War, History, Memory

The book analyzed the history writing and memory construction in Chinese-language Anti-Japanese War themed films produced in the 21st century, with particular focus on ten works, namely Jiang Wen’s Devils on the Doorstep (2000), Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution (2007), Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War (2011), Feng Xiaogang’s Back to 1942 (2012), Xu Anhua’s Our Time Will Come (2017), Wei Desheng’s Cape No.7 (2008), Lu Chuan’s City of Life and Death (2009), Gao Qunshu and Chen Guofu’s The Message (2009), Shen Dong’s Death and Glory in Changde (2010), and the Sino-German co-production John Rabe (2009). These films have effectively rewritten the history and reconstructed the memory of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Meanwhile, they also reflect the changes of China’s social politics, economy and culture.