Shadow 300

Author: Bo Jiangming, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: I don’t know what others think, but for me, the centennial of Chinese cinema is a daunting term. If I were to compare it to something, the centennial of Chinese cinema is like a dusty old mansion, filled with countless rooms. If I had (chāng jìn - stumbled into) it without knowing, I would have turned around in disappointment. At that moment, a white-haired old man stopped me and handed me a treasure map to guide me through the mansion. Suddenly, the dusty mansion shone with light, and it was these treasures that bewitched the entire place—they were the hidden secrets of the mansion’s soul. Just like the well that the Little Prince sought in the desert, the well that made the desert beautiful and radiant.
At the end of last year, I was struck speechless in front of the centennial of Chinese cinema. This ancient mansion, said to be filled with treasures, glowed with a mysterious light. Together with my colleagues and friends, we made a bold vow to draw that treasure map. This was undoubtedly an arduous task, even with the help of seasoned film culture workers Mr. Luo Ka and Mr. Shu Qi, as well as many judges of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.
In March of this year, the treasure map was finally completed—the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards announced the lists of the top 100 films, top 100 directors, and top 100 actors of the centennial of Chinese cinema. Next, the Hong Kong Film Awards selected their own list of the top 100 films of Chinese cinema from a Hong Kong perspective. Now, we await the list of the top 100 films to be announced by the China Film Association in the second half of the year.
Holding these three treasure maps and searching through this vast old mansion is a dizzying and exhilarating experience. The two lists that have already been released clearly reflect different perspectives. The Hong Kong Film Awards’ list features over 60 Hong Kong films and only about a dozen from mainland China, clearly reflecting a Hong Kong-centric selection. The Film Critics Society’s list includes nearly 50 Hong Kong films and about 30 from mainland China, broadening the scope of mainland perspectives.
There are also similarities between the two lists. Films from before the founding of New China are roughly the same, and Taiwanese films are relatively underrepresented. It would be great if there were a treasure map from Taiwan that focused more on this aspect. Additionally, the 17-year period of mainland cinema is almost entirely overlooked. The list from the China Film Association, which is expected to be released in the second half of the year, will clearly prioritize mainland films and limit the proportion of Hong Kong films, which should help address this imbalance.
I greatly admire the approach of the Hong Kong Film Awards—not referring to the organizers’ method of having 100 industry professionals vote, but rather that they also published a detailed list of each person’s individual choices. Artistic selection has never been truly fair or just. Art cannot be weighed on a scale or measured with a stopwatch; it is always subjective. And now, we are selecting 100 works of art. Therefore, publishing everyone’s choices makes this treasure map filled with personal annotations, ensuring that our centennial of Chinese cinema is not arbitrarily stamped with a mark of democratic election.
I’m afraid of elections like this—they might make this treasure-filled mansion lose its vitality. From the beginning, we didn’t want to demand fairness or justice for this list. What we wanted was an exciting treasure map, not a dry certificate for each confirmed treasure. Since we aimed for a treasure map, we completely disregarded seniority. This treasure map differs from ordinary expectations—it was drawn with a passionate, original, and innocent love for cinema.
In the selection process, we emphasized diversity and inclusivity—covering all genres: art films, musicals, opera films, comedies, wuxia films, kung fu films, horror films, and crime thrillers, without being confined to any single mainstream or prejudice. (Luo Ka’s words)
After the list was announced, there were indeed doubts. Some films are far more important than others, yet one was selected while the other was not. It sounds like a discussion from a meeting about selecting model workers. Some critics listed the “eight great missed treasures,” but if we look at it this way, I can find my own “top 100 missed treasures.”
I remember before the list was released, my relentless questions nearly drove Mr. Shu Qi and Mr. Luo Ka to exhaustion: Why was Ning Ying’s (Police Story) not selected but (Finding Joy) was? Why wasn’t A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella selected? Why wasn’t The Story of Wu Xun selected?
In front of the centennial of Chinese cinema, Mr. Luo Ka, an older film culture worker, said he only saw “the tip of the iceberg of Chinese cinema.” Besides, there are only 100 names. This treasure map is too small to vividly depict the vast and radiant light of the centennial of Chinese cinema. But this treasure map has made the old mansion glow, drawing us in. In the corners we hadn’t noticed, we wander, searching, laughing, crying, or becoming lost in madness.
Indeed. After participating in the entire process of drawing this treasure map, I’ve grown to love this dusty old mansion. It’s as if I live inside it. Though many rooms filled with treasures are locked, and many challenges remain to open them, I still feel content. The treasures sing in the dimly lit rooms. It is the treasure maps that awaken them, letting them sing. Those shadows that have been dancing for so many years awaken our souls.
Yes, we awaken together, humming in unison.