Film and social change in china

Film and Social Change in Chaina
Thesis
This article examines the changes in the film industry in China that have been brought about by the social changes that have taken place in China.
Method
Research on this article has been conducted on various analytical bases. Hao & Chen (2000) have used content, historical and documentary analysis to gather the information they require. On historical analysis, they have outlined the historical development of the Chinese film business by examining the major changes that have occurred in the industry. They have then related the content of the film industry over the years and related them with the social changes that were happening in the nation at the same time. In 1978, the Communist Party of China (CPC) changed its main policy from maintaining class struggle to economic development. The CPC has played a major role in the development of the Chinese film industry.
Material
Information to write this article has been collected from various sources. First is the use of the China Filmmakers Association documents and documentaries. This was the first film association in the nation and any information gathered from its monuments is of vital importance to the writing of this article. Hao & Chen (2000), the writers of this article, have also studied the Cultural Revolution that took place between 1966 and 1976. It is believed that the Cultural Revolution in China impacted heavily on the growth of the Chinese film industry. It is important to note that during this period, the film industry almost came to a closure as the film makers were unable to cope with the constant changes in the people’s lifestyles.
Hao & Chen (2000) have also conducted an in depth research of the changing CPC policies that were geared towards economic development. The CPC allowed the film industry to produce films that were not necessarily of political nature. This meant that the film industry could move beyond the political sphere in their country to encompass the social changes that were rapidly occurring. Further, they have gathered information from the China Film Yearbook that was published between 1980 and 1994. The China Film Yearbook contains information on the film genre, production studios, shooting scenes, theme of the film, information on the film characters and coding sheets used in the production of the film. This has helped to obtain information on how the production of films has changed over the years. The Chinese people have also served as great sources of information that was required to write this article.
Conclusion
This article has helped many to understand the social changes as well as the changes in the film industry of China. It is important to note that the mass media is largely affected by the social, political, economic and cultural structures in the society. The film industry is a big part of the mass media and it plays a major role in bringing out the occurrences and activities that are going on in the real world. Hao & Chen (2000) have identified that it is the social changes in thesociety that affect the film industry and not the other way round. Social changes are gradual and the resulting effects on the film industry are barely seen by those who do not understand the film tactics. However, the Chinese people have today learnt to interpret the messages brought out by their films and relate them with what is going on in their society.
Work Cited
Hao, Xiaoming and Chen, Yanru. Film and Social Change: The Chinese Cinema in the Reform
Era. 2000.