1980s – 1990s

Chinese Fifth Generation

Graduates of the Beijing Film Academy who made visually striking films about China's history, countryside and people.

In 1978 the Beijing Film Academy reopened after the Cultural Revolution, and its first graduating class, the 'Fifth Generation', went on to make a very different kind of Chinese film. Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth (1984), photographed by Zhang Yimou, used wide landscapes, long silences and bold colour to speak about tradition and rural poverty. Zhang Yimou's Red Sorghum won the Golden Bear in 1988, and Chen's Farewell My Concubine shared the 1993 Palme d'Or. Their stories of village life, family and political upheaval were often banned at home, but became the first Chinese films to win a world audience.

Where: Mainland China
When: 1984 to the late 1990s
Key figures: Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, cinematographer Gu Changwei
Landmark films: Yellow Earth (1984), Red Sorghum (1987), Raise the Red Lantern (1991), Farewell My Concubine (1993)
Legacy: Opened Chinese film to the world and defined its image for a generation

What to look for

Rich, saturated colour and carefully composed wide images
Stories of village life, family and tradition under pressure
Allegories of power that often met official censorship

Famous Directors

Top films · 60 films

To Live 1994 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 8.3
Devils on the Doorstep 2000 · Jiang Wen · IMDb 8.2
Hibiscus Town 1987 · Xie Jin · IMDb 8.2
The Girl in Red 1985 · Lu Xiaoya · IMDb 8.2
Raise the Red Lantern 1991 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 8.1
Farewell My Concubine 1993 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 8.1
In the Heat of the Sun 1994 · Jiang Wen · IMDb 8.0
Hero 2002 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.9
The Road Home 1999 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.7
Not One Less 1999 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.7
The King of Masks 1995 · Wu Tianming · IMDb 7.7
The Spring Festival 1991 · Huang Jian-Zhong · IMDb 7.7
Ju Dou 1990 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.6
The Flowers of War 2011 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.5
The Story of Qiu Ju 1992 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.5
Shower 1999 · Zhang Yang · IMDb 7.5
The Blue Kite 1993 · Tian Zhuangzhuang · IMDb 7.5
Getting Home 2007 · Zhang Yang · IMDb 7.5
Paths of the Soul 2015 · Zhang Yang · IMDb 7.5
Suzhou River 2000 · Lou Ye · IMDb 7.4
Together 2002 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 7.4
The Black Cannon Incident 1985 · Huang Jianxin · IMDb 7.4
Legend of Tianyun Mountain 1980 · Xie Jin · IMDb 7.4
Let the Bullets Fly 2010 · Jiang Wen · IMDb 7.3
Red Sorghum 1987 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.3
Coming Home (2014) 2014 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.3
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles 2005 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.3
Happy Times 2000 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.3
The Emperor and the Assassin 1998 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 7.2
Summer Palace 2006 · Lou Ye · IMDb 7.2
Under the Hawthorne Tree 2010 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.2
The Sun Also Rises 2007 · Jiang Wen · IMDb 7.2
Keep Cool 1997 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.2
Blind Massage 2014 · Lou Ye · IMDb 7.2
Old Well 1987 · Wu Tianming · IMDb 7.2
Shanghai Triad 1995 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.1
One Second 2020 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.1
Yellow Earth 1984 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 7.1
An Unfinished Film 2024 · Lou Ye · IMDb 7.1
King of the Children 1987 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 7.1
Seventeen Years 1999 · Zhang Yuan · IMDb 7.1
Country Teachers 1994 · He Qun · IMDb 7.1
The Accused Uncle Shangang 1994 · Fan Yuan · IMDb 7.1
Shadow 2018 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 7.0
Red Cherry 1995 · Daying Ye · IMDb 7.0
Rain Clouds over Wushan 1996 · Zhang Ming · IMDb 7.0
Article 20 2024 · Zhang Yimou · IMDb 6.9
Life on a String 1991 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 6.9
Wild Mountains 1986 · Yan Xueshu · IMDb 6.9
Horse Thief 1986 · Tian Zhuangzhuang · IMDb 6.8
Blush 1996 · Li Shaohong · IMDb 6.8
Dr. Sun Yat-sen 1986 · Ding Yinnan · IMDb 6.8
Temptress Moon 1996 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 6.6
The Opium War 1997 · Xie Jin · IMDb 6.5
Sacrifice 2010 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 6.2
Jiao Yulu 1990 · Wang Jixing · IMDb 6.2
The Big Parade (1986) 1986 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 6.0
Founding Ceremony 1989 · Xiao Guiyun · IMDb 6.0
The Battle at Lake Changjin 2021 · Chen Kaige · IMDb 5.5
Beijing Bastards 1993 · Zhang Yuan · IMDb 5.5