Abstract
The history of Chinese cinema includes a marginalized category of small-town films which features “lyricism”: exploring the essence and aesthetic forms of cinematographic art, such films have achieved remarkable aesthetic accomplishments. When tracing the lyrical trajectory of Chinese film history, we find that, on one hand, realistic films pursue lyricism within dramatic narratives, thereby yielding poetic films with intense or overt lyrical nuances. On the other hand, we find that a group of filmmakers, dedicated to excavating and advancing cinematic aesthetics, have attempted to break new ground in film themes and cinematographic language, thus giving birth to genuinely lyrical films that embody cinematic poetry. A plethora of small-town films form an essential part of the lyric aesthetics of Chinese cinema. Three canonical examples – Spring in a Small Town, February in Early Spring, and Border Town – allow us to discern that the ontological core of this aesthetic lies in their lyrical subjectivity. The lyric subjects express their aspirations through their works, and unreservedly showcase their personal life experiences, artistic visions, and aesthetic ideals in the creative process. The formal aspect of lyrical aesthetics refers to the rhetorical methods employed by film subjects when engaging in lyricism. From the transitive rhetoric to detransitive rhetoric, the lyric subjects lead the audience into the material world – presented as the object of lyricism – while simultaneously creating a poetic realm that transcends the material world.
About the author
Jun Meng is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Arts, Wuhan University.
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Postscript
The originally article entitled “志”与”辞”: 中国小城镇电影的抒情美学 was published in Minzu yishu yanjiu 《民族艺术研究》(Ethnic Art Studies) 2022, Issue 4, pp. 61–69.Search in Google Scholar
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- A Memorandum of the Chinese Film Industry in 2024
- Xie Jin: A Distinguished Pioneer of the Mind-Nature Realism Film Paradigm
- Balanced Harmony: Aesthetic Realms in Chinese Film
- “Aspiration” and “Rhetoric”: Lyric Aesthetics of Chinese Small-Town Films
- The Cinematic Representation of the Factory Zone by Young Directors in the 21st Century
- From Drama to Film, as a Genre Bridge and New Main Melody Narrator – A Discussion on the Creation Path of Up-and-Coming Director Rao Xiaozhi
- Landscape and Memory: Homeland Narratives and Space Production of New Directors
- Interview
- Contemporary Traditional Cultural Philosophy and Re-Creation: Interview with Huo Tingxiao
- Film Reviews
- A Tapestry of a Legendary Land: the Flow and Fluidity of Beauty of Chinese Culture
- Searchlight or Scalpel? The Value and Expectancy of Upstream
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- A Memorandum of the Chinese Film Industry in 2024
- Xie Jin: A Distinguished Pioneer of the Mind-Nature Realism Film Paradigm
- Balanced Harmony: Aesthetic Realms in Chinese Film
- “Aspiration” and “Rhetoric”: Lyric Aesthetics of Chinese Small-Town Films
- The Cinematic Representation of the Factory Zone by Young Directors in the 21st Century
- From Drama to Film, as a Genre Bridge and New Main Melody Narrator – A Discussion on the Creation Path of Up-and-Coming Director Rao Xiaozhi
- Landscape and Memory: Homeland Narratives and Space Production of New Directors
- Interview
- Contemporary Traditional Cultural Philosophy and Re-Creation: Interview with Huo Tingxiao
- Film Reviews
- A Tapestry of a Legendary Land: the Flow and Fluidity of Beauty of Chinese Culture
- Searchlight or Scalpel? The Value and Expectancy of Upstream