Module 12: Course Wrap-Up
You’re done! What now?
Now that you’ve finished the Chinese Film Classics online course, take a moment to give some thought to the question of what you want to do next. Here are a few ideas to consider.
EXPLORE MORE
Watch more films. If, as I hope, this course has made you curious to learn more about Chinese cinema history, you might start by watching one of the dozen other Chinese films available on this website.
Watch clips and discover new interests. Not sure which film to start with? Try browsing the playlists on the Modern Chinese Cultural Studies YouTube channel. There you’ll find over 150 film clips that you can use to explore early Chinese films, organized by themes such as:
- Superlative scenes
- How-tos from early Chinese cinema
- Animation and cartoons
- Gags and special effects
- Cinematic motifs that China shares with Hollywood and Europe
- Sounds, songs, and music
Browse the resources on this website. The Resources section contains thematic posts offering various ways to navigate this website and explore early Chinese cinema history, including by actor, filmmaker, and more.
Read more about Chinese film history. The book, the channel, and the website contain leads to many excellent studies of Chinese cinema history and artistry. Some authors are experts who contributed to this project, and you can find their names listed in the Acknowledgments. But – as I’ve argued throughout this course – you can gain a more comprehensive perspective on Chinese cinema history by understanding not only China’s national history, but also global cinema history. So, watch non-Chinese films too.
Learn more about film form and the field of cinema studies. Cinema studies is a fascinating and evolving field. Get involved with organizations like the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, whose website lists a few of the many film blogs and other online resources related to cinema.
SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW
Spread the word about this resource. Do you know someone who is interested in modern Chinese culture, or cinema history? Do you know someone who teaches or does research about film, China, modern history, translation, or digital humanities? Tell them about the website, the course, the book, and the YouTube channel. Many users have testified that they’ve found something useful in this free online resource, for work or entertainment. Many have also shared information that has helped to improve the resource and shape its growth. So, tell your friends and colleagues.
Contribute to the writing of Chinese film history. If you’ve never edited Wikipedia before, now is the time to start! Wikipedia is, for better or for worse, the first place that most people go when they seek information online about Chinese film history. Wiki articles about the films listed on this website are, however, nonexistent, incomplete, inaccurate, or – at best – undeveloped. Still, they get thousands of views per year. Please help improve those articles by using the information you have learned in this online course. If every person made just a few edits – a correction here, an addition there, a new citation or two, a couple new sources or links in Further Readings – the net result would be a significant improvement. You can use your expertise to contribute to an important public resource.
GET IN TOUCH
This website, the online course, the subtitled films, the book, the clips and playlists, and the YouTube channel have been a multi-year labor of love that has gone far beyond the day job. The overarching goal of the project is to make Chinese cinema history more accessible. How has it been working for you? Send me an email to let me know what you’ve found useful and share any suggestions for the further development of this project. You can find my contact information at my UBC website.
