Encyclopedia of Chinese Film [Hardcover]

Zhiwei Xiao (Author), Yingjin Zhang (Author, Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415151686 | ISBN-13: 978-0415151689 | Publication Date: February 10, 1999 | Edition: annotated edition

The Encyclopedia of Chinese Film, one of the first ever encyclopedias in this area, provides alphabetically organized entries on directors, genres, themes, and actors and actresses from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as 300 film synopses. Great care has been taken to provide solid cultural and historical context to the facts. The alphabetical entries are preceded by a substantial historical section, incorporating material on the the main studios and analysing the impact of Chinese film abroad as well as at home in recent years.
This Encyclopedia meets the needs, equally, of
* the film studies scholar
* the student of Chinese culture
* the specialist in Chinese film
* the curious viewer wanting to know more.
Additional features include:
* comprehensive cross-references and suggestions for further reading
* a list of relevant websites
* a chronology of films and a classified contents list
* three indexes
- (one of film and tv titles with directors names and year of release, one of names including actors, writers, directors and producers and one of studios, all with pinyin romanizations)
* a glossary of pinyin romanizations, Chinese characters and English equivalents to aid the specialist in moving between Chinese titles and English translations.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This work offers comprehensive coverage at a time when Chinese cinema has won international acclaim through the work of directors like Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou (mainland China), John Woo (Hong Kong), and Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan). Six incisive historical essays precede the main body of entries on film people, synopses, genres, studios, and subjects. The essays alone offer great assistance, but when they are coupled with the cross-referenced entries and the handsome photographs, the work's value crystallizes. A thorough bibliography, multiple indexes, and an annotated list of select websites further enhance the volume. In addition, an effective use of fonts assists the reader in exploring this rich topical purview, and a glossary of Pinyin romanizations?Chinese characters and their English equivalents?will undoubtedly aid scholars. Highly recommended for all academic libraries; there is no comparable reference.?Neal Baker, Ball State Univ., Muncie, IN
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'This work offers comprehensive coverage at a time when Chinese cinema has won international acclaim. The essays alone offer great assistance, but when coupled with the cross-referenced entries and the handsome photographs, the work's value crystallizes. A thorough bibliography, multiple indexes and an annotated list of select websites further enhance this volume. Highly recommended for all academic libraries; there is no comparable reference.' - Library Journal

'There have been scholarly studies of certain aspects of Chinese cinema in English before, but this Encyclopedia is unique in its scope. The volume is a splendid contribution to the study of one of the most important film traditions outside Hollywood. All students of the Chinese cinema will want a copy.' - Times Literary Supplement

'...represents a real step forward for the documentation of Chinese cinema.' - Sight and Sound

'Film librarians will welcome Routledge's Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. There is little else in the reference literature that covers Chinese film as comprehensively, especially in a single volume ... a well-balanced mix of articles. Editors Yingjin Zhang and Zhiwei Xiao deserve credit for a useful, thorough treatment of an important and interesting topic. Academic libraries and large public libraries will find this a valuable addition to their film reference collections.' - Against the Grain

'This one-volume encyclopedia is a well-stocked supermarket for the student of Chinese film and a handy reference work for any scholar working with films from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.' - JOSA 31 [1999]

Product Details

• Hardcover: 504 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; annotated edition edition (February 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415151686
• ISBN-13: 978-0415151689
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,619,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Indispenable Reference for Chinese Film Studies, April 23, 2002

By 

Mark Pollard (www.kungfucinema.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Chinese Film (Hardcover)

This academic reference book includes six informative essays, an extensive bibliography, web site addresses, and indexes of titles, names and studios in addition to the hundreds of main entries. At less than 500 pages, this single volume title is hardly comprehensive, yet does provides valuable information on history, various films themselves, general topics, and people within the film industry. Due to the high price, I can only recommend this title to professionals and serious students of Chinese film. I do research for web-based and film distribution projects and I've found the book to be well worth the purchase.