Moving Figures (Paperback)

Paperback. Since 1979, China has been undergoing a period of immense social and economic change, transitioning from state-run economics to free market capitalism. This book focuses on how the Reform Era has been constructed in the work of the director Jia Zhangke, analysing the archetypal class figures of worker, peasant, soldier, intellectual and entrepreneur that are found in his films. Examining how these figures are represented, and how Jias cinematography creates those structures of feeling that concretise around a particular time and place, the book argues that Jias cinema should be understood not just as narratives that represent Chinese social transition, but also as an effort to engage the audiences emotional responses through representation, symbolism and the affective experience of specific cinematic tropes.Making an important contribution to scholarship about the Reform Era, and opening up many new areas in the larger fields of Chinese visual culture, cultural studies and the affective qualities of film, this is groundbreaking work about a cinematic culture in a period of profound transformation. This book focuses on how the Reform Era has been constructed in the work of the director Jia Zhangke, analysing the archetypal class figures of worker, peasant, soldier, intellectual and entrepreneur that are found in his films. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…