China on Film:
Twentieth Century Sources from the British Film Institute
Discover a unique and indispensable resource bringing the story of twentieth-century China to life through rare documentary and actuality footage sourced from the renowned British Film Institute (BFI).
The collection offers a vivid portrayal of daily life, historical moments, and transformative events, seen through the lens of foreign travellers. From the rise of communist China to everyday moments in bustling cities and rural areas, these films provide a rare visual journey through a century marked by profound political, social, and cultural change.
Additional thematic essays and editorial content contextualises the visual material, providing deeper insights into the films and exploring the pivotal events they capture such as the fall of the Qing dynasty, and the civil war between the Kuomintang and Communist Party of China.
China on Film: Twentieth Century Sources from the British Film Institute represents an invaluable tool for students and researchers of modern Chinese history and early amateur film-making.
Highlights
- Footage capturing social and cultural life including entertainment, celebrations, funerals, weddings. Examples include Chinese New Year celebrations, dragon dances, parades, the funeral process of Sun Yat-sen, and coronation celebrations in Hong Kong for King George VI
- Street scenes of Hong Kong and cities such as Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Kashgar, Kunming contrasted with rare glimpses into the rural and agricultural communities who did not experience modernisation in the same way or as drastically as in the cities
- Films of missionaries at work and the activities they were witnessing themselves in the communities they visited such as prayer, church life, and medical work including hospitals and vaccinations
- Many films depicting communities that would now be considered minorities in the territory including Uyghurs, Mongolians and Tibetans
Included in
Key data
Period covered
Source archive
- British Film Institute (BFI)
- Urban and rural life
- Work
- Culture
- Religion
- Commerce
- Politics
- Conflict
- Audiovisual
- Jenny Chio, USC Dornsife
- Yidi Wu, Elon University
- Luke Robinson, University of Sussex
- Song-Chuan Chen, University of Warwick
- Tong Lam, University of Toronto
- Joseph W. Ho, Albion College
- Cultural Studies
- Sociology, Social History and Social Science
- War and Conflict
