Golden Horse's 100 Greatest Chinese-Language Films

by thierry-05295 | created - 6 months ago | updated - 6 months ago | Public

In a 2010 survey, the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival asked 122 film professionals to vote for the 100 greatest Chinese-language films. Most of the voters were from Taiwan, but film professionals from Hong Kong and China and Chinese cinema experts from other countries participated as well. You can see the individual ballots on the Golden Horse website.

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1. A City of Sadness (1989)

157 min | Drama, History

The story of a family embroiled in the "White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government after their arrival from mainland China in the late 1940s.

Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Shu-Fen Hsin, Sung-Young Chen, Jack Kao

Votes: 6,102

2. A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

Not Rated | 237 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

91 Metascore

Based on a true story, primarily on a conflict between two youth gangs, a 14-year-old boy's girlfriend conflicts with the head of one gang for an unclear reason, until finally the conflict comes to a violent climax.

Director: Edward Yang | Stars: Chang Chen, Lisa Yang, Kuo-Chu Chang, Elaine Jin

Votes: 12,781

3. A Time to Live and a Time to Die (1985)

Not Rated | 138 min | Biography, Drama

The semi-autobiographical film on director Hou Hsiao-Hsien's childhood and adolescence, when he was growing up in Taiwan, living through the deaths of his father, mother and grandmother.

Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Chia-bao Chang, Neng Chang, Chih-Chen Chen, Han-wen Chen

Votes: 3,516

4. Days of Being Wild (1990)

Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

93 Metascore

A man tries to find out who his real mother is after the woman who raised him tells him the truth.

Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau

Votes: 25,500 | Gross: $0.14M

5. Spring in a Small Town (1948)

98 min | Drama, Romance

A lonely housewife finds her monotonous life altered when her childhood sweetheart returns to town.

Director: Mu Fei | Stars: Chaoming Cui, Wei Li, Yu Shi, Wei Wei

Votes: 3,354

6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

94 Metascore

A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.

Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chang Chen

Votes: 281,658 | Gross: $128.08M

7. Yi Yi (2000)

Not Rated | 173 min | Drama, Romance

94 Metascore

Each member of a middle-class Taipei family seeks to reconcile past and present relationships within their daily lives.

Director: Edward Yang | Stars: Nien-Jen Wu, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee

Votes: 28,422 | Gross: $1.14M

8. Dust in the Wind (1986)

Not Rated | 109 min | Drama, Romance

A young couple leave their mining town home for Taipei where they struggle to eke out a living in an industrial wasteland.

Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Grace Chen, Shu-Fang Chen, Shu-Fen Hsin, Chi-Ying Kao

Votes: 3,187

9. Dragon Inn (1967)

Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Adventure

100 Metascore

When the children of an executed General are pursued in 1457 China, some heroic martial arts swordsmen intervene.

Director: King Hu | Stars: Polly Ling-Feng Shang-Kuan, Chun Shih, Ying Bai, Feng Hsu

Votes: 3,627

10. In the Mood for Love (2000)

PG | 98 min | Drama, Romance

87 Metascore

Two neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.

Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Siu Ping-Lam, Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung

Votes: 166,931 | Gross: $2.73M

11. The Love Eterne (1963)

126 min | Fantasy, Musical, Romance

The story about the life of the students at a university in Hangchow. Chu Ying-Tai is a female who has to be disguised as a man in order to gain entry into the school.

Director: Han Hsiang Li | Stars: Betty Loh Ti, Ivy Ling Po, Li-Chu Chang, Yanyan Chen

Votes: 515

12. The Terrorizers (1986)

109 min | Crime, Drama

A metaphysical mystery about the lives of three couples in Taipei that continually intersect over a span of several weeks.

Director: Edward Yang | Stars: Cora Miao, Li-Chun Lee, Shih-Chieh King, Pao-Ming Ku

Votes: 5,508

13. Vive L'Amour (1994)

R | 118 min | Drama, Romance

Three lonely young denizens of Taipei unknowingly share an apartment used for sexual trysts.

Director: Tsai Ming-liang | Stars: Chen Chao-jung, Kang-sheng Lee, Kuei-Mei Yang, Yi-ching Lu

Votes: 4,798

14. Yellow Earth (1984)

TV-PG | 89 min | Drama, History, Music

A communist soldier travels to Shanbei to collect folk songs for propaganda while visiting a poor peasant family, giving hope to the teenage daughter in escaping an arranged marriage.

Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: Xueqi Wang, Bai Xue, Quiang Liu, Tuo Tan

Votes: 2,573

15. A Touch of Zen (1971)

Not Rated | 200 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

A lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks.

Director: King Hu | Stars: Feng Hsu, Chun Shih, Ying Bai, Peng Tien

Votes: 7,310

16. Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996)

118 min | Drama, Romance

Two Chinese-mainlanders living in Hong Kong form a close friendship. Over the years this grows into love, but there are obstacles.

Director: Peter Ho-Sun Chan | Stars: Maggie Cheung, Leon Lai, Eric Tsang, Kristy Yeung

Votes: 7,643

17. A Better Tomorrow (1986)

Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime, Drama

78 Metascore

A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.

Director: John Woo | Stars: Lung Ti, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-Fat, Emily Chu

Votes: 25,469

18. Infernal Affairs (2002)

R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama

75 Metascore

A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.

Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak | Stars: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang

Votes: 131,472 | Gross: $0.17M

19. In the Heat of the Sun (1994)

134 min | Drama, Romance

Beijing, 1970s. Now that the CR has driven most adults to the provinces, 14-year-old Monkey and his pals have free reign over the city. They hang around, get up to no good, and discover that unsolvable mystery referred to as "girls."

Director: Wen Jiang | Stars: Yu Xia, Wei Chen, Shaobo Dai, Hua Fang

Votes: 5,530

20. Street Angel (1937)

91 min | Comedy, Drama

In old Shanghai, two sisters, a prostitute and a singer, tried to escape from the local scoundrels with the help of a trumpet player and a newspaper seller.

Director: Muzhi Yuan | Stars: Dan Zhao, Heling Wei, Xuan Zhou, Jiting Wang

Votes: 945

21. Chungking Express (1994)

PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

78 Metascore

Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.

Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong

Votes: 95,820 | Gross: $0.60M

22. Red Sorghum (1988)

Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, History, Romance

When a leprous winery owner in 1930s China dies a few days after his arranged marriage, his young widow is forced to run the winery to make a living while contending with bandits, her drunkard lover, and the invading Japanese army.

Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Gong Li, Wen Jiang, Rujun Teng, Ji Liu

Votes: 9,877

23. The Wedding Banquet (1993)

R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.

Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua, Sihung Lung

Votes: 17,145 | Gross: $6.93M

24. Shen nu (1934)

TV-PG | 85 min | Drama

Street walker by night, devoted mother by day, a woman fights to get her young son an education amid criminal and social injustice in China.

Director: Yonggang Wu | Stars: Lingyu Ruan, Tian Jian, Zhizhi Zhang, Keng Li

Votes: 2,475

25. The Boys from Fengkuei (1983)

99 min | Drama

Ah-Ching and his friends have just finished school in their island fishing village, and now spend most of their time drinking and fighting. Three of them decide to go to the port city of ... See full summary »

Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Doze Niu, Shih Chang, Chung-Hua Tou, Li-Yin Yang

Votes: 1,912

26. Happy Together (1997)

Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Romance

70 Metascore

A couple take a trip to Argentina but both men find their lives drifting apart in opposite directions.

Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Chang Chen, Gregory Dayton

Votes: 34,056 | Gross: $0.19M

27. Rouge (1987)

Not Rated | 93 min | Drama, Fantasy, Music

Fleur is the blue angel in one of Hong Kong's "flower houses" - bordellos and night clubs of the 1930s. A detached and beautiful performer, she falls in love with Twelfth Master Chan, heir ... See full summary »

Director: Stanley Kwan | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Alex Man, Emily Chu

Votes: 3,432

28. The Sandwich Man (1983)

Not Rated | 105 min | Drama

Three vignettes from three different directors that tell stories of ordinary people during Taiwan's Cold War period.

Directors: Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Chuang-Hsiang Tseng, Jen Wan | Stars: Bor-Jeng Chen, Li-Yin Yang, Kuo-Feng Tseng, Te-Nan Lai

Votes: 778

29. Po xiao shi fen (1968)

106 min | Drama

A young guard witnesses the corruption of the system during his first night call in the tribunal. A series of dramatic stories told by each prisoner to the judge ensues in flashbacks. The ... See full summary »

Directors: Han Hsiang Li, Tsun-Shou Sung | Stars: Chun Yang, Hsiu-Fang Wu, Li-Ping Chao, Chen Chiang

Votes: 39

30. That Day, on the Beach (1983)

Not Rated | 166 min | Drama

Two friends who haven't seen each other for thirteen years reunite. One is a successful concert pianist just back from a European tour and the other has just started a new business.

Director: Edward Yang | Stars: Sylvia Chang, Ming Hsu, Lieh Lee, David Mao

Votes: 1,454

31. Fist of Fury (1972)

R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Romance

68 Metascore

A young man seeks vengence for the death of his teacher.

Director: Wei Lo | Stars: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien, Maria Yi

Votes: 33,895 | Gross: $1.29M

32. Center Stage (1991)

126 min | Biography, Drama, Romance

Biopic of 1930s Chinese actress Lingyu Ruan.

Director: Stanley Kwan | Stars: Maggie Cheung, Han Chin, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Carina Lau

Votes: 2,723

33. Farewell My Concubine (1993)

R | 171 min | Drama, Music, Romance

84 Metascore

Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.

Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, Gong Li, You Ge

Votes: 33,166 | Gross: $5.22M

34. Lust, Caution (2007)

NC-17 | 157 min | Drama, History, Romance

61 Metascore

During World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.

Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Leehom Wang

Votes: 45,529 | Gross: $4.60M

35. The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)

PG | 100 min | Comedy, Drama

A peasant woman seeks justice after the headman of her village has kicked her husband in the groin.

Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Gong Li, Peiqi Liu, Liuchun Yang, Kesheng Lei

Votes: 6,660 | Gross: $1.89M

36. Pickpocket (1997)

Unrated | 108 min | Drama

A small town pickpocket whose friends have moved on to higher trades finds himself bitter and unable to adapt.

Director: Zhangke Jia | Stars: Hongwei Wang, Hongjian Hao, Baitao Zuo, Ma Jinrei

Votes: 3,296

37. A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

Unrated | 98 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror

After a string of bad luck, a debt collector has no other choice than to spend the night in a haunted temple, where he encounters a ravishing female ghost and later battles to save her soul from the control of a wicked tree demon.

Director: Siu-Tung Ching | Stars: Leslie Cheung, Joey Wang, Wu Ma, Wai Lam

Votes: 11,070

38. Execution in Autumn (1972)

99 min | Drama

Peigang, his family's only son for three generations running, is to be executed on account of larceny, but not without the intervention of his grandmother.

Director: Hsing Lee | Stars: Hui-Lou Chen, Shao-Ching Chou, Bi-Hui Fu, Su Han

Votes: 283

39. Cape No. 7 (2008)

129 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

A unusual group of people in a village on the coast of Taiwan form a band to perform at a beach concert, while the lead singer searches for the intended recipient of 7 lost love letters.

Director: Te-Sheng Wei | Stars: Van Fan, Chie Tanaka, Min-Hsiung, Wei-min Ying

Votes: 4,459

40. The Spring River Flows East (1947)

192 min | Drama, War

1930's China. The village of a poor family is taken over by the occupying Japanese army. One son, Zhongliang, leaves his wife and young son to join a medic group for the Chinese Army. The ... See full summary »

Directors: Chusheng Cai, Junli Zheng | Stars: Yang Bai, Jin Tao, Yinyan Wu, Yunzhu Shangguan

Votes: 369

41. The Blue Kite (1993)

140 min | Drama, History

The lives of a Beijing family throughout the 1950s and 1960s, as they experience the impact of the Hundred Flowers Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution.

Director: Zhuangzhuang Tian | Stars: Tian Yi, Wenyao Zhang, Xiaoman Chen, Liping Lü

Votes: 3,259 | Gross: $0.36M

42. The Puppetmaster (1993)

142 min | Biography, Drama, War

Puppeteer Li Tian-lu tells his life story, and through it, the story of Taiwan in the first half of the 20th century.

Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Tien-Lu Li, Giong Lim, Kuei-Chung Cheng, Chien-ru Huang

Votes: 2,072

43. Darkness and Light (1999)

104 min | Drama

Kang-Yi is a teenage girl who lives in an apartment building in the port city of Keelung. Most of her family, and the people in the apartment, are blind, and she helps them out. Ah Ping, ... See full summary »

Director: Tso-chi Chang | Stars: Kang-i Lee, Ming-shiou Tsai, Bau-huei Shie, Huang-ji He

Votes: 280

44. The Mission (1999)

Not Rated | 84 min | Action

Triad boss Lung, who has just escaped being killed in an assassination, hires five killers for his protection. Their grown solidarity is under compulsion when Lung gives a special order.

Director: Johnnie To | Stars: Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Francis Ng, Jackie Chung-yin Lui, Roy Cheung

Votes: 6,143

45. Still Life (2006)

Unrated | 111 min | Drama

81 Metascore

A town in Fengjie county is gradually being demolished and flooded to make way for the Three Gorges Dam. A man and woman visit the town to locate their estranged spouses, and become witness to the societal changes.

Director: Zhangke Jia | Stars: Tao Zhao, Zhou Lan, Sanming Han, Lizhen Ma

Votes: 7,308 | Gross: $0.07M

46. To Live (1994)

Not Rated | 133 min | Drama, War

After Fugui and Jiazhen lose their personal fortunes, they raise a family and survive difficult cultural changes during 1940s to 1970s China.

Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: You Ge, Gong Li, Ben Niu, Wu Jiang

Votes: 20,446 | Gross: $2.33M

47. The Arch (1968)

94 min | Drama

A woman falls in love with a visiting cavalry captain, but chooses to suppress it for the sake of her daughter.

Director: Shu Shuen Tong | Stars: Lisa Lu, Roy Chiao, Hilda Chow Hsuan, Szu-yun Chen

Votes: 246

49. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy

78 Metascore

In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.

Director: Stephen Chow | Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Siu-Lung Leung

Votes: 150,886 | Gross: $17.11M

50. Let It Be (2005)

110 min | Documentary

Add a Plot

Directors: Cres Chuang, Lan-chuan Yen

Votes: 19

51. Yang ya ren jia (1965)

111 min | Drama

The story of duck man Lin and his adopted daughter Hsiao-yue. Hsiao-yue knows nothing about her real descent, which Lin has been keeping secret from her. But one day, someone appears and changes her life.

Director: Hsing Lee | Stars: Wen-Wen Chang, Kuo-Chun Chen, Ming Chiang, Su-chen Hsieh

Votes: 173

52. The Big Road (1935)

Not Rated | 104 min | Comedy, Musical, Drama

Six young men from the city take jobs on a road crew, building a highway of strategic importance to the Chinese Army. The story relates the men's interactions with each other, the local ... See full summary »

Director: Yu Sun | Stars: Yan Jin, Yanyan Chen, Li-li Li, Peng Luo

Votes: 324

53. Ashes of Time (1994)

R | 100 min | Action, Drama

69 Metascore

A broken-hearted hit man moves to the desert where he finds skilled swordsmen to carry out his contract killings.

Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Votes: 16,967 | Gross: $0.17M

54. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

PG | 125 min | Drama, Romance

China in the 1920s. After her father's death, Songlian is forced to marry the wealthy Master Chen. With three wives already, each living in a separate house, there is fierce competition for his attention and the privileges that are gained.

Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Gong Li, Jingwu Ma, Saifei He, Cuifen Cao

Votes: 35,350 | Gross: $2.60M

55. Taipei Story (1985)

Not Rated | 119 min | Drama

Lung is a former member of the national Little League team who lives with his old childhood sweetheart Ah-chin, a traditional family woman. Although they live together, Ah-chin is weary of Lung's past liaison with another girl.

Director: Edward Yang | Stars: Chin Tsai, Hsiao-Hsien Hou, I-Chen Ko, Su-Yun Ko

Votes: 3,915 | Gross: $0.01M

56. An Autumn's Tale (1987)

98 min | Drama, Romance

Filmed in New York, story of naive young woman from Hong Kong who goes to New York to study. Street-wise cabbie cousin takes care of her in the big city.

Director: Mabel Cheung | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Cherie Chung, Danny Bak-Keung Chan, Gigi Suk Yee Wong

Votes: 2,348

57. Growing Up (1983)

100 min | Drama

The story follows a young man as he changes from an intelligently aware youth, to a teenager with much less confidence than he once had, and finally, to a stable adult.

Director: Kun-Hou Chen | Stars: Chun-Fang Chang, Fu-Sheng Tsui, Doze Niu, Chuan-Wen Cheng

Votes: 404

58. The Spooky Bunch (1980)

97 min | Comedy, Fantasy

A Cantonese opera company arrives in Cheung Chau to perform for a rich man, who wants to marry of his nephew Dick to the star of the company Ah Gee. As soon as they arrive, the company is ... See full summary »

Director: Ann Hui | Stars: Josephine Siao, Kenny Bee, Mang-Ha Cheng, Chung Kwan

Votes: 124

59. The Way of the Dragon (1972)

R | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

58 Metascore

A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.

Director: Bruce Lee | Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao, Ping-Ou Wei

Votes: 41,054 | Gross: $4.06M

60. The Old Well (1987)

129 min | Drama, Romance

A married village worker teams up with an old girlfriend to try to dig a well for his water-starved village. The well collapses and they are trapped. Their enforced confinement leads to ... See full summary »

Director: Tian-Ming Wu | Stars: Yujing Liang, Yuqing Liao, Liping Lü, Xingli Niu

Votes: 370

61. Rebels of the Neon God (1992)

Not Rated | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

82 Metascore

Within the urban gloom of Taipei, four youths face alienation, loneliness, and moments of existential crisis amidst a series of minor crimes.

Director: Tsai Ming-liang | Stars: Wang Yu-wen, Chen Chao-jung, Kang-sheng Lee, Jen Chang-bin

Votes: 5,535 | Gross: $0.03M

62. Cannot Live Without You (2009)

93 min | Drama

A down and out man and his daughter live in an illegal hovel. The two live a happy peaceful life until the authorities intervene when the child reaches school age.

Director: Leon Dai | Stars: Yo Hsuan Chao, Akira Chen, Chih-Ju Lin, Sze-Chi Lo

Votes: 613

63. The Way We Are (2008)

90 min | Drama

"The Way We Are" tells the story of a hardworking, widowed, single mother (Mrs. Cheung) and her teenage son (Ka-on) living in the troubled housing estate of Tinshuiwai, a suburb regularly featured in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Director: Ann Hui | Stars: Hee Ching Paw, Chun-lung Leung, Cheuk Man Au, Idy Chan

Votes: 1,081

64. Blind Shaft (2003)

Unrated | 92 min | Crime, Drama

78 Metascore

Two coal miners and conmen looking for their next murder victim decide on a naïve country boy desperately looking for a job.

Director: Yang Li | Stars: Yixiang Li, Baoqiang Wang, Shuangbao Wang, Jing Ai

Votes: 2,914 | Gross: $0.03M

65. Made in Hong Kong (1997)

109 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

Autumn Moon (Sam Lee), a low-rent triad living in Hong Kong, struggles to find meaning in his hopelessly violent existence.

Director: Fruit Chan | Stars: Sam Lee, Neiky Hui-Chi Yim, Wenders Li, Ka-Chuen Tam

Votes: 3,005

66. Shaolin Soccer (2001)

PG | 87 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy

68 Metascore

A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.

Director: Stephen Chow | Stars: Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-Fei Wong, Man-Tat Ng

Votes: 89,221 | Gross: $0.49M

67. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

Not Rated | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

80 Metascore

A senior chef lives with his three grown daughters; the middle one finds her future plans affected by unexpected events and the life changes of the other household members.

Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Sihung Lung, Kuei-Mei Yang, Wang Yu-wen, Chien-Lien Wu

Votes: 23,204 | Gross: $7.29M

68. Strawman (1987)

94 min | Comedy, Drama, History

Chronicles the last days of Japanese rule in a Taiwanese village, in a quasi-comical style.

Director: Toon Wang | Stars: Chun-Fang Chang, Po-Chou Chang, Sheng-Li Cho, Chun-Hsiung Ko

Votes: 322

69. The Story of Mother (1973)

98 min | Drama

A young boy witnesses his mother's cheating ways and, after the death of his sick father, grows to despise her. When he's adopted by another family, the road to reconciliation proves achingly difficult.

Director: Tsun-Shou Sung | Stars: Hsiang Li, Han Chin, Maria Yi, Tung An

Votes: 15

70. The Private Eyes (1976)

94 min | Comedy

The kingpin of the Manix Private Detective Agency and his fellow detective solve cases together.

Director: Michael Hui | Stars: Michael Hui, Samuel Hui, Ricky Hui, Angie Chiu

Votes: 887

71. Drunken Master (1978)

PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Comedy

68 Metascore

Wong Fei-Hung is a mischievous yet righteous young man, but after a series of incidents his frustrated father has him disciplined by a master of drunken martial arts.

Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Jackie Chan, Siu-Tin Yuen, Jeong-lee Hwang, Dean Shek

Votes: 43,866

72. Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983)

Unrated | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

A Chinese soldier in an ancient civil war flees the battlefield and gets caught up in a fantastical quest to save the world from evil.

Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Biao Yuen, Hoi Mang, Adam Cheng, Brigitte Lin

Votes: 3,054

74. Sun, Moon and Star: Part 1 (1961)

99 min | Drama, Romance, War

The story traces the relationships that develop between the protagonist Xu and the three women he meets, set against the backdrop of the Second World War.

Director: Wen Yi | Stars: Grace Chang, Yang Chang, Hao Chen, Yu-Hsin Chen

Votes: 53

75. Sun, Moon and Star: Part 2 (1961)

113 min | Drama, Romance, War

Part 2 follows the efforts of all four characters to participate in the war effort.

Director: Wen Yi | Stars: Grace Chang, Yang Chang, Yu-Hsin Chen, Po-Chien Chin

Votes: 42

76. The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

R | 115 min | Action, Drama

A noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.

Director: Cheh Chang | Stars: Jimmy Wang Yu, Chiao Chiao, Chung-Hsin Huang, Yin-Tze Pan

Votes: 3,621

77. In Our Time (1982)

110 min | Drama

Four short films from four different directors, spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Directors: Yi Chang, I-Chen Ko, Te-chen Tao, Edward Yang | Stars: Emily Y. Chang, Sylvia Chang, Chi Chen, Sheng-wen Lan

Votes: 788

78. A Borrowed Life (1994)

167 min | Drama

Autobiographical story about the life of a poor family in the Taiwanese countryside during the 1940s and 1950s as the Japanese rule of the island ends and nationalist forces of Kwomintang arrive when the Communists take the mainland.

Director: Nien-Jen Wu | Stars: Akio Chen, Shu-Fang Chen, Jun Fu, Yung-Feng Lee

Votes: 333

79. A Chinese Odyssey: Part One - Pandora's Box (1995)

87 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

A Monkey King is reincarnated in the un human form as Joker, a highwayman oblivious to his original identity and the fact that 500 years earlier, he and his master, the Longevity Monk, were punished and made to stay human.

Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Stephen Chow, Man-Tat Ng, Kar-Ying Law, Kit Ying Lam

Votes: 8,410

80. A Chinese Odyssey: Part 2 - Cinderella (1995)

98 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

The convoluted continuation of the adventures of the time-traveling, now-human Monkey King, who attempts to fulfill his divine destiny.

Director: Jeffrey Lau | Stars: Stephen Chow, Man-Tat Ng, Athena Chu, Ada Choi

Votes: 8,541

81. Summer Snow (1995)

101 min | Comedy, Drama

The Suns are a typical Hong Kong family: May, forty something, works for a trading company; her husband, Bing, works as a low-grade civil servant, and Allen, their teenage son, is still at ... See full summary »

Director: Ann Hui | Stars: Josephine Siao, Kar-Ying Law, Allen Ting, Roy Chiao

Votes: 828

82. Mountain Patrol (2004)

PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Drama

77 Metascore

A moving true story about volunteers protecting antelope against poachers in the severe mountains of Tibet.

Director: Chuan Lu | Stars: Duobujie, Lei Zhang, Dao Qi, Xueying Zhao

Votes: 5,432 | Gross: $0.14M

83. Platform (2000)

154 min | Drama, History

76 Metascore

A theatre troupe from rural Fenyang struggles under the decline of communism and rise of popular culture in China in the 1980s.

Director: Zhangke Jia | Stars: Hongwei Wang, Tao Zhao, Liang Jingdong, Tian-yi Yang

Votes: 3,076

84. Summer Palace (2006)

Unrated | 158 min | Drama, Romance

79 Metascore

Yu Hong leaves her home village and starts university in Beijing, where she develops a consuming and compulsive relationship with another student. The student riots from 1989 then ensue and take a toll on their lives.

Director: Ye Lou | Stars: Lei Hao, Xiaodong Guo, Xueyun Bai, Lin Cui

Votes: 4,318 | Gross: $0.06M

85. Crazy Stone (2006)

98 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

What do you get when you have a precious jewel, a group of bumbling thieves intent on getting their hands on it, the mob wanting a piece of the action, and a loyal but mischievous security ... See full summary »

Director: Ning Hao | Stars: Tao Guo, Teddy Lin, Hua Liu, Gang Liu

Votes: 4,447

86. Not One Less (1999)

G | 106 min | Drama

73 Metascore

13-year old Wei Minzhi is the new substitute teacher of a mountain village school. She is told not to lose any of her pupils under any circumstances.

Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Minzhi Wei, Huike Zhang, Zhenda Tian, Enman Gao

Votes: 9,361 | Gross: $0.59M

87. Flowers of Shanghai (1998)

Unrated | 113 min | Drama

73 Metascore

In the "flower houses" (upscale brothels) of Shanghai, various interweaving stories of love, loyalty, and deceit play out subtly.

Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michiko Hada, Michelle Reis, Carina Lau

Votes: 4,078

88. Blue Gate Crossing (2002)

85 min | Drama, Romance

61 Metascore

An is-she-or-isn't-she gay comedy focused on a Taiwanese teen, the boy she might like, and the girl she may love.

Director: Chih-yen Yee | Stars: Gwei Lun-Mei, Chen Bo-lin, Yolin Liang, Joanna Chou

Votes: 4,376

89. The River (1997)

Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Romance

55 Metascore

A young man develops severe neck pain after swimming in a polluted river; his dysfunctional parents are unable to provide any relief for him or themselves.

Director: Tsai Ming-liang | Stars: Miao Tien, Kang-sheng Lee, Yi-ching Lu, Ann Hui

Votes: 3,332

90. Hill of No Return (1992)

165 min | Crime, Drama, History

Set in 1920s Taiwan under Japanese rule, two men join the Chiu-Fen gold rush hoping for riches, while a widow struggles and a prostitute yearns for freedom. A mine collapse traps miners as the widow leaves town.

Director: Toon Wang | Stars: Jen Chang-bin, Xianmei Chen, Pin-Yuan Huang, Chia-Chia Peng

Votes: 377

91. Boat People (1982)

R | 109 min | Drama

A Japanese photojournalist revisits Vietnam after the Liberation and learns harsh truths about its regime and its "New Economic Zones".

Director: Ann Hui | Stars: George Lam, Cora Miao, Season Ma, Andy Lau

Votes: 1,684

92. He Never Gives Up (1979)

110 min | Biography, Drama

It is about something that happens somewhere a couple years ago

Director: Hsing Lee | Stars: Han Chin, Feng-Jiao Lin, Hsiang-Ting Ko, Di Shao

Votes: 63

93. The Last Message (1975)

Not Rated | 98 min | Comedy

Ah Tim (Michael Hui) is a handy man and Li (Samuel Hui) is a nurse in the Hang Seng Sanitarium. Together thez engage in dubious plots and exploits.

Director: Michael Hui | Stars: Michael Hui, Samuel Hui, Roy Chiao, Eileen Humphreys

Votes: 226

96. Two Stage Sisters (1964)

112 min | Drama

Chronicles the fortunes of two actresses in pre-revolutionary China, who are separated by money and politics.

Director: Jin Xie | Stars: Fang Xie, Yindi Cao, Nan Deng, Ran Ding

Votes: 397

97. Early Spring (1963)

120 min | Drama

Jianqiu is a high school teacher and sympathizes Mrs. Wen, a widow whose husband was Jianqiu's schoolmate and died in the Guangzhou Uprising. Jianqiu and Lan fall in love, but Jianqiu decides to marry Mrs. Wen.

Director: Tieli Xie | Stars: Daolin Sun, Fang Xie, Yunzhu Shangguan, Xuepeng Fan

Votes: 175

98. Xiao Wanyi (1933)

114 min | Drama, War

Sister Ye is the master craftswoman in a village of toymakers that is subject to outside attacks. A series of personal tragedies reduces her to a shell of herself, until she breaks and rallies the townsfolk to fight their oppressors.

Director: Yu Sun | Stars: Lingyu Ruan, Congmei Yuan, Li-li Li

Votes: 225

99. The Lin Family Shop (1959)

Not Rated | 85 min | Drama

A textile store in Zhejiang province encounters a series of trouble when the Japanese invade China and the war breaks out.

Director: Choui Khoua | Stars: Tian Xie, Bin Lin, Wei Ma, Tao Han

Votes: 155

100. Shi zi jie tou (1937)

Not Rated | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Four students in Shanghai have recently finished university. All are unemployed. Xu contemplates suicide but his friend Zhao talks him out of it. Zhao lives in a shabby room with just a ... See full summary »

Director: Xiling Shen | Stars: Dan Zhao, Yang Bai, Ban Lü, Yin Ying

Votes: 182



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