Crossing the threshold: Chinese cinema studies in the twenty-first century

This article proposes three trajectories for future studies on Chinese cinema. It argues, first, for an inclusive, cosmopolitan and comparative approach that critically interrogates the alleged ‘Chineseness’ of Chinese cinema. Second, in the context of a current bias towards art cinema, it argues to study the more popular, vernacular kind of Chinese cinemas. Third, it proposes a broader framework of analysis, one that includes the production of the cinematic text as well as its reception. It is argued that the ‘Chineseness’ of Chinese cinema is not just located in the text or its auteur, but also in its cinematic production and reception.