40 best Chinese films in past four decades (1989-1998)

It has been 40 years since China adopted the reform and opening-up policy. Over the past decades, Chinese films have grown from minor players into massive crowd-pullers.

In the 1990s, China experienced a golden period for the movie industry as the films genres expanded.

And one of the highlights were the Hong Kong martial art movies, which combined elements from action films with Chinese storytelling, aesthetic traditions and filmmaking techniques to create a culturally distinctive form that has a wide transcultural appeal.

Top stars such as Brigitte Lin, Stephen Chow, Joey Wong reached the peak in their careers. Also, Chinese "Fifth Generation Director", including Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, established their position in the industry with classic masterpieces.

Meanwhile, Chinese drama film Farewell My Concubine starring Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi and Gong Li won the Palme d'Or, one of the top movie awards, at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

Here we showcase 10 movies from 1989 to 1998 to commemorate the 40-year journey of China's film industry.

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