From the first Chinese film, Ding Jun Shan, to the latest blockbuster, The Promise; from Bruce Lee to Zhang Ziyi; from Shanghai and Hong Kong to Cannes and Los Angles, Chinese cinema has made its mark on five generations of fans and filmmakers. Over the past 20 months, various Chinese press and cultural organizations, as well as several foreign movie festivals, have done much to commemorate the storied history of the industry.

On May 18 of this year, the Cannes Film Festival held a "Chinese Night" to pay tribute to 100 years of Chinese film and Shanghai Dream was honored with a Jury Prize; on December 3, a big-budget multimedia musical, Song of Movies, debuted at Beijing's Poly Theater, where a number of famed artists gathered to review 80 classic Chinese films and discuss the significant evolution in Chinese cinema; on December 13, the 63rd Golden Globe Awards saw the nomination of two Chinese films, Kungfu Hustle and The Promise, as Best Foreign Picture candidates, while Taiwan's Ang Lee received seven nominations for his new picture, Brokeback Mountain, and Zhang Ziyi competed for a Best Actress Award for her performance in Memoirs of a Geisha; on December 15, CineAsia 2005, held in Beijing, celebrated the centennial; Shanghai, the cradle of Chinese cinema, showcased a month-long festival screening more than 120 movies from different generations, periods and artistic styles at 50 local cinemas, with more than 200 filmmakers and scholars from 16 countries and regions attending the International Forum for the Centennial Anniversary of Chinese Cinema on December 10.

According to the Chinese film administration, domestically produced Chinese films have won 32 international awards.

The 100th anniversary of Chinese cinema arrives on December 28 and many grand events and commemorations have been planned to mark the day.

The Centennial Hall of Fame

On December 17, 2005, the Beijing News, in cooperation with the Beijing Film Academy, and with the full support of the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, launched "A Century of Chinese Cinema," a series of cinema-themed activities consisting of four parts: publications, forums, screenings, and the Centennial Hall of Fame. 
 
The first inductees of the Centennial Hall of Fame include 25 elites in Chinese cinema history, 12 of which are still actively contributing to China's film industry. Among those honored are acclaimed directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, renowned actors Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, Maggie Cheung and Jiang Wen. Still exerting tremendous influence today are 13 deceased honorees -- including the Shaw Brothers, Bruce Lee, Hu Jinquan, Shi Hui, Zhao Dan and Ruan Lingyu.

Sun Xiantao, deputy chief editor of Beijing News, revealed that the Centennial Hall of Fame is just a summary of its 270 days of special features commemorating a century of Chinese cinema. He said more names will be added in the future.

When asked about the criteria for induction, Sun explained there are three standards, "The first is whether you have pushed forward the development of China's cinema productivity; the second is whether you have created a new style or trend in Chinese cinema; the third is whether you have had a career spanning more than 20 years in the film industry. Besides these basic criteria, we only consider a movie's value and significance to cinema history. "

Inductees like Xie Jin, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Xu Ke, Liu Xiaoqing and descendants of old-time stars Zhang Shichuan, Fei Mu, Yuan Muzhi, Li Lili and Zhou Xuan attended the tribute ceremony and left their handprints. Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Ang Lee extended their thanks and congratulations via recorded videos and telephone.

On December 28, another grand anniversary celebration, named "In Memory of the Chinese Cinema's 100th Anniversary," will be held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and China's Ministry of Culture at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Fifty movie artists will be honored with special awards for their outstanding contributions to China's motion picture industry, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television told China.org.cn on December 21.

China's First Film Museum Set to Open

Featuring the exhibit of treasured relics spanning a century of Chinese cinema history, China's first film museum will open to the public at end of December.

The 31-meter high, four-story, 34,500-square-meter Chinese Film Museum is situated in the Chaoyang District of Beijing. The municipal government and State Administration of Radio, Film and Television invested 550 million yuan to build the largest film museum in the world, which is co-designed by RTKL International Ltd. and Beijing Institute of Architectural Design & Research.

Few people know that Zhou Enlai, the former Chinese premier, proposed constructing a museum for motion pictures as early as 1958, but nothing came of it at the time, according to museum exhibition director Liu Jianzhong. "After China's reform and opening up, a great number of cinema artists strongly urged the establishment of such a museum, which drew great attention from the central government. In 1998, the Chinese Film Museum project was approved," he told Beijing News last month. Construction of the museum began on November 22, 2002, and was completed by the end of 2004. Interior decoration and exhibition arrangements were wrapped up in December 2005. An opening ceremony and centennial celebration is scheduled for December 29.   

"The Chinese Film Museum is not specifically for the 100th anniversary, but it's quite a good coincidence," Liu said, "We have visited film museums in France and Japan, but they are smaller than ours. Our museum will not only display a hundred years of motion picture history, but also provide visitors with a glimpse into the secrets of movie production."

The Chinese Film Museum will consist of three major areas -- Film Exhibitions, Film Expo and Film Screening. The exhibition area will trace the 100-year development of Chinese cinema using photos, relics, rarities, documents, models, inventions and recreated shooting sites. The museum will even display the world's earliest movie cinematograph by Auguste and Louis Lumière, on loan from France for one year. Other exhibits include the desk and bookcase of China's first generation director Zheng Zhengqiu and the shooting set of China's first film, Ding Jun Shan. In total, there are 7,000 pieces for the public to view.

The film expo area will focus on the development of film production technologies. Visitors will get a look at the inside the studio arts, including shooting, recording, editing, processing, synthesizing, special effects and animation. The screening area will feature five auditoriums equipped with the most advanced cinema technology, among which will be Beijing's first ever IMAX auditorium.

In the past, it was the non-public China Film Archive that collected the historic materials of Chinese cinema. Liu pointed out the difference: "The Archive is for collecting and researching while the Museum is for exhibition. For our exhibition arrangement team, the hardest thing is not collecting, but it is how to select and organize materials. If people actually go to the Archive, they will find that a day is not enough for them to look through everything there. But the film museum is a public cultural establishment, which will function similarly to the Forbidden City in the future, combining exhibition and preservation."

Collections and Books

The largest and most comprehensive commemorative collection for Chinese cinema's 100th anniversary became available on December 18. Many artists, old and young, gathered at the ceremony to celebrate its launch and to review voluminous footage exhibiting extraordinary performances and artistic spirit of generations of filmmakers.
  
The package, "Centennial Movies, Centennial Collection," is superbly designed and co-presented by ten renowned companies and organizations. These include Beijing Jingwen Records, Poly Culture & Arts Co., Ltd., Dalian Xinyuan Media Co., China Film Press, China Record Corporation and CCTV's "Movie Legends" program. It contains 100 old-time movies, 100 episodes of "Movie Legends," 100 movie comics, 100 movie theme songs with original and cover versions and score scripts and 100 posters.

"Starlight," a commemorative stamp album, co-presented by the China Movie Foundation, China Film Archive and the State Post Bureau of China, was released on December 13. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television entrusted the China Movie Foundation with the task of organizing scholars to vote for the 128 most influential Chinese movie stars. Among the results are old-time artists like Ruan Lingyu, Hu Die and Yu Yang, along with contemporary popular stars like Zhao Wei and Zhang Ziyi. Among 28 Hong Kong and Taiwan stars were Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Brigitte Lin and Cecilia Cheung.

Finally, on December 15 China Film Press launched the revised Motion Picture Arts Dictionary. Chief Editor Xu Nanming explained that the first edition of the dictionary was published in 1986 and comprised 1,700 words and phrases. The book received overwhelming praise, became a bestseller and realized more than 10 printings. In keeping pace with the fast-developing industry, the latest edition now contains 2,070 words and phrases. Upon its release on December 17, another newly published tome, A Century of Chinese Cinema, was enthusiastically recommended by Wu Yigong, the president of the China Film Association, and famed filmmakers Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui December 27, 2005)