Movies and television programs that capture the atmosphere of the city.
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Beijing Bicycle (2001)
The theft of a messenger's hard-earned bicycle sets off a chain of events illustrating the clash of Beijing's poor migrant workers with the new middle class. The symbol used—a bicycle—is fast-disappearing in Beijing as a mode of transport, but it's an apt message for a growing urban problem.
Farewell My Concubine (1993)
This epic movie follows two childhood friends from their rise in the Peking Opera, to the woman (Gong Li) who came between them, to their survival from persecution during the Cultural Revolution. Dense, dramatic overview of China's late 20th-century political turmoil.
Hero (2002)
Most of China's (and Hong Kong's) A-list stars appear in the first—and the best—of Zhang Yimou's recent martial arts trilogy. Storyline imagines an assassination plot against Qin, the king who wages war to unite China in 221 B.C. Much of the action takes place in a convincing replica of the Forbidden City.
The Last Emperor (1987)
Biopic of the last Chinese emperor, Pu Yi, who took the throne at age 3 and then fell into a life of addiction, manipulation by the Japanese, and eventual obscurity. Writer-director Bernardo Bertolucci shot the film on location in the Forbidden City.
Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
1930s tale of a 19-year-old woman who is forced to become the fourth concubine to a powerful man when her father dies. Sad story, with evocative, breathtaking scenery.
The World (2004)
Funny, episodic film about the plight of 20-somethings who came to Beijing to work and perform in World Park, a real-life amusement park with replicas of world monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramid.
