The latest list: Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures

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The trick is not minding
Inspired by Matt’s earlier top 100 Italian films restored, I present a list that was made in 2005 consisting of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Spoiler: it’s actually 103.



1 Spring in a Small Town 1948 China Mandarin Fei Mu
2 A Better Tomorrow 1986 Hong Kong Cantonese John Woo
3 Days of Being Wild 1990 Hong Kong Cantonese (+) Wong Kar-wai
4 Yellow Earth 1984 China Mandarin Chen Kaige
5 City of Sadness 1989 Taiwan Taiwanese (+) Hou Hsiao-hsien
6 Long Arm of the Law 1984 Hong Kong Cantonese Johnny Mak
7 Dragon Gate Inn 1967 Taiwan Mandarin King Hu
8 Boat People 1982 Hong Kong Cantonese (+) Ann Hui
9 A Touch of Zen 1971 Taiwan Mandarin King Hu
10 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 China/Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA Mandarin Ang Lee
11 Street Angel 1937 China Mandarin Yuan Muzhi
12 A Brighter Summer Day 1991 Taiwan Mandarin (+) Edward Yang
13 The Private Eyes 1976 Hong Kong Cantonese Michael Hui
14 The Mission 1999 Hong Kong Cantonese Johnnie To
15 One-Armed Swordsman 1967 Hong Kong Mandarin Chang Cheh
16 Fist of Fury 1972 Hong Kong Mandarin / English Lo Wei
17 In the Heat of the Sun 1994 China Mandarin Jiang Wen
18 In the Face of Demolition 1953 Hong Kong Cantonese Lee Tit
19 A Chinese Odyssey 1995 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Jeffery Lau
20 The Arch 1970 Hong Kong Mandarin Tang Shu Shuen
21 Rouge 1987 Hong Kong Cantonese Stanley Kwan
22 Chungking Express 1994 Hong Kong Cantonese (+) Wong Kar-wai
23 Homecoming 1984 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Yim Ho
24 The Time to Live and the Time to Die 1985 Taiwan Mandarin / Taiwanese Hou Hsiao-hsien
25 Red Sorghum 1987 China Mandarin Zhang Yimou
26 Father and Son 1981 Hong Kong Cantonese Allen Fong
27 The Spring River Flows East 1947 China Mandarin Cai Chusheng,*Zheng Junli
28 Comrades: Almost a Love Story 1996 Hong Kong Cantonese Peter Chan
29 The Goddess 1934 China (Silent) Wu Yonggang
30 The Big Road 1934 China (Silent) Sun Yu
31 The Secret 1979 Hong Kong Cantonese Ann Hui
32 Infernal Affairs 2002 Hong Kong Cantonese Andrew Lau,*Alan Mak
33 Drunken Master 1978 Hong Kong Cantonese Yuen Woo-Ping
34 The Butterfly Murders 1979 Hong Kong Cantonese Tsui Hark
35 Ashes of Time 1994 Hong Kong Cantonese Wong Kar-wai
36 Made in Hong Kong 1997 Hong Kong Cantonese Fruit Chan
37 Sorrows of the Forbidden City 1948 China Mandarin Zhu Shilin
38 The Love Eterne 1963 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Li Han-Hsiang
39 Story of a Discharged Prisoner 1967 Hong Kong Cantonese Patrick Lung Kong
40 Zu Warriors 1983 Hong Kong Cantonese Tsui Hark
41 Terrorizers 1986 Taiwan Mandarin / Taiwanese Edward Yang
42 The Killer 1989 Hong Kong Cantonese John Woo
43 Once Upon a Time in China 1991 Hong Kong Cantonese / English Tsui Hark
44 Center Stage 1992 Hong Kong Mandarin (+) Stanley Kwan
45 The Story of Qiu Ju 1992 China Mandarin Zhang Yimou
46 This Life of Mine 1950 China Mandarin Shi Hui
47 Kingdom and the Beauty 1959 Hong Kong Mandarin Li Han Hsiang
48 The Winter 1969 Taiwan Mandarin Li Han Hsiang
49 An Autumn's Tale 1987 Hong Kong Cantonese (+) Mabel Cheung
50 A Chinese Ghost Story 1987 Hong Kong Cantonese Ching Siu-Tung
51 The Purple Hairpin 1959 Hong Kong Cantonese Lee Tit
52 The Orphan 1960 Hong Kong Cantonese Lee Sun-Fung
53 Two Stage Sisters 1965 China Mandarin Xie Jin
54 City on Fire 1987 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Ringo Lam
55 Farewell My Concubine 1993 Hong Kong/China Mandarin Chen Kaige
56 Yi Yi 2000 Taiwan Mandarin / Taiwanese Edward Yang
57 Cold Nights 1955 Hong Kong Cantonese Lee Sun-fung
58 At Dawn 1967 Taiwan Sung Tsun-Shou
59 Raining in the Mountain 1979 Taiwan Mandarin King Hu
60 Police Story 1985 Hong Kong Cantonese Jackie Chan
61 C'est la vie, mon chéri 1993 Hong Kong Cantonese Derek Yee
62 The Wedding Banquet 1993 Taiwan Mandarin / English Ang Lee
63 Platform 2000 China Mandarin Jia Zhangke
64 The Wild, Wild Rose 1960 Hong Kong Mandarin Wang Tian-Lin
65 The Great Devotion 1960 Hong Kong Cantonese Chor Yuen
66 My Intimate Partner 1960 Hong Kong Cantonese Kim Chun
67 Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind 1980 Hong Kong Cantonese Tsui Hark
68 Ah Ying / Ban Bian Ren 1983 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin / English Allen Fong
69 Durian Durian 2000 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Fruit Chan
70 Little Toys 1933 China (Silent) Sun Yu
71 Ai le zhongnian 1949 China Mandarin Sang Hu
72 The House of 72 Tenants 1973 Hong Kong Cantonese Chor Yuen
73 Nomad 1982 Hong Kong Cantonese Patrick Tam
74 Dust in the Wind 1986 Taiwan Hou Hsiao-hsien
75 92 Legendary La Rose Noire 1992 Hong Kong Cantonese Jeffrey Lau
76 Shaolin Soccer 2001 Hong Kong Cantonese Stephen Chow
77 Song at Midnight 1937 China Mandarin Ma-Xu Weibang
78 China Behind 1974 Hong Kong Tang Shu Shuen
79 The Spooky Bunch 1980 Hong Kong Cantonese Ann Hui
80 Taipei Story 1985 Taiwan Mandarin Edward Yang
81 The Blue Kite 1993 China Mandarin Tian Zhuangzhuang
82 Long Live the Missus! 1948 China Mandarin Sang Hu
83 Mambo Girl 1957 Hong Kong Mandarin Yi Wen
84 Feast of a Rich Family 1959 Hong Kong Cantonese Lee Sun-Fung,*Lee Tit,*Ng Wui,*Lo Ji-Hung
85 Execution in Autumn 1972 Taiwan Mandarin Lee Hsing
86 Hibiscus Town 1986 China Mandarin Xie Jin
87 God of Gamblers 1989 Hong Kong Cantonese Wong Jing
88 As Tears Go By 1988 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Wong Kar-wai
89 Happy Together 1997 Hong Kong Mandarin / Cantonese / Spanish Wong Kar-wai
90 In the Mood for Love 2000 Hong Kong Cantonese / Shanghainese Wong Kar-wai
91 Myriad of Lights 1948 China Mandarin Shen Fu
92 Festival Moon 1953 Hong Kong Mandarin Zhu Shilin
93 Parents' Hearts 1955 Hong Kong Cantonese Kim Chun
94 Lin Zexu 1959 China Mandarin Zheng Junli,*Cen Fan
95 Dream of the Red Chamber 1962 China Mandarin Cen Fan
96 Digital Master 1983 Hong Kong Cantonese Kirk Wong
97 Shanghai Blues 1984 Hong Kong Cantonese Tsui Hark
98 The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter 1984 Hong Kong Cantonese Lau Kar-Leung
99 The Black Cannon Incident 1985 China Mandarin Huang Jianxin
100 Rebels of the Neon God 1992 Taiwan Mandarin / Taiwanese Tsai Ming-liang
101 The Puppetmaster 1993 Taiwan Mandarin / Taiwanese / Japanese Hou Hsiao-hsien
102 Summer Snow 1995 Hong Kong Cantonese Ann Hui
103 Not One Less 1998 China Mandarin Zhang Yimou



Point of clarification: I think mainland China would exclude Hong Kong and Taiwan.


As for the list, I have seen these ones:



2 A Better Tomorrow 1986 Hong Kong Cantonese John Woo

6 Long Arm of the Law 1984 Hong Kong Cantonese Johnny 7 Dragon Gate Inn 1967 Taiwan Mandarin King Hu
8 Boat People 1982 Hong Kong Cantonese (+) Ann Hui
9 A Touch of Zen 1971 Taiwan Mandarin King Hu

10 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 China/Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA Mandarin Ang Lee
14 The Mission 1999 Hong Kong Cantonese Johnnie To
15 One-Armed Swordsman 1967 Hong Kong Mandarin Chang Cheh
16 Fist of Fury 1972 Hong Kong Mandarin / English Lo Wei
22 Chungking Express 1994 Hong Kong Cantonese (+) Wong Kar-wai
32 Infernal Affairs 2002 Hong Kong Cantonese Andrew Lau,*Alan Mak
33 Drunken Master 1978 Hong Kong Cantonese Yuen Woo-Ping
42 The Killer 1989 Hong Kong Cantonese John Woo
50 A Chinese Ghost Story 1987 Hong Kong Cantonese Ching Siu-Tung
54 City on Fire 1987 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Ringo Lam
60 Police Story 1985 Hong Kong Cantonese Jackie Chan

67 Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind 1980 Hong Kong Cantonese Tsui Hark
88 As Tears Go By 1988 Hong Kong Cantonese / Mandarin Wong Kar-wai
98 The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter 1984 Hong Kong Cantonese Lau Kar-Leung

I think all are worth a watch, but the bolded are especially good.



I've seen these:

Spring in a Small Town
City of Sadness
A Touch of Zen
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
A Brighter Summer Day
Chungking Express
The Killer
Farewell My Concubine
Yi Yi
Happy Together
In the Mood for Love
The Puppetmaster
__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd



Hmm; I like Better Tomorrow, but I don't know about it being higher than The Killer or Crouching Tiger...



The trick is not minding
Point of clarification: I think mainland China would exclude Hong Kong and Taiwan.


As for the list, I have seen these ones:






I think all are worth a watch, but the bolded are especially good.
Yeah, I realize my error now. Should have worded it differently . I’ll fix it



The trick is not minding
I wanna highlight a few films I’ve seen:

One Armed Swordsmen, The Time to Live and a Time to Die, Terorrizers, The Wedding Banquet, and Dust in the Wind.