2024年3月20日发(作者：)
MOVIES THAT
MADE US
By Qi Zhai (
翟琦
)
HOW A HANDFUL OF FILMS INFLUENCED
GENERATIONS OF CHINESE PEOPLE
封
面
故
革命鼓舞人，电影塑造人。曾经，有这么一批电
事
影，给好几代中国人的精神生活打上了深深的烙印。
34
Y
R
O
T
S
R
E
V
O
C
I
grew up in the Philippines during the coup d’etat-ridden 1990s. A national
state of emergency could descend on any given Sunday. There was little to do
for fun. On weekends, my parents and I went to the mall and watched movies,
mostly American imports. I liked period romances. Dad liked Steven Seagal
and Bruce Willis. And mom, well, like a good Chinese wife and mother, she
deferred movie selection to us.
Although we watched many together as a family, rarely were the three of us
into one movie. Once, an old Chinese war movie came on TV. Dad dropped the
Newsweek he was reading. Mom came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her
apron. They sat down in front of the TV and barely blinked as black-and-white
images from “Battle of Triangle Hill” (
《上甘岭》
Sh3ngg`nl@ng
) flashed.
I was curious. What movie could have both my parents equally engrossed? I
went to look over their shoulders. Scenes from Korea, where valiant–––Chinese
soldiers had gone to defend the peninsula against American imperialists, played
to soaring orchestral arrangements. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. What would
my American friends say at school? Crying at a propaganda movie?! I should
“Guerillas on the Plain”
P
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
P
h
s
b
y
t
u
w
e
i
M
e
i
(
t
v
s
e
t
)
a
N
d
F
o
t
o
e
(
i
M
a
g
e
o
N
t
h
e
s
C
r
e
e
N
)
know better. This story assignment was the perfect excuse to revisit that strange
movie experience. My parents were clearly influenced by the revolutionary and
“resistance” films of the 1950s and 1960s. What are the other movies that defined
generations of Chinese people?
I consulted books and experts. I made a list of notable Chinese movies that
spanned the century and whittled it down. I watched a movie, talked to people
about it and moved on to the next one.
My eyeballs were progressing through decades of Chinese cinema, but Chinese
viewers kept telling me the same thing. Almost everyone, from people in their
twenties to those in their eighties, repeated horrid-sounding titles: “Tunnel Warfare”
(
《地道战》
D#d3o Zh3n
, 1965), “Guerillas on the Plain” (
《平原游击队》
P!ngyu1n Y5uj~du#
, 1955), “Railway Guerillas” (
《铁道游击队》
Ti0d3o Y5uj~du#
,
1956). These were the names that sprang to people’s lips when I asked what movies
left the deepest impression on them.
I found an entire nation of movie-goers defined by a handful of politically-minded
pictures.
ONE GENERATION
OF FILMS AND THEIR
STARS DEFINED
MANY GENERATIONS
TUNNEL WARFARE
A WAR MOVIE PLAYED
1.8 BILLION TIMES
Everyone turned out to watch
“Tunnel Warfare.” Adults, students,
even young children tagged along.
“There was nothing else to do for
fun,” says Liu Haixia with a thick
northeastern accent. “Kids could
jump rope or go to the movies. My
dad scolded me, ‘You think the show
doesn’t start without you?’” Taking
a pause from rapid chatter, Liu says
more seriously, “Of course we always
wanted to watch movies. No matter how
many times we had seen one, we always
watched if it was playing.”
The film was originally made as
an instructional video for military use,
but it dominated public screens for
a long time. It’s a story of ingenious
farmers digging underground tunnels
to use in combat against the Japanese.
Chinese media report that it has been
watched a total of 1.8 billion times, a
believable number considering one
man’s experience, “My friend, now a
professor at Tsinghua, watched movies
at his mother’s danwei (
单位，
work
unit), a coal mine in Guizhou. He
saw ‘Tunnel Warfare’ more than
one hundred times! As long as it was
playing, the kids in the danwei would go
封
面
故
事
36
C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
see it, just for fun,” says Nie Xiaoyang,
a prominent journalist.
Kids didn’t mind the caricatures of
Japanese soldiers—sporting mustaches
and making exaggeratedly choppy
salutes—nor the overly enthusiastic
portrayals of the villagers’ selflessness.
“This movie brings back wonderful
memories. Children don’t know politics.
I thought the tunnel was cool. I wanted
to dig one in my village too,” reminisces
Xiao Yuqi, a young advertising
executive.
“
MY FRIEND
WATCHED IT
MORE THAN
ONE HUNDRED
TIMES!
”
A WORLD WITHOUT THIEVES - 2004
“YOU DESPICABLE
ROBBERS, YOU HAVE NO
TECHNICAL SKILLS AT
ALL!”
我最讨厌你们这些打劫的了，一点技
术含量都没有！
Our Chinese fans kept referencing
“Thieves.” We could have picked a
number of lines from this film, some
of which have even been quoted
in CCTV’s New Year Gala. We hope
you never have occasion to use this
one, but should you find yourself in
a hold-up, it should help you sound
cultured to both your friends and,
possibly, armed robbers. We really
don’t suggest you try it.
VISITOR ON ICE MOUNTAIN
REVOLUTION MADE EXOTIC
Another movie in the 1960s also captivated
audiences. “Visitor on Ice Mountain” (
《冰山上的
来客》
B~ngsh`n Sh3ng de L1ik-
, 1963) gave people all
around China glimpses of its western border. Set in
Xinjiang, this film was a gripping mix of spy action,
romance and, naturally, a dose of political awareness.
The story follows Amir, an ethnic Tajik who joins the
People’s Liberation Army, as he reports for duty and
solves the mystery of the “two Gulandams.” One is
Amir’s long-lost childhood sweetheart; the other, an
impostor sent to spy on the army’s activities.
The exoticism of glacial peaks, clear-eyed Tajik
faces and espionage intrigue made “Visitor on Ice
Mountain” a success. Many aunties turn dreamy-eyed
when the name “Amir” is uttered. When I took my
mother to Xinjiang last year, she asked to take photos
at Oytagh Glacier Park, where the namesake “ice
mountain” is visible. The tour guide easily met her
demands—it was a standard part of the itinerary. After
sightseeing, the restaurants we stopped in, without fail,
played the lovers’ song “Why Is the Flower so Red?”
Few people over the age of twenty-five don’t know the
lyrics to this song.
封
面
故
事
37
C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
“
VISITOR
”
GAVE
PEOPLE ALL OVER
CHINA GLIMPSES OF ITS
WESTERN BORDER
THE STORY OF QIU JU - 1992
“I JUST WANT
AN EXPLANATION.”
俺就是想讨个说法。
Persistence and perseverance are, in China’s
eyes, distinguished qualities. Qiu Ju, despite her
peasant status, displays both attributes in this
film, and has become somewhat of a role model.
After her husband is beaten by a municipality
leader in an embarrassing place, she refuses
to back down and takes her case all the way to
the city in search of justice. The line is repeated
throughout the film and is symbolic of her struggle.
Bring it out after a conflict, and deliver with a note
of righteousness, as Gong Li did.
封
面
故
事
38
C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
EARLY SPRING IN FEBRUARY
“
THE MOVIE WAS
PUT STRAIGHT
INTO THE HANDS
OF ZHOU ENLAI
”
THE MAKING OF SCREEN
ICONS
Films made in the early decades
following the founding of New China in
1949 stayed for a long time in people’s
hearts. So did the people who played
those characters. Actress Xie Fang, a
screen icon now in her seventies, began
performing when she was just 15 years
old. She recalls the rush to produce
content for public consumption in the
1950s. “After liberation, audiences
needed to watch something. There was
no time for us to study in arts school. We
graduated from middle school and were
told ‘If you can go on stage, just go!’”
Xie’s first film catapulted her to
nationwide fame and received attention,
straight from the top. “Song of Youth”
(
《青春之歌》
Q~ngch$n Zh~ G8
, 1959),
released on the 10th anniversary of New
China, came hot off the reels and was
put straight into the hands of Premier
Zhou Enlai. “As soon as we finished the
movie, we rushed it to Zhongnanhai. I
remember the premier standing outside
to greet the cast and crew,” says Xie.
After Zhou gave his approval, an entire
nation watched Xie’s bright eyes light
up the screen. “The movie played 24/7
with people lining up outside. There
were no televisions back then. This was
the big thing,” explains Xie.
These days, viewers can still watch
Xie’s old films on websites like Youku.
Even hip youngsters leave rave reviews,
“After thirty years, it’s still so powerful!”
They’re talking about another of
Xie’s movies, a less political one—“Early
Spring in February” (
《早春二月》
Z2och$n Eryu-
, 1963). In it, Xie plays
Tao Lan, a bold beautiful early feminist
in a small town who falls in love with a
drifting intellectual. The misty backdrop
of an idyllic southern town and Tao
Lan’s mandarin collars make this a
signature film about the disenchantment
of Chinese intellectuals.
LET THE BULLETS FLY - 2010
“DO YOU WANT TO
SLEEP WITH ME OR
KILL ME?”
你是想睡我，还是想杀我？
We couldn’t ignore the highest grossing
Chinese film ever. Fast action and Jiang
Wen’s dark humor are seamlessly woven
together in “Bullets.” This line is a clas-
sic example. Newspapers have already
reported that several of the film’s lines
have become “trendy slang” for young
people. This one could prove useful in
uncovering your lover’s true motives.
(For more on “Bullets” read our review
on p. 88)
ROMANCE ON LUSHAN MOUNTAIN
ROMANCE AND THE REVOLUTION
P
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
P
h
b
y
C
F
P
(
r
o
M
a
N
C
e
o
N
L
u
s
h
a
N
M
o
u
N
t
a
i
N
)
封
面
故
The movies that Chinese people most remember aren’t
all about blood, war and austerity. In 1980, just two years
after the policy of Reform and Opening Up was announced,
“Romance on Lushan Mountain” (
《庐山恋》
L%sh`n Li3n
)
broke new ground on many counts.
This movie showed New China’s first onscreen kiss (so
widely believed, but there were in fact similar pecks on the
cheek in films before the Cultural Revolution). Aside from
this sensational scene, the overall newness and luxury of
“Lushan” drew audiences in. For the first time in decades,
wealth, fashion and love took center stage. Actress Zhang
Yu played the returning Chinese-American daughter of a
Nationalist army officer in exile. Her 43 costume changes
even outdo Maggie Cheung’s 23 qipao looks in “In the Mood
for Love.” She falls for the bookish son of a Communist army
officer, who is a bit square and wholly dedicated to building a
modern China through studying architecture.
In a shiny package, complete with scenes of an imagined
American home and dangling pearls, the moviemakers
delivered a modern patriotic rally call to the audience —
“China has changed. Help build your Motherland.”
The movie has endured. In 2002, it earned a Guinness
Book of World Records title, as the movie with the longest
continuous run in one theater. A little theater built by the
enterprising Lushan tourism authority has played this movie
continuously since its release.
事
39
C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
CRAZY STONE - 2006
“YOU INSULTED MY INTEGRITY
AND YOU INSULTED MY
INTELLIGENCE.”
你污辱了我的人格，还污辱我的智商。
“Crazy Stone” is a quick-witted,
fast-paced film that appeals greatly
to Chinese comedic sensibilities.
Certain lines from the movie have,
according to movie expert Simon
Fowler, “entered everyday parlance.”
This is a good line to bring out in a
moment of fury, but beware: quoting
it may lead some to believe you speak
Sichuanese (the majority of the film is
in dialect)!
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
WANING INFLUENCE
封
What of the newer movies that broke Scarcity of diversions had a lot to do could “define” and influence a people.
面
box office records and won praise overseas, with it as well. “In those days, we were Televisions began entering average
故
the “Red Sorghum” and “Crouching busy with political movements, even in households. Movie-going subsided. The
事
Tiger, Hidden Dragon” types? Why don’t our leisure time,” says Lu Guanghui, days of collective viewing and group
40
these titles light up faces?an energetic and well-coiffed retiree. In chatter were coming to an end. People
Perhaps, over time, people were her career days, Lu was a high-ranking started to stay in and watch programs in
Y
R
spoiled for choice. Nie, the journalist, official in the central bank system. Now, isolation. Liu, whose father once scolded
O
T
S
muses, “It was a planned economy back as she recalls watching movies outdoor her for running to the factory theater too
R
then. Every year, there were set numbers on her college campus, she says with often, switched to television series after
E
V
of movies released. If there was a new girlish excitement, “Watching movies getting “a small TV” at home in 1988.
O
C
movie, everyone watched it.” Indeed, was such an indulgence. We enjoyed it When I talk to people about movies,
many moviegoers, when asked why old so much. Back in the dorm we talked I catch a glimmer in their eyes, a faint
movies, movies about war and politics, about the scenes for a long time, from flush on their cheeks from palpating
remain their favorites reply, “There was top bunk to bottom bunk.” hearts only when those old titles of
so little choice. We watched the same Another development in the 1980s yesteryear come up. Those were the
ones over and over again.” also changed how much a single movie movies that defined generations.
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN - 1994
Making a connection between life and
“I CAN’T LIVE LIKE
food is very Chinese. So, spouting any of
I COOK. I CAN’T
the multiple cooking metaphors in Ang
WAIT UNTIL ALL THE
Lee’s critically acclaimed movie is bound
INGREDIENTS ARE
to impress. As this writer put it, “Reading
PREPARED AND THEN
The World of Chinese is like cooking a
BEGIN.”
rump steak: it deserves great attention
and doing so will reap great rewards!” Cite
人生不能像做菜，把所有的料都准备好了
this film when you’re feeling spontaneous,
才下锅。
then let things “simmer” a while for best
results.
y
b
h
P
a
r
g
o
t
o
h
P
C
F
P
发布评论