In 2010, Avatar was one of the highest grossing films of all time in Mainland China. The astronomical amount of money taken at the box office was in excess of 1 billion RMB. It goes to show that fantasy, sci-fi and horror movies are eternally popular with Chinese cinema-goers, and yet the most popular movies in these genres are all produced, filmed and cast with actors from abroad. Why does there seem to be a complete dearth of fantasy, sci-fi and horror films made in Mainland China when they are so popular with the public?

In China, the film industry is rapidly growing more lucrative, especially when considered within the wider context of Hong Kong and Taiwan. With the gradual rise in wages, more people can afford to go to the cinema to see the latest home-grown blockbusters as well as foreign titles. For example, last year’s Aftershock directed by Feng Xiaogang, was one of the highest grossing Chinese-made films of all time in the mainland, netting an impressive gross total of 532 million RMB. In fact, despite the ubiquitous problem of DVD piracy on the mainland, China is set to eclipse Japan as the second largest cinema market after the USA. Why then do the majority of Chinese films made here tend to be about historical events in China, and why don’t directors delve into other genres such as fantasy and horror when they are clearly so popular with the Chinese public?

Plenty of inspiration but no results

It is clear that throughout Asia, horror and fantasy films strike deep into the psyche. Japan has a fine tradition of truly hair-raising movies such as Hideo Nakata’s 1998 creeper Ringu (Ring), or the 2003 movie Ju-on (The Grudge) by director Takashi Shimizu, lauded by critics both at home and abroad. In South Korea, director Bong Joon-ho’s 2006 monster movie Gwoemul (The Host) was so popular that over 13 million people went to see it.  

While it can be argued that Japanese and South Korean horror movies have roots that stretch back deep into their native folklore, perhaps striking an atavistic chord with the cinema-going public, China also has folkloristic beliefs that could be interpreted by film directors into sensational horror or fantasy movies. A good example of this comes from the city of Shenzhen where I currently reside. In the Futian Central Business District there is a collection of tall buildings owned by the Bank of China. They are all painted red and the rent for office or apartment space is approximately 50% cheaper than surrounding buildings. I have been told that the reason for this is that the scrap of land they are built on is the former execution ground for Shenzhen city. Several people have informed me that they believe the buildings are haunted by the tortured souls of the falsely condemned. The reason the buildings are painted red is to repel the evil spirits and keep them firmly in hell. If such beliefs can so profoundly affect property prices, then surely they can be put to lucrative use in the film industry.

However, it should be noted that some Chinese directors have flirted, albeit within a historical context, with horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres. Tian Zhuangzhuang’s 2010 epic The Warrior and the Wolf is a historical action drama that concerns the valiant deeds of semi-mythical ancient warriors in China. Filmed in Xinjiang Province, the cinematography is spectacular. However, Tian’s epic did poorly at the box office. Why?

Fantasy cursed by a lack of enthusiasm?

Perhaps the disparity between interest in foreign-made fantasy and sci-fi movies and the strange lack of enthusiasm for those coming from the Chinese industry can be in some part explained by the Chinese government’s film policy. At present, only 20 foreign-made films are allowed to be shown each year, compared with the 500 or so films made in China. This is supposedly to protect the Chinese film industry both culturally and economically. However, according to journalist Gabrielle Jaffe, these 20 foreign-made films per year account for around 45% of total box office revenue in China. This conflict of viewer interest was highlighted in January 2010 when the government decided to pull screening of Avatar from certain cinemas throughout China, and replace it with showings of Hu Mei’s biopic Confucius. The result was a backlash against Hu’s film, as it was evident that the public wanted to be part of the global hype surrounding Avatar.

While it is clear that the genres of horror, sci-fi and fantasy have been atrophied in Chinese cinema, it should be remembered that what may be perceived as a reluctance to move away from films concerned with historical drama has actually produced some of the most wonderful and powerful pictures in the genre. Lu Chuan’s 2009 drama Nánjīng!, Nánjīng! (The City of Life and Death) was received with critical acclaim, both domestically and abroad, even receiving Best Film at the 2009 Oslo Film Festival.

It appears then that there is a unique situation in Chinese cinema. The film industry, with the approval of the government, will continue to make impressive historical epics, knowing that they will be well received by the public. Whatever desire for cinematic morbidity and escapism exists in the Chinese cinema-going public can, like Brad Pitt’s character Louis in Interview with the Vampire, only be sated a few times a year. People in China obviously like to watch similar films to people in the West or other parts of Asia, and despite the disproportional representation of these genres in Chinese cinemas, it is worth remembering that all films are widely available on pirate DVD. 

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Keywords: science fiction in China horror and fantasy movies in China Chinese science fiction movies