"Charlie's Angels" star Lucy Liu is one of China's talents with world-class recognition. (Photo : Google)
It cannot be denied that Chinese filmmakers, producers, actors, and elements are behind the success of the greatest movies of all time. But according to prominent filmmakers and critics, China has a lot more to offer.
During the 5th Beijing International Film Festival, the members of the international movie industry discussed that Chinese culture, skills, talents, and working ethics have created a big impact on foreign audiences.
Movies like "Mulan," "Kung Fu Panda" and "The Karate Kid" are just some of the international blockbuster films based on the Chinese culture.
According to Rob Minkoff, producer and director of award-winning films like "The Lion King" and "Stuart Little," the American computer-animated action comedy film "Kung Fu Panda" is an example how martial arts, which is a part of Chinese culture, has influenced foreign audiences.
"Kung Fu Panda," released in 2008, used the voices of famous Hollywood stars like Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie, as well as Chinese superstar Jackie Chan and "Charlie's Angels" star Lucy Liu.
The love for Chinese culture was the reason behind the film rather than business matters, said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO and co-founder of DreamWorks Animation SKG, the producer of "Kung Fu Panda."
Other critics also pointed out that the Chinese industry can offer more than martial arts as Chinese mythology and tales could be readily understood by other nationalities if presented accordingly, like the American film "Mulan" based on the legendary woman warrior of China.
China can also produce brilliant filmmakers as the nation has a long beautiful history and it is home to the world's remarkable intellectuals like Sun Yat-sen, philosophers like Confucius, poets like Dao Jia, and painters like Zhang Zeduan.
Actress Lisa Lu stated that Chinese could only play a minor part in Hollywood movies as a restaurant owner or laundress in the past, but today their roles are more diversified as they are known as hard-working with special skills and Chinese cultural background.
Fan Bingbing, Harry Shum Jr., and Levy Tran are just some of the Chinese talents who have appeared in Hollywood films, such as "X-Men," "Step Up," and the recently released "Furious 7."
More Chinese are joining them. Chinese faces even appeared in the "Resident Evil" and "Transformers."
Apart from having exceptional traits, China is also one of the biggest contributors in the world market, as Chinese moviegoers spent over 30 billion yuan ($4.8 billion) at the film houses in 2014.
As the interest and dedication of the Chinese movie industry toward filmmaking increases, it is no wonder that China can offer a whole lot more to the world.
