The impact of censorship on Chinese cinema

Abstract

I come from a family of filmmakers. My grandfather, Wenzhi Shi, a pioneering Chinese filmmaker, was among the graduates of the first-ever filmmaking program that took place in the People's Republic of China, in 1950. This program was taught by Soviet filmmakers and later became the Beijing Film Academy. Following his graduation, he became a film director and founding member of the Chinese 8.1 Military Film Studio. His noted films include: “The Five Heroes of the Liang Ya Mountain”, “Angry Waves,” and “Iron and Steel Transport Line.” My grandpa endured five long years of imprisonment and torture during the cultural revolution due to his films. I remember vividly how he would wear a big smile on his face as he showed me which parts of his arms where the bones had broken and had healed on their own due to the brutal beatings he endured while he was in prison. He was barred from directing fiction films upon his release. One of his last works as a film director was the documentary feature "Earthquake," which chronicled the aftermath of the devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Tang Shan in 1976.