Western China on Screen: An Urban Exploration

Western China on Screen explores the affinity between cinema and cities in western China, challenging the glamourised image of post-socialist metropolises and diversifying the rural and ethnographical images of the region. It establishes a new way of looking at western urban China on screen, from a space of production to a space of increasing consumption.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 30 June 2021
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Western China on Screen is the first monograph to explore the affinity between the cinema and cities of western China through a spatial perspective. It investigates how cinematic cities in western China appear as both spaces of national power and enclosed spaces of traditional cultural values, breaking the long-existing rural and ethnographical images of western China established by Chinese Fifth Generation directors. Through case studies of films such as Rainclouds Over Wushan (1996), Buddha Mountain (2010), and Weaving Girl (2010), the book establishes a new way of looking at western urban China on screen: from a space of production to a space of increasing consumption.

The book explores the stories, memories, and experiences attached to places in western China, challenging the glamourised image of post-socialist, technocratic metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai. It diversifies the image of western China by presenting it as a space of production and consumption, rather than solely as a rural and ethnographical landscape.

Case studies of films such as Rainclouds Over Wushan (1996), Buddha Mountain (2010), and Weaving Girl (2010) illustrate how cinematic cities in western China are shaped by both national power and traditional cultural values. The films showcase the diverse landscapes, architecture, and cultural practices of western China, providing a unique perspective on the region's history and culture.

Overall, Western China on Screen offers a fresh and insightful perspective on the relationship between the cinema and cities in western China, challenging the traditional narratives and providing a more comprehensive understanding of the region's cultural heritage.

Weight: 502g
Dimension: 165 x 243 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474477857