Boo or boon? Online culture takes lead in Chinese cinema

(From left to right) Actresses Bea Hayden, Evonne Sie, author and director Guo Jingming and actress Amber Kuo attend the premiere ofTiny Times IIIin Beijing on July 9, 2014. [Photo/IC]

Han and Guo's films belong to a new genre in China: "fans film" - encompassing works unconditionally backed by fans of stars or filmmakers with no regard of the specifics of the films.

Guo's latest microblog entry combines commercial publicity with reminiscence of youth: "I'm 32 now. My youth is gone. However, those ten years, the best of life, were spent with 'Tiny Time', I hope that we are part of your youth memory."

The post, released on May 12, has already been liked more than 70,000 times and drew nearly 17,000 comments, many voicing passionate support for the upcoming fourth installment.

Echoing Yin's professional concerns, "Tiny Time 3" garnered several "most disappointing" film awards and was rated 4.3 out of 10 at douban.com, the leading Chinese film and music online community, not to mention dismissive remarks from hardline critics.

"Network Generation films are characterized by simple values easily internalized by young, ordinary urbanites," the report noted, expressing concerns for an "audience-supremacy" approach at the cost of aesthetics and social reality.

Chinese romance "You are my Sunshine" is the latest triumph in the genre. Adapted from an online hit novel, the film was ranked second in the domestic box office chart last week, taking in 329 million yuan in less than two weeks, despite harsh criticism of the acting, editing and plot cliches.

"While accepting soaring sales as a positive for the film industry, we must shoulder social and cultural responsibilities," Yin said, urging filmmakers to explore ways to meet demand and resist the lowest common denominator at the same time.

"China's film industry is at a critical moment of restructuring and about to switch from quantity to quality. We need more healthy, sustainable and culturally deep works," said Rao Shunguang, a senior official with the association.

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