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Chinese language cinema

Chinese language cinema
From Andy Lau to John Woo, from Jiang Wen to Tsai Ming-liang to Sylvia Chang, and from triads to kung fu to hopping vampires to costume epics, this is the place to go for features, interviews and reviews about Chinese-language movies from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China.
Fish Liew (left) and Jennifer Yu in a still from Girlfriends (category: IIB, Cantonese, Mandarin). Directed by Tracy Choi and co-starring Elizabeth Tang.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Girlfriends: Fish Liew and Jennifer Yu reunite for tender lesbian romance

Tracy Choi’s semi-autobiographical, episodic drama gives an intimate portrait of a woman searching for her place at different stages of life.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Ultimate Revenge: Hong Kong crime thriller is all brawn and no brains

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Love ‘A Better Tomorrow’? The Hong Kong director and film that inspired it

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | Why Michael Tse, Hong Kong actor behind Laughing Gor, is a lesson in resilience

Michael Tse’s journey from backup dancer to Young and Dangerous henchman to leading film and TV actor showcases his endurance and tenacity.

Michael Tse at an interview with the SCMP in 2009. Tse’s remarkable entertainment journey has led him from backup dancer to the iconic Laughing Gor, viral memes and mainland China stardom. Photo: SCMP
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Scare Out: Zhang Yimou tackles national security in subpar Chinese spy thriller

A story of a mole inside a state security team in China, Scare Out is slickly executed but narratively muddled, and far from Zhang’s best.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Double Happiness: Liu Kuan-ting, Jennifer Yu lead clever wedding comedy

A couple have two simultaneous wedding ceremonies to keep their parents apart in Double Happiness, an ingenious comedy of errors.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How these 2 films became classics of Hong Kong’s Chinese folk opera cinema

Love Eterne and Dream of the Red Chamber are two very different ‘huangmei diao’ films from legendary Hong Kong director Li Han-hsiang.

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Betty Loh Ti (second from right) and Ivy Ling Po (right) in a still from The Love Eterne (1963), directed by Li Han-hsiang. Photo: Shaw Brothers Studio
Asian cinema: Chinese films

How Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers captures the beauty of Singapore

Singaporean director portrays ordinary folk with dignity in the final film in his ‘Growing Up’ trilogy with Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler.

American cinema

Why Saving Face is the most important Asian-American lesbian film ever made

Alice Wu fought to film Saving Grace with an all Asian-American cast, and the film inspired a generation of Asian-American filmmakers.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

With Blades of the Guardians, Yuen Woo-ping revives the wuxia blockbuster

Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping returns with an epic wuxia, starring Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse.

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Wu Jing as Dao Ma in a still from Blades of the Guardians, directed by Yuen Woo-ping, who helped define the martial arts genre in cinema.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Blades of the Guardians: Wu Jing leads star-studded Chinese martial arts epic

Starring Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse and Chen Lijun, the visually stunning Blades of the Guardians is one of the fiercest wuxia films in years.

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Wu Jing (left) and Nicholas Tse in a still from Blades of the Guardians (category IIB, Mandarin), directed by Yuen Woo-ping. Chen Lijun co-stars.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Jackie Chan’s hot streak continues with Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe

Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe manages to overcome its previous instalment’s failings to become a fun, wholesome family adventure.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | We Are All Strangers: Anthony Chen’s epic look at fatherhood in Singapore

A beautiful conclusion to Anthony Chen’s ‘Growing Up’ trilogy, We Are All Strangers is a study of family and love in all its forms.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Night King: Dayo Wong, Sammi Cheng lead enjoyably fluffy nightclub comedy

While slightly disjointed and overlong, Night King delivers a fun blend of romance and nostalgic glamour set in Hong Kong’s nightclub scene.

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Sammi Cheng (left) and Dayo Wong in a still from Night King (category IIB, Cantonese), directed by Jack Ng. Louise Wong co-stars.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why these 2 films from Hong Kong director Allen Fong are New Wave masterpieces

‘Father and Son’ and ‘Ah Ying’, which both won best film at the Hong Kong Film Awards, are compelling neo-realist explorations of Hong Kong.

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Hui So-ying in a still from Ah Ying (1983), a neo-realist masterpiece from director Allen Fong that won best film and best director at the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards.
China consumption

China’s Spring Festival box office faces plot twist after 2025 smashed records

Home-grown films lead the charge but fail to meet the phenomenal success of last year’s Ne Zha 2, which attracted record-breaking crowds.

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Hong Kong actress Athena Chu escaped the sex symbol trap after early fame

Athena Chu navigated beyond her initial ‘sexy goddess’ image to become an acclaimed, gritty actress and devoted family woman.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Snowball on a Sunny Day: Mark Six miss turns into mayhem in family comedy

This witty Lunar New Year film follows a woman pretending to have won the Mark Six lottery after failing to buy the winning ticket.

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Chung Suet-ying (left) and Edan Lui in a still from The Snowball on a Sunny Day.
Asian cinema

What is it like to win the lottery? These 10 Asian movies have the answers

Winning the lottery can change your life forever, for good or bad. These 10 films from across Asia explore luck, wealth and greed.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Sons of the Neon Night leads 2026 Hong Kong Film Awards nominations

Amid controversy over four titles removed from the ballot, Sons of the Neon Night and Back to the Past dominate the award nominations.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

A beginner’s guide to watching Hong Kong martial arts movies

Flying, ‘weightless’ leaps, unrealistic injuries and long fight scenes are all part and parcel of Hong Kong martial arts movies. Here’s why.

Jackie Chan in a still from The Young Master (1980). Hong Kong martial arts films blend myth and physical poetry, prioritising style over realism. Photo: Golden Harvest
Asian cinema: Chinese films

5 horse-themed Chinese-language movies for the coming Year of the Horse

In films, horses often symbolise strength, gracefulness and agility. Here are five Chinese-language movies where the animal plays a big role.

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Jackie Chan in a still from Ride On, one of five films we examine that feature horses in important roles.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Wicked City and 2000 AD rewrote the rules of Hong Kong cinema

Tsui Hark-produced alien flick Wicked City and Gordon Chan’s 2000 AD were ambitious projects that tried things new to the Hong Kong industry.

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | From bar singer to Hong Kong icon: how Hins Cheung refused to let the dream die

The Cantopop star, who continues to sell out stadiums, is as passionate about the arts as he is about preserving heritage buildings.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Gezhi Town: Chinese war drama with Xiao Zhan dares to entertain

Civilians try to fend off Japanese soldiers in this thrilling drama that focuses on character dynamics rather than patriotic grandstanding.

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Xiao Zhan in a still from Gezhi Town (category IIB, Mandarin), co-starring Peng Yuchang and Zhou Yiran, and directed by Kong Sheng.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 of Hong Kong martial arts legend Alexander Fu Sheng’s more unusual movies

Chinatown Kid, The Deadly Breaking Sword and Treasure Hunters saw Fu taking on more varied projects than his usual Shaolin kung fu films.

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Alexander Fu Sheng in a still from Chinatown Kid (1977), one of the films that saw the Hong Kong martial arts star take on projects outside his usual Shaolin kung fu genre.
Asian cinema

Why M+ and Chanel are bringing rare Asian avant-garde films to Mubi

Streaming platform Mubi teams up with Hong Kong’s M+ museum and Chanel to put the spotlight on 10 films, including a John Woo short.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Ciao UFO wins best picture in 2025 Hong Kong Film Critics Society awards

Nostalgic drama Ciao UFO scoops top prize, while Louis Koo (Behind the Shadows) and Fish Liew (Someone Like Me) pick up best actor awards.

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