Chinese directors have tried recently to present these elements in movies like "Confucius" and "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," but success has been limited primarily due to lack of publicity and cultural barriers. [Photo: baidu]
China's domestic film industry has undergone phenomenal growth in the past few years, but as this year's Oscar Awards revealed, Chinese films have experienced difficulty attracting an international audience.
As Chinese movie makers attempt to advance in the global arena, a report conducted by several high-profile film research institutions reveals how foreigners view Chinese films.
Whether ancient or modern, martial arts is the primary element by which foreigners recognize Chinese films. That is the message of the report in a nutshell. The study was led by the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture and several other prestigious organizations.
Chinese directors have tried recently to present these elements in movies like "Confucius" and "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," but success has been limited primarily due to lack of publicity and cultural barriers.
Most Westerners were first acquainted with Chinese films and actors when Bruce Lee first emerged in Kungfu films. The word "Kungfu" was even bound up tighter with Chinese films when Jackie Chan became well-known.
Kungfu films with their agile and brilliant fighting scenes quickly left an impression on foreign viewers. And a host of different Kungfu films were made.
But the report highlights one problem. As fists of fury fly across the screen, other Chinese elements such as arts, music and philosophical values are often quietly overlooked.
Luckily, directors are exploring a new way forward by inviting foreign stars to cooperate with Chinese stars to help bridge the culture gap and bring together audiences from both China and abroad.
And speaking of Chinese stars, the report also revealed that Chinese actors have more recognition than actresses with Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Chow Yun Fat ranking as the top four. Only Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi were noted for being well known among Chinese actresses.
When asked what is the area that Chinese films need most improvement on, more than 60 percent of the respondents pointed to publicity as most of them have no idea of what's hot in the Chinese movie market.
As almost half of those surveyed get their information from the Internet, a good place to start publicizing Chinese films would be on the web. So it seems, in order to avoid the fate of becoming eye candy and making it into the main course of the foreign viewers, a comprehensive and consistent effort is needed.