Chen’s theme, which has to do with the power of belief, is as rooted in Chen’s experience of the Cultural Revolution as its imagery is in Chinese history.

His films have also been characterized by a strong political commitment which has led to objections from censors and has limited their domestic audience to students and intellectuals.

His first film, Yellow Earth, announced the arrival of a director who was capable of turning a bromide like “Chairman Mao wants to give all poor people a chance to eat rice without chafe” into a provocative lyric, resonating against the jaundiced hills.

Keywords: Culture, Traditional, History, Revolution, Political, War, Chinese