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#Zhang Yimou

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3 articles

Keep Cool 1997 Zhang Yimou Chinese film poster

Keep Cool (1997): Zhang Yimou's Forgotten Black Comedy About Modern China

Before Olympic ceremonies and wuxia epics, Zhang Yimou made this chaotic, handheld comedy about urban China. A bookseller, a laptop, and a broken window become a meditation on justice, absurdity, and keeping your cool when everything falls apart.

Jan 31, 2026

Old Well 1987 Chinese film Wu Tianming Zhang Yimou

analysis

Old Well (1987): Zhang Yimou's Star Turn as a Village Searching for Water

Wu Tianming's rural drama won the Tokyo Grand Prix and launched Zhang Yimou's acting career. A film about digging for water becomes a meditation on sacrifice, tradition, and the cost of community.

Jan 31, 2026

A line of figures crossing the loess ridge in Yellow Earth (1984)

analysis

Yellow Earth (1984): The Film That Launched Chinese Fifth Generation Cinema

Chen Kaige's debut and Zhang Yimou's first cinematography work created a new visual language for Chinese cinema. A simple story of a soldier and a peasant girl becomes a meditation on tradition, revolution, and the land itself.

Jan 31, 2026