Rationale

With the recent phenomenal success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Chinese cinema has consolidated its position as a significant force in international cinema and global media. In the 1990s, Chinese cinema has entered university curriculum and has developed as a fascinating academic sub-field in Asian studies as well as film and media studies.
However, in spite of the rapid growth of public and academic interest in Chinese cinema, several problems exist that hinder the dissemination of knowledge in this sub-field. First, lack of historical perspective (e.g., early cinema) perpetuates a misconception that Chinese cinema only came into being in the 1980s. Second, an inadequate geographical coverage often leaves Taiwan out of the picture and Hong Kong to a subcategory as entertainment flicks. Third, scant attention to statistics (e.g., box-office) further prevents a comprehensive understanding of the functions of film and media in the ever-changing landscape of contemporary China.

Objectives

The project "Chinese Cinema Web-based Learning Center" (CCWLC) aims to establish a digital film library test-bed system containing film resources in a variety of formats, such as image, audio, and video involving research and development in the areas of system architecture, meta-data standards, component-based application architecture, and network services. By means of the selection, production, and maintenance of a wide range of high quality networked resources for users at UCSD and worldwide, CCWLC aspires to serve as a foundation for digital film library in the areas of film instruction, film archive, and film research. CCWLC is dedicated to servicing a diverse group of users--students, teachers, and scholars of Chinese film, as well as the public interested in pursuing further knowledge.
More specifically, CCWLC seeks to bring together crucial components of Chinese cinema (including films made by the Chinese diaspora around the world) and provide a selection of audio-visual and printed materials accessible to undergraduate students of all majors. CCWLC will address problems identified above by introducing a historical perspective in the cinemas of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and by providing vital statistics (e.g., ticket prices, production costs, audience preferences) so as to promote the underdeveloped methods of industry research and audience study. In short, CCWLC will distinguish itself from other existing web-sites on Chinese cinema by experimenting with new technologies, focusing on classroom instruction, facilitating the interactions between faculty and students, as well as encouraging new research on the production, distribution, exhibition, and reception of Chinese cinema.

Acknowledgements

Under construction since Fall 2002, CCWLC is a project supported by an instructional improvement award from the UCSD Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor-Academic Affairs. The project director is Yingjin Zhang (PhD), Professor of Chinese and comparative literature. Jean Su (Web Programmer) provides technical support.