You Pick BestYouPickBest

The 20 Greatest Chinese Films of All Time

By YPB Team

Palme d'Or winners, wuxia spectacle and quiet family portraits spanning seven decades of filmmaking. Which will win?

  1. Farewell My Concubine — ranked #11
    Farewell My Concubine
    Chen Kaige's 1993 epic of two Peking opera performers across decades of upheaval, a Palme d'Or winner.
    1000pts
  2. In the Mood for Love — ranked #22
    In the Mood for Love
    Wong Kar-wai's 2000 romance of restrained longing between two Hong Kong neighbours.
    898pts
  3. Red Sorghum — ranked #33
    Red Sorghum
    Zhang Yimou's 1987 directorial debut that announced China's Fifth Generation to the world.
    856pts
  4. Yi Yi — ranked #44
    Yi Yi
    Edward Yang's 2000 portrait of a Taipei family that won him Best Director at Cannes.
    592pts
  5. A Brighter Summer Day — ranked #55
    A Brighter Summer Day
    Edward Yang's sprawling 1991 epic of teenage gangs in 1960s Taipei.
    592pts
  6. Spring in a Small Town — ranked #66
    Spring in a Small Town
    Fei Mu's 1948 chamber drama, widely voted the greatest Chinese-language film ever made.
    592pts
  7. Raise the Red Lantern — ranked #77
    Raise the Red Lantern
    Zhang Yimou's 1991 drama of rivalry among the wives of a wealthy 1920s household.
    513pts
  8. Chungking Express — ranked #88
    Chungking Express
    Wong Kar-wai's 1994 kinetic diptych of lovelorn Hong Kong policemen.
    513pts
  9. To Live — ranked #99
    To Live
    Zhang Yimou's 1994 chronicle of one family enduring decades of Chinese history.
    513pts
  10. Devils on the Doorstep — ranked #1010
    Devils on the Doorstep
    Jiang Wen's 2000 black-and-white wartime black comedy that won the Cannes Grand Prix.
    420pts
  11. Ne Zha — ranked #1111
    Ne Zha
    The 2019 animated blockbuster that became one of China's highest-grossing films.
    420pts
  12. A City of Sadness — ranked #1212
    A City of Sadness
    Hou Hsiao-hsien's 1989 family saga and Golden Lion winner set in postwar Taiwan.
    420pts
  13. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — ranked #1313
    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
    Ang Lee's 2000 wuxia epic that won four Academy Awards and captivated global audiences.
    308pts
  14. A Touch of Zen — ranked #1414
    A Touch of Zen
    King Hu's 1971 wuxia landmark whose bamboo forest duel influenced generations of filmmakers.
    308pts
  15. Infernal Affairs — ranked #1515
    Infernal Affairs
    The 2002 Hong Kong thriller of a mole and an undercover cop that inspired The Departed.
    308pts
  16. Yellow Earth — ranked #1616
    Yellow Earth
    Chen Kaige's 1984 debut, shot by Zhang Yimou, that launched the Fifth Generation movement.
    308pts
  17. Hero — ranked #1717
    Hero
    Zhang Yimou's 2002 colour-drenched martial arts epic about an assassination plot.
    171pts
  18. Ju Dou — ranked #1818
    Ju Dou
    Zhang Yimou's 1990 tragedy of forbidden love in a rural dye mill, an Oscar nominee.
    171pts
  19. Still Life — ranked #1919
    Still Life
    Jia Zhangke's 2006 Golden Lion winner set amid the flooding of the Three Gorges.
    171pts
  20. Kung Fu Hustle — ranked #2020
    Kung Fu Hustle
    Stephen Chow's 2004 martial arts comedy blending slapstick with dazzling fight choreography.
    171pts

#movies640#asia21#classics474#china3

Nobody has rated this ranking yet. Vote first, then say whether the ranking was worth it.

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first!

0/1000
Make your own rankingAny question with 2–50 answers. AI fills in options and pictures in a minute.Create →Add rankings to your siteEmbed any ranking. Your readers vote right on your page.How it works →