The purpose of this essay is to investigate Chinese cinema, and in particular the cinema of the People’s Republic of China, from an ecocritical perspective. More specifically, I will scrutinize at genre films, and thus at entertainment cinema, as a mirror for investigating the evolution of the depiction of the environment and its interactions with the human realm in New China. I agree with the idea that all films can present significant ecocritical explorations “and careful analysis can unearth engaging and intriguing perspectives on cinema’s various relationships with the world around us.” China’s vast territory has undergone furious geological and environmental changes over time. These changes are the result of natural events or human actions: “the Chinese population battled, manipulated and exploited nature in ways that rivalled or exceeded those of the Europeans, leading to large-scale deforestation, water shortage, soil degradation and natural disasters of escalating orders.” To guide, harness, and remedy these changes, the official attitude toward the environment has changed over time. A glimpse of these changes can be found in the films produced in different historical periods.
Ecocatastrophes, Landscapes, and Collective Effort in New China Genre Films: From Mao to the World Trade Organization, 2024-06.
Ecocatastrophes, Landscapes, and Collective Effort in New China Genre Films: From Mao to the World Trade Organization
Stefano Locati
2024-06-01
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to investigate Chinese cinema, and in particular the cinema of the People’s Republic of China, from an ecocritical perspective. More specifically, I will scrutinize at genre films, and thus at entertainment cinema, as a mirror for investigating the evolution of the depiction of the environment and its interactions with the human realm in New China. I agree with the idea that all films can present significant ecocritical explorations “and careful analysis can unearth engaging and intriguing perspectives on cinema’s various relationships with the world around us.” China’s vast territory has undergone furious geological and environmental changes over time. These changes are the result of natural events or human actions: “the Chinese population battled, manipulated and exploited nature in ways that rivalled or exceeded those of the Europeans, leading to large-scale deforestation, water shortage, soil degradation and natural disasters of escalating orders.” To guide, harness, and remedy these changes, the official attitude toward the environment has changed over time. A glimpse of these changes can be found in the films produced in different historical periods.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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