Fandor 100 Essential Chinese Movies

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Created by benitotambara.

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Among the many recent additions to the Fandor catalog, I am most excited by several classic Chinese films that I consider to be among the very best to have ever been made in that language: The Big Road, Street Angel (a film I love so dearly that I modeled my wedding photos after some of its iconic shots), Crossroads, Spring in a Small Town, to name a few. The sight of these titles got me thinking: what are the essential movies that anyone curious about Chinese cinema needs to see? The following video of 50 essential Chinese language films – and expanded list of 100 essential films found further below – is my attempt at an answer.

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  1. 1 new

    Lao gong zhi ai qing

    1922, in 0 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Xiao Wanyi

    1933 — a.k.a. Little Toys, in 2 top lists Check
  3. 3 new

    Zi mei hua

    1934 — a.k.a. Twin Sisters, in 0 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    Shen nu

    1934, in 10 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Yu guang qu

    1934, in 0 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    Dalu

    1935 — a.k.a. The Big Road, in 4 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Ma lu tian shi

    1937 — a.k.a. Street Angel, in 6 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    Ye ban ge sheng

    1935, in 3 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    Shi zi jie tou

    1937 — a.k.a. Crossroads, in 1 top list Check
  10. 10 new

    Yi jiang chun shui xiang dong liu

    1947 — a.k.a. The Spring River Flows East, in 5 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    Taitai Wansui

    1947, in 1 top list Check
  12. 12 new

    Xiao cheng zhi chun

    1948 — a.k.a. Spring in a Small Town, in 10 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    Wanjia denghuo

    1948 — a.k.a. The Lights of Ten Thousand Homes, in 2 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    Wuya yu maque

    1949 — a.k.a. Crows and Sparrows, in 1 top list Check
  15. 15 new

    San Mao liu lang ji

    1949 — a.k.a. The Winter of Three Hairs, in 0 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    Qing gong mi shi

    1948 — a.k.a. Sorrows of the Forbidden City, in 1 top list Check
  17. 17 new

    Wo zhe yi bei zi

    1950 — a.k.a. Life of a Beijing Policeman, in 3 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    Wu Xun zhuan

    1951 — a.k.a. The Life of Wu Xun, in 0 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Wei lou chun xiao

    1953, in 1 top list Check
  20. 20 new

    Zhu Fu

    1956 — a.k.a. New Year Sacrifice, in 1 top list Check
  21. 21 new

    Man Bo nu lang

    1957 — a.k.a. Mambo Girl, in 2 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    Hao men ye yan

    1959, in 1 top list Check
  23. 23 new

    Lin zexu

    1959 — a.k.a. The Opium Wars, in 2 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    Lin jia pu zi

    1959 — a.k.a. The Lin Family Shop, in 2 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    Ye mei gui zhi lian

    1960 — a.k.a. The Wild Wild Rose, in 3 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Ke lian tian xia fu mu xin

    1960 — a.k.a. The Great Devotion, in 1 top list Check
  27. 27 new

    Liu san jie

    1960 — a.k.a. Third Sister Liu, in 0 top lists Check
  28. 28 new

    Hong se niang zi jun

    1961 — a.k.a. The Red Detachment of Women, in 1 top list Check
  29. 29 new

    Liang Shan Bo yu Zhu Ying Tai

    1963 — a.k.a. The Love Eterne, in 4 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    Yang ya ren jia

    1965, in 1 top list Check
  31. 31 new

    Wutai jiemei

    1964 — a.k.a. Two Stage Sisters, in 6 top lists Check
  32. 32 new

    Po xiao shi fen

    1968, in 2 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    Du bei dao

    1967 — a.k.a. The One-Armed Swordsman, in 4 top lists Check
  34. 34 new

    Long men kezhan

    1967 — a.k.a. Dragon Inn, in 8 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    Xia nü

    1971 — a.k.a. A Touch of Zen, in 15 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    Dong fu ren

    1968 — a.k.a. The Arch, in 6 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Dong nuan

    1969 — a.k.a. The Winter, in 1 top list Check
  38. 38 new

    Jia zai Tai Bei

    1970, in 0 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    Qiu Jue

    1972 — a.k.a. Execution in Autumn, in 3 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    Jing wu men

    1972 — a.k.a. Fist of Fury, in 8 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    Zai jian Zhongguo

    1978 — a.k.a. China Behind, in 1 top list Check
  42. 42 new

    Ying lie qian qiu

    1976 — a.k.a. Everlasting Glory, in 0 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    Ban jin ba liang

    1976 — a.k.a. The Private Eyes, in 4 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    Shao Lin san shi liu fang

    1978 — a.k.a. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in 8 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    Jui kuen

    1978 — a.k.a. Drunken Master, in 9 top lists Check
  46. 46 new

    Dip bin

    1979 — a.k.a. The Butterfly Murders, in 3 top lists Check
  47. 47 new

    Fung gip

    1979 — a.k.a. The Secret, in 2 top lists Check
  48. 48 new

    Zhuang dao zheng

    1980 — a.k.a. The Spooky Bunch, in 3 top lists Check
  49. 49 new

    Foo ji ching

    1981 — a.k.a. Father and Son, in 1 top list Check
  50. 50 new

    Tau ban no hoi

    1982 — a.k.a. Boat People, in 8 top lists Check
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Last updated on Dec 31, 2012; source