After 1949 Chinese filmmaking was trapped in a version of “socialist realism”. Eventually the filmmakers of the so-called “Fifth Generation” broke away from that deadening practice, starting with Chen Kaige’s Yellow Earth (1984), with brilliant cinematography by Zhang Yimou.
The film follows the journey of Gu Qing (played by Xueqi Wang), a soldier in the People’s Liberation Army sent to a remote region to collect folk songs. He moves in with a family of poor peasants. Gu Qing struggles to convince the peasants of his aims. He impresses 14 year old Cuiqiao (Bai Xue), the daughter of the household, with his talk of a new role for women. Her father is angered by these challenges to the traditional way of life. When Gu Qing leaves, Cuiqiao attempts to go with him, but he sends her back, not knowing that she is condemned to an arranged marriage.
Some in the Party hierarchy disliked the fact that Gu Qing doesn’t win over the peasants, who remain sceptical about his views. The director was accused of an “indulgence with poverty and backwardness projecting a negative image of the country”. Nevertheless, Yellow Earth signalled a new era in Chinese filmmaking.
