The Chinese film industry : features and trends, 2010-2016

Abstract

The thesis will analyse the evolution of the Chinese film industry between 2010 and 2016. During this period, the Chinese film industry experienced rapid development and underwent massive structural change and expansion. The years 2010 to 2016, also gave rise to a number of important events and phenomena within the Chinese film industry, including technological changes that impacted upon traditional entertainment practices, new Internet-driven innovations, an enormous influx of capital, generous government incentives and an overall explosion in media saturation and popularity. My research poses the following questions; what are the key features of the Chinese film industry between 2010 and 2016? What developments transpired within the Chinese film industry between the years 2010 and 2016 and how might we understand and rationalise these contemporary trends. This thesis adopts a political economy approach. It is the assertion of my research that developments within the Chinese film industry must be considered within the wider socio-economic and political context of contemporary China. This thesis provides a macro-level study of the contemporary Chinese film industry, with focus given to four key areas of research, namely policy, production, distribution and exhibition. These four study areas provide a fitting entry point to better understand the shifting dynamics of the Chinese film industry between 2010 and 2016. The intention of this thesis is to map out contemporary trends within the Chinese film industry. My research, aimed at both academics and industry insiders alike, adopts an industry perspective with the aim of both enriching further scholarship on Chinese cinema, while simultaneously serving as a source of knowledge and understanding for those working within the industry. It is hoped that this thesis will enhance further the academic studies on Chinese cinema by providing an industrial bedrock upon which additional analysis can be based, while also providing the industry with insight that will facilitate the continued health and sustainability of cinema in China.