China In Context

All guns blazing: the political messages of Chinese war films

Nov 30, 2021

13:00

The highest grossing films at the Chinese box office are war movies. Wolf Warrior 1 and 2, and The Battle at Lake Changjin, portray heroic Chinese soldiers battling against foreign enemies, including the Americans. These big budget productions are overseen by an arm of the state known as the China Film Administration. Are they therefore a form or propaganda, or can they be defined as art? Dr Xiaoning Lu, a lecturer in Chinese culture and cinema at SOAS, shares her views on the political messages of the films, in conversation with Duncan Bartlett, Editor of Asian Affairs magazine.

China In Context: Episode 43
Broadcast date: 30 November, 2021

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SOAS China Institute (SCI)

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Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0