Fandor 100 Essential Chinese Movies

Fandor 100 Essential Chinese Movies's icon

Created by benitotambara.

Favorited 11 times, disliked 0 times, added to 10 watchlists.

Among the many recent additions to the Fandor catalog, I am most excited by several classic Chinese films that I consider to be among the very best to have ever been made in that language: The Big Road, Street Angel (a film I love so dearly that I modeled my wedding photos after some of its iconic shots), Crossroads, Spring in a Small Town, to name a few. The sight of these titles got me thinking: what are the essential movies that anyone curious about Chinese cinema needs to see? The following video of 50 essential Chinese language films – and expanded list of 100 essential films found further below – is my attempt at an answer.

Remove ads

Pssst, want to check out the Fandor 100 Essential Chinese Movies list in our new look?

Filter

  1. 69 new

    Ah Fei jing juen

    1990 — a.k.a. Days of Being Wild, in 11 top lists Check
  2. 78 new

    Ai qing wan sui

    1994 — a.k.a. Vive L'Amour, in 9 top lists Check
  3. 73 new

    Ba wang bie ji

    1992 — a.k.a. Farewell My Concubine, in 18 top lists Check
  4. 43 new

    Ban jin ba liang

    1976 — a.k.a. The Private Eyes, in 4 top lists Check
  5. 67 new

    Bei qing cheng shi

    1989 — a.k.a. A City of Sadness, in 10 top lists Check
  6. 85 new

    Cheung foh

    1999 — a.k.a. The Mission, in 5 top lists Check
  7. 61 new

    Chou tin dik tong wah

    1987 — a.k.a. An Autumn's Tale, in 4 top lists Check
  8. 80 new

    Chung Hing sam lam

    1994 — a.k.a. Chungking Express, in 19 top lists Check
  9. 6 new

    Dalu

    1935 — a.k.a. The Big Road, in 4 top lists Check
  10. 46 new

    Dip bin

    1979 — a.k.a. The Butterfly Murders, in 3 top lists Check
  11. 36 new

    Dong fu ren

    1968 — a.k.a. The Arch, in 6 top lists Check
  12. 37 new

    Dong nuan

    1969 — a.k.a. The Winter, in 1 top list Check
  13. 33 new

    Du bei dao

    1967 — a.k.a. The One-Armed Swordsman, in 4 top lists Check
  14. 81 new

    Dung che sai duk

    1994 — a.k.a. Ashes of Time, in 7 top lists Check
  15. 52 new

    Er zi de da wan ou

    1983 — a.k.a. The Sandwich Man, in 3 top lists Check
  16. 88 new

    Fa yeung nin wah

    2000 — a.k.a. In the Mood for Love, in 30 top lists Check
  17. 49 new

    Foo ji ching

    1981 — a.k.a. Father and Son, in 1 top list Check
  18. 47 new

    Fung gip

    1979 — a.k.a. The Secret, in 2 top lists Check
  19. 68 new

    Guling jie shaonian sharen shijian

    1991 — a.k.a. A Brighter Summer Day, in 19 top lists Check
  20. 98 new

    Hái-kak chhit-ho

    2008 — a.k.a. Cape No. 7, in 1 top list Check
  21. 22 new

    Hao men ye yan

    1959, in 1 top list Check
  22. 83 new

    Heung Gong jai jo

    1997 — a.k.a. Made in Hong Kong, in 6 top lists Check
  23. 64 new

    Hong gao liang

    1988 — a.k.a. Red Sorghum, in 11 top lists Check
  24. 28 new

    Hong se niang zi jun

    1961 — a.k.a. The Red Detachment of Women, in 1 top list Check
  25. 54 new

    Huang tu di

    1984 — a.k.a. Yellow Earth, in 9 top lists Check
  26. 38 new

    Jia zai Tai Bei

    1970, in 0 top lists Check
  27. 40 new

    Jing wu men

    1972 — a.k.a. Fist of Fury, in 8 top lists Check
  28. 45 new

    Jui kuen

    1978 — a.k.a. Drunken Master, in 9 top lists Check
  29. 26 new

    Ke lian tian xia fu mu xin

    1960 — a.k.a. The Great Devotion, in 1 top list Check
  30. 60 new

    Kong bu fen zi

    1986 — a.k.a. The Terrorizers, in 6 top lists Check
  31. 74 new

    Lan feng zheng

    1993 — a.k.a. The Blue Kite, in 8 top lists Check
  32. 1 new

    Lao gong zhi ai qing

    1922, in 0 top lists Check
  33. 65 new

    Liàn liàn fengchén

    1986 — a.k.a. Dust in the Wind, in 4 top lists Check
  34. 29 new

    Liang Shan Bo yu Zhu Ying Tai

    1963 — a.k.a. The Love Eterne, in 4 top lists Check
  35. 24 new

    Lin jia pu zi

    1959 — a.k.a. The Lin Family Shop, in 2 top lists Check
  36. 23 new

    Lin zexu

    1959 — a.k.a. The Opium Wars, in 2 top lists Check
  37. 27 new

    Liu san jie

    1960 — a.k.a. Third Sister Liu, in 0 top lists Check
  38. 34 new

    Long men kezhan

    1967 — a.k.a. Dragon Inn, in 8 top lists Check
  39. 62 new

    Lung foo fung wan

    1987 — a.k.a. City on Fire, in 4 top lists Check
  40. 7 new

    Ma lu tian shi

    1937 — a.k.a. Street Angel, in 6 top lists Check
  41. 21 new

    Man Bo nu lang

    1957 — a.k.a. Mambo Girl, in 2 top lists Check
  42. 93 new

    Mang jing

    2003 — a.k.a. Blind Shaft, in 4 top lists Check
  43. 91 new

    Mou gaan dou

    2002 — a.k.a. Infernal Affairs, in 14 top lists Check
  44. 99 new

    Nanjing! Nanjing!

    2009 — a.k.a. City of Life and Death, in 1 top list Check
  45. 94 new

    Niu pi

    2005 — a.k.a. Oxhide, in 2 top lists Check
  46. 32 new

    Po xiao shi fen

    1968, in 2 top lists Check
  47. 16 new

    Qing gong mi shi

    1948 — a.k.a. Sorrows of the Forbidden City, in 1 top list Check
  48. 58 new

    Qing mei zhu ma

    1985 — a.k.a. Taipei Story, in 8 top lists Check
  49. 71 new

    Qiu Ju da guan si

    1992 — a.k.a. The Story of Qiu Ju, in 8 top lists Check
  50. 39 new

    Qiu Jue

    1972 — a.k.a. Execution in Autumn, in 3 top lists Check
Remove ads
Show all 100 movies

Last updated on Dec 31, 2012; source