Mr. Zhu informs the reader of the massive investment by Chinese business enterprises. The most prominent being Legendary Film Studios. Chinese business interests have also been instrumental in funding many high-budget films. For lovers of how movies are made and funded this is a worthwhile read.

Unfortunately, I found the formatting of this book difficult to push through. So much information was given and I quickly lost track of the narrative. I DNF this book at 20%.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Hollywood in China by Ying Zhu. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC to review.

Hollywood in China by Ying Zhu covers the comprehensive development of film industry in China and its relationship with Hollywood. The book is very well-researched and written, and I would recommend this book to readers that are interested in the film industry and influence of Hollywood in Asia.

4.5 stars

This was so good and I learned so much. Academic books are kinda hit and miss with me, whether I know a lot about the topic or not.

In this case, I knew basically nothing about the topic, and I learned a lot more than I expected.
I learned about:
- the history of Hollywood
- the history of China's film industry
- the history of the relationship between China's film industry and Hollywood.
But also:
- the history of China
- the way history impacted film around the world
- the effects of China's censorship on Hollywood films.
- the history of Hong Kong.
- the relationship between China and the USA
- the relationship between China and Russia

Probably even more I can't think of right away.

Even without prior knowledge about filmhistory this book was very easy to understand and very comprehensive. There was a lot of information in this book, and very little repetition. (Many academic texts repeat things over and over)

This book provided an interesting insight in China's film industry in comparison to the rest of the world. It was great to learn about how it has grown and how it has developed. I'm from the Netherlands which doesn't have much of a film industry, but I live in Japan which has a booming one (especially comparatively).

Learning about all the effects of economic and political changes throughout the world on film was very interesting and something I hadn't thought about before. You can probably learn a lot about China through watching Chinese films, by seeing what the censors allowed throughout the years (because from what I've read in this book, that has changed a lot too)

I had no idea about how much influence Chinese companies and China had on American films. Learning the sudden boom of 3d films was partly caused by a trade deal with China, for example.

I also found it interesting to learn about early Hollywood and how they "traded" films with other countries. Yet often didn't actually show the foreign films, which feels very scummy. It does explain why American films have spread so much.

I thought it was really funny how "in 2019, 8 in 10 of the top grossing films in China were produced in China" was seen as a concern by the USA. I mean, I'm pretty sure most top grossing films in the USA are from the USA too, so it's really quite hypocritical to complain about that…

a Wall Street Journal article reminds us that China is not doing anything Hollywood hasn't done before. I love that it gets called out too. Because really, if they're doing the same thing, it's totally unfair that only one gets vilified.

This book was occasionally inconsistent with its use of abbreviations. CGI was used abbreviated, which is fine, but then got explained on page 210, which is a bit late. I think most people know what CGI is, but it would be more useful to use the full term the first time it gets brought up.

I learned so much by reading this book, and I really enjoyed it. It was well written and full of information, and is definitely worth the read!

Hollywood in China: Behind the Scenes of the World’s Largest Movie Market by Ying Zhu
Ying Zhu is Professor Emeritus of City University of New York and it shows in this book. Well research, she covers the positive and negative interactions between China and Hollywood from 1900 till today. This is an excellent resource book as well as a primer for someone interested in the Chinese film industry. There are loads of interesting tidbits such as Harold Lloyd’s first “talkie”, Danger, released on 22 November 1929, led to protests when shown in Shanghai in early 1930 due to the negative portrayal of Chinese in San Francisco Chinatown.
I think the book highlights how poorly the Chinese historically have been in making movies that people will pay to see. This problem became worse for the Chinese movie goes when during the Mao-era, US movies were prohibited in China until the re-opening of relations with the US in the late 1970’s. During this dark era only one US film was shown in China; The Salt of the Earth produced in 1954 by three blacklisted director, writer and producer it tells the story of a Zinc miner strike in New Mexico using actually miners and their families from the mines.
During my work life, I spent quite a bit of time in China and became a fan of Chinese movies including those I could buy on the street for $1.00. Dr. Zhu covers the complete history of the frustration of Hollywood especially Jack Valenti President of the Motion Picture Assoc. of America MPAA from 1966-2004. Although the Chinese tried to main some amends, they did not nor have they today prevented Western movies and television programs from being pirated. Today, all one needs is a VPN and a recorder and there are ways to tap into movies even prior to their general release. Like nearly all industries there is a dream of tapping into the China Market. Larry Kaplan of Buena Vista International said about the China market for films: “There’s a future, but there’s not much of a present.” And it still is today forced backward by Covid. Dr. Zhu also covers how China tried to buy their way in purchasing film studios and screens in the US. They had partial success with some joint ventures but seem to mainly fail when they try on their own. Oddly, “Soft Power” in the movie and music industries is not a skill the Chinese have learned like their neighbors the Koreans.
I highly recommend this book for some who is a serious of film history and especially the relationship over a century between China and Hollywood.