IDs: Zhang Yimou
Five Golden Flowers
Revolutionary Operas
Jiang Wen
Fifth Generation
Jia Zhangke
I. Six Generations of Chinese Cinema (Overview)
First Generation (1905 - 1937)
- New Woman (1934)
Second Generation (1937 - 1949)
- Spring in a Small Town(1948) [screenplay]
Third Generation (1950 - 1976)
- Five Golden Flowers (1959)
- Early Spring in February (1963)
- Red Lantern (1970)
- Red Detachment (1970)
- Shajiabang (1971)
The Fourth Generation (1976 - 1982): New Socialist Realism & Entertainment (for Entertainment's sake)
- At Middle Age(1982)
- Shaolin Temple (1982)
Fifth Generation (1979 - 1989) : "New Wave"
Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) [Interview] (Gong Li)
- Red Sorghum
- Ju Dou (1990) [Review]
- The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)
- Raise the Red Lantern (1992)
- To Live (1994)
- Shanghai Triad (1995)
- Hero (2002) [trailer]
Chen Kaige ( 陈凯歌)
- Life on a String (1991)
- Farewell my Concubine (1993)
- The Emperor and the Assasin (1999)
Tian Zhuangzhuang
(田壯壯)
- The Horse Thief (1986)
- Blue Kite (1993)
- Springtime in a Small Town (2002)
- Delamu (2004)
Jiang Wen (姜文)
- In the Heat of the Sun (1994)
- Devils on the Doorstep (2000)
- The Sun Also Rises (2007)
Sixth Generation (1989 - c.2000): "Urban Generation"
Jia Zhangke (贾樟柯)
- Platform (2000)
- The World (2004)
- Still Life (2006)
Zhang Yang (张扬)
- Spicy Soup (1998)
- Shower (1999)
Zhang Yuan (张元)
- Beijing Bastards (1993)
- East Palace, West Palace (1997)
- Green Tea (2003)
Seventh Generation (early 21st century)
II. Hong Kong and Taiwan
Wong Kar-Wai (Wang Jiawei - 王家衛)
- Days of Being Wild (1991)
- Chungking Express (1994)
- In the Mood For Love (2000)
Ang Lee (Li An - 李安)
- The Wedding Banquet (1993)
- Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
- Lust, Caution (2007)
For those wanting to spend their time working their way through China's best films here is a list of the best helpfully divided by era