Mysterious Buddha, popular cinema, and the new Chinese film culture in the early 1980s

ABSTRACTABSTRACTMysterious Buddha was one of the earliest commercial genre films made in post-Cultural Revolution China. Drawing from the traditional Chinese popular literature of chuanqi, crime thrillers, martial arts films, and horror films, the film was a smash hit with domestic audiences despite condemnation for its poor taste by many critics. The significance of Mysterious Buddha lies not only in its pioneering efforts in reviving the martial arts film genre in the PRC, which is the primary focus of previous studies, but—more importantly—in its ability to reflect the containment of popular cinema and the subsequent ascension of elite film culture. An unmistakable commercial “other,” the film represents a conspicuous departure from Socialist orthodox with its emphasis on plot over characters, native cultural relics over modernization, and bodily confrontation over intellectual engagement. The film was publicly denounced by many influential public figures but was eventually authorized for release. Its haphazard treatment indicated the emergence of a new film bureaucracy, professional institutions, and power balance while a new cinematic direction was sought in the changed political and cultural climate. This chapter reappraises the 1980s’ popular cinema represented by Mysterious Buddha and provides a case study to demonstrate the contested nature of nascent Chinese popular culture in the early 1980s.Shenmi de dafo神秘的大佛Lushan lian庐山恋chuanqi传奇dazhong wenhua大众文化xiaozhong wenhua小众文化posijiu破四旧yangbanxi样板戏Shajiabang沙家浜heshan yongcun, minzhong zhigong河山永存，民众之功Dierci woshou第二次握手Yishuang xiuhua xie一双绣花鞋minjian chuanqi民间传奇qinggong轻功liangxiang亮相Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare君よ憤怒の河を渉れZhuibu追捕Wenhui bao文汇报Kulian苦恋Ke cong he lai客从何来Zhongguo dianyingjia xiehui中国电影家协会minzu民族gong’an ju公案剧xiqu戏曲renmin qunzhong人民群众nei xiang xing内向性tansuo探索Tianyunshan chungqi天云山传奇Wulin zhi武林志Shaolin si少林寺daode pinzhi道德品质shehui fengqi社会风气yule pian娱乐片shangye pian商业片KEYWORDS: Mysterious BuddhaChinese commercial cinemamartial arts filmChinese genre filmsearly 1980s Special termsMysterious Buddha, popular cinema, and the new Chinese film culture in the early 1980sAll authorsLi Yanghttps://doi.org/10.1080/14649373.2022.2064618Published online:12 July 2022Table Download CSVDisplay TableAdditional informationNotes on contributorsLi YangLi Yang holds the PhD of Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. Having previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Chinese at Lafayette College, she is an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include contemporary Chinese cinema, popular culture, cultural globalization, gender and sexuality, and digital humanities. She is the author of The Formation of Chinese Art Cinema: 1990–2003 (Palgrave, 2018).