainland culture after longtime exploration.Their work has become an important part of the mainland box office and they began to focus on the mainland market. "Go North" has become a cultural phenomenon. However, it is hard for Hong Kong directors to achieve success in Mainland China due to different cultural backgrounds, varied tastes and divergences in film censoring system. Hong Kong directors had to look for a new method to adapt to the mainland market. To some extent, Hong Kong directors who have gone north also influences the film industry of mainland China. In recent years, films which cater to the taste of the mainland market and succeed in the box office have appeared in recent years. "Greater China" movie is mature gradually. The present paper mainly summarized Hong Kong director groups after " Go North", and analyzed their transition in terms of subjects, types and aesthetic styles. Representative directors are then brought out to show their changes to adjust to the mainland. In the end, this paper explores "pros and cons" of Hong Kong directors’ transitions after going north, aiming to provide appropriate countermeasures for those directors and some inspiration for the future development of Chinese film industry.