These book-length studies either focus on or devote significant attention to Chinese cinema during the late Qing dynasty (up to 1911) and during the Republic of China (up to 1949). Listed in reverse chronological order by year of publication. This post will be updated on an ongoing basis, as new books are published. Please write if you note an error or omission.
Also check out the bibliographies related to Media/Film at the Modern Chinese Literature and Culture (MCLC) Resource Center at the Ohio State University, in particular the Early Cinema bibliography, which includes book chapters and articles in addition to books.
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Chinese Movie Magazines (2018), by Paul Fonoroff
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The Poetics of Chinese Cinema (2016), edited by Gary Bettinson and James Udden
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Sounding the Modern Woman (2015), by Jean Ma
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Chinese Martial Arts Cinema, 2nd ed (2015), by Stephen Teo
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Fiery Cinema (2015), by Weihong Bao
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Shanghai Filmmaking (2014), by Huang Xuelei
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Wang Renmei (2013), by Richard J. Meyer
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A Companion to Chinese Cinema (2012), edited by Yingjin Zhang
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The Origins of the Left-wing Cinema in China (2012), by Vivian Shen
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Chinese Women’s Cinema (2011), edited by Lingzhen Wang
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China on Film (2011), by Paul G. Pickowicz
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Chinese Film Stars (2010), edited by Mary Farquhar and Yingjin Zhang
This volume of original essays fills a significant research gap in Chinese film studies by offering an interdisciplinary, comparative examination of ethnic Chinese film stars from the silent period to the era of globalization.
Jin Yan (2009), by Richard J. Meyer
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Chinese Films in Focus II (2008), edited by Chris Berry
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An Amorous History of the Silver Screen (2005), by Zhang Zhen
The first sustained historical study of the emergence of cinema in China, An Amorous History of the Silver Screen is a fascinating narrative that illustrates the immense cultural significance of film and its power as a vehicle for social change.
Ruan Ling-Yu (2005), by Richard J. Meyer
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Chinese-Language Film (2005), edited by Sheldon H. Lu and Emily Yueh-yu Yeh
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Chinese National Cinema (2004), by Yingjin Zhang
This introduction to Chinese national cinema covers three 'Chinas': mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Historical and comparative perspectives bring out the parallel developments in these three Chinas, while critical analysis explores thematic and stylistic changes over time.
Chinese Films in Focus (2003), edited by Chris Berry
'Chinese Films in Focus' is an anthology of 25 fresh and original readings of individual Chinese films. Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the diaspora are all included, and historical coverage ranges from the 1930s to the beginning of the 21st century.
Projecting a Nation (2003), by Jubin Hu
This is the first major work on pre-1949 Chinese cinema in English. As such, it represents a major contribution to existing discussions of both Chinese cinema and national cinema, and is an indispensible basic resource for scholars interested in Chinese film history. The book analyses the wide variety of conceptions of “Chinese national cinema” between the early years of the 20th century and 1949, and contrasts these to conceptions of national cinema in Europe and China.
Between Shanghai and Hong Kong (2003), by Poshek Fu
Based on meticulous archival research and a repository of rare films, most of which were believed lost, this book is a pioneering critical study of the Chinese cinemas in Hong Kong and Shanghai and their complex interconnections.
Witness Against History (2003), by Yomi Braester
Witness against History offers fresh readings of milestones in twentieth-century Chinese literature and cinema. The book reveals how these texts and films, which seem to proclaim faith in modernity, nevertheless doubt the possibility of changing the course of history.
Building a New China in Cinema (2002), by Laikwan Pang
Building a New China in Cinema introduces English readers for the first time to one of the most exciting left-wing cinema traditions in the world. This unique book explores the history, ideology, and aesthetics of China's left-wing cinema movement, a quixotic film culture that was as political as commercial, as militant as sensationalist.
Cinema and Urban Culture in Shanghai (1999), edited by Yingjin Zhang
This volume aims both to establish cinema as a vital force in Shanghai culture and to direct attention to early Chinese cinema, a crucial chapter in Chinese cultural history long neglected by Western scholars.
Encyclopedia of Chinese Film (1998), edited by Yingjin Zhang and Zhiwei Xiao
Encyclopedia of Chinese Film edited by Yingjin Zhang and Zhiwei Xiao Routledge 504 pages, 1998 (new edition 2014) ISBN: 9780415757027 Publisher website: https://www.routledge.com/Encyclopedia-of-Chinese-Film/Xiao-Zhang-Zhang/p/book/9780415757027 Publisher’s description: The Encyclopedia of Chinese Film, one of the first ever encyclopedias in this area, provides alphabetically organized entries on directors, genres, themes, and actors and actresses from mainland China, Hong […]
Transnational Chinese Cinemas (1997), edited by Sheldon Hsiao-peng Lu
Transnational Chinese Cinemas spans nearly the entire length of twentieth-century Chinese film history. The volume traces the evolution of Chinese national cinema, and demonstrates that gender identity has been central to its formation.
Dianying (1972), by Jay Leyda
Because he worked with the Chinese film industry in Peking from 1959 to 1964, the author has had access to more Chinese films and relevant documents than any other Western scholar. In Dianying he describes both historic and current film production, using the films themselves as primary source material.
