Author, critic and film historian Simon Fowler has come out with a verbal treat on visual delights, 101 Essential Chinese Movies. It looks at movies produced on the Chinese mainland, offering insights into China's cinematic history from silent era to present.

The book, with detailed descriptions of each entry and recommendations for further viewing, covers a wide range of genres, including the popular kung-fu epics, leftist melodramas and propaganda movies.

"Most people associate 'Chinese' cinema with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. With this book, I wanted to look at something different, the mainland and the way its cinema has developed over the last century," Fowler writes in the book.

Since Fowler arrived in Beijing in 2006, a "voracious consumer of films and self-confessed cinematic obsessive," he has been aware of the drastic difference between the Chinese films that are popular in China and those abroad. With a general overview of 101 carefully-picked movies, it could be "a great starting point for people looking to learn more about the country's history and culture."

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