In the 1980s, China's film production turned to be market-oriented, against those exploratory films for the sake of art. Therefore, many young directors began to make commercial films for entertainment while others continued their art exploration.

 

The production of entertainment films reached its peak at the end of 1980s and lasted to 1990s. The representative films are a series of humorous films directed by Zhang Jianya. He directed An Orphan Sanmao Enters the Army, which combined cartoon and film characteristics to create a new artistic form -- cartoon film.

 

A Knight-Errant at the Double Flag Town, directed by He Ping in 1990, was an action movie different from those made in Hong Kong. It depicts the actions in symbolic and exaggerated style that is as well accepted by foreign audiences even without translation.

 

Action movies on the horse refer to movies made by Mongolian directors Sai Fu and Mai Lisi to depict the Mongolian culture. Their representative films are Knight and the Legend of Hero From the East. The films won success in box office and arts by showing the natural beauty on the grassland and creating heroic characters.

 

These entertainment films with Chinese characteristics have their own position in China's film market, balancing the expansion of foreign entertainment films.

 

(chinaculture.org January 18, 2004)