Exploring China Through Cinema

China is the world's most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people—20 percent of the Earth's population. Occupying most of East Asia, it is the fourth largest country in area (after Russia, Canada, and the U.S.). Through high quality film footage, pictures and music, this section of the course provides the students with a well balanced guide to experience Chinese geography, history and culture. This unit the student will explore:

  • identification and recognition major geographical features, economic distributions, populations, and indigenous flora and fauna of China.
  • compare and contrast key features of the United States and China
  • develop an appreciation for another country¹s cultural and historical backgrounds

Film Journal Guidelines:

As part of this unit, the students will keep a Film Journal. While watching the films notes should taken in three areas:

1) the film’s presentation of China (geography, culture, society, etc.)

2) the film’s context (maker, intended audience, relevance to the student's culture)

3) the film’s production (images, music, important scenes, etc.)

After watching the film, write an entry in your film journal that synthesizes your notes on the film and includes your personal reactions.

Begin with a heading of the film’s title and production date, a brief synopsis of the film’s storyline, and a summation of the film’s content. The journal must include a tracking of the films geographical locals on the given physical map of China.

The film journal should also include the student's personal reactions, likes and dislikes, and feelings about the film.

The idea is to reflect on the film, and to be able to discuss it with your classmates.

Film I: Globe Trekker China & Beijing

Traveller Justine Shapiro explores the traditional South West China, the autonomous region of Guangxi, and the provinces of Guizhou, Yunnan and Sichuan.

Meanwhile Megan McCormick journeys though Central China, from Shanghai to the Yellow Mountains, and from the Yangzi River to Xian, the ancient capital of China. Zay Harding completes the tour of China travelling through the 4 provinces of South East China from Guanzhou to Nanchang.

Megan then takes a trip around Beijing, starting at the infamous Tiananmen Square, the former stage of the Cultural Revolution rallies. From here she travels to the Forbidden City, kept out of bounds for 500 years. She ends her journey at Beijing's Ice Lantern Festival amidst a colourful fiesta of ice and light.

Film II: Wild China

An exotic fusion of natural history and Oriental adventure "Wild China" is a series of journeys through four startlingly different landscapes each based around the travels of a real historical character. With splendour scale and romance Wild China lifts the veil on the world's most enigmatic and magnificent country delving into its vibrant habitats to reveal a land of unbelievable natural complexity. Journey across China from the glittering peaks of the Himalayas to the barren steppe the sub-Arctic to the tropical islands through deserts both searingly hot and mind-numbingly cold and see in pioneering images a dazzling array of mysterious beautiful wild and rare creatures.

Film III: China Through Camera

China through Camera goes to the depth of countryside and explores cultures unknown to the outside world by focusing on Chinese landscapes, ethos, ballads, songs, dances and humanity. Through the camera, one will see a mysterious and wonderful ancient civilized country.

 

 

Film IV: A Chinese Musical Journey: Xi'an - A Cultural Tour With Traditional Chinese Music

The music chosen for this tour of Xi'an is played on traditional Chinese instruments. The excerpts include, to accompany the terracotta warriors, a contemporary composition inspired by Zhang Ji's poem 'Night at the Maple Bridge' giving particular prominence to the zhongruan, a form of Chinese lute of ancient origin. Other instruments heard are the Chinese transverse bamboo flute, the dizi, the Chinese plucked zither, the guqin, and the Chinese lute, the pipa. A glimpse of operatic stage performance finds a place for a Shaanxi opera tune, an example of the music to be heard in the many regional forms of Chinese opera.

Film V: A Chinese Musical Journey: Beijing - A Cultural Tour With Traditional Chinese Music

The music chosen for this tour of Beijing is played on Chinese instruments, and makes use of traditional works and more modern arrangements, in traditional style. The instruments to be heard include the Chinese flute (dizi), the zither (qin), the Chinese lute (pipa), the three-string lute (sanxian) and the two-string Chinese fiddle (erhu). The Shepherd and His Flute, for example, is played on the Chinese dulcimer (yangqin), The Moon Over Guanshan on the sanxian and Song of the Tea-Pickers, taken from Yue Opera, is arranged for an instrumental ensemble. As with Chinese traditional visual arts, the titles of pieces explain their mood and origin.

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