Chinese movies in historical order
by stfndw | created - 11 May 2017 | updated - 11 months ago | Publicfilms from china or located in china i've seen in order of their historical timeline until 2000
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1. The Emperor's Shadow (1996)
130 min | Drama, History
Epic drama about China's first emperor (221 BC) who struggles to make his childhood best friend, now China's greatest composer, succumb to his will and compose a grand anthem to his exploits.
Director: Xiaowen Zhou | Stars: Wen Jiang, You Ge, Qing Xu, Chung Chang
Votes: 722 | Gross: $0.07M
247 -210 BC, qin dynasty
2. Hero (2002)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 187,683 | Gross: $53.71M
221 BC, end of warring states period
3. White Vengeance (2011)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Drama, History
White Vengeance tells the story of two brothers contending for supremacy during the fall of the Qin Dynasty, which ruled Imperial China from 221 to 206 BC. As rebels rose, the nation fell ... See full summary »
Director: Daniel Lee | Stars: Shaofeng Feng, Leon Lai, Hanyu Zhang, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong
Votes: 2,008
206 BC, late qin and early han dynasty
4. Red Cliff (2008)
R | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The first chapter of a two-part story centered on a battle fought in China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 A.D.).
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 48,503 | Gross: $0.63M
208 AD, late han dynasty
5. Red Cliff II (2009)
142 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Second and final part of epic tale about a legendary battle that changed the course of China history.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, Chang Chen
Votes: 25,359 | Gross: $0.63M
208 AD, late han dynasty
6. Mulan (1998)
G | 87 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
To save her father from death in the army, a young maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process.
Directors: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook | Stars: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer
Votes: 316,654 | Gross: $120.62M
before 220 AD, late han dynasty, traditionally set later during northern wei
7. Shadow (2018)
Not Rated | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
In a Chinese royal court, an army commander secretly trains a "shadow" to retake a city against the wishes of the king.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Chao Deng, Li Sun, Ryan Zheng, Qianyuan Wang
Votes: 18,227 | Gross: $0.52M
Three Kingdom era 220 -280 AD
8. Mulan (2020)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
To keep her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man and battles northern invaders in China.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jet Li
Votes: 159,117
330 - 555 AD during a rouran invasion
9. The Princess Weiyoung (2016)
TV-14 | 45 min | Drama, History, Romance
After managing to escape from death, Northern Liang's princess takes on the identity of her saviour, Li Wei Young, in order to seek revenge against her enemies who destroyed her kingdom.
Stars: Yan Tang, Ma Cheng, Jin Luo, Hsin Ai Lee
Votes: 1,068
439 AD, fall of Northern Liang
10. The Assassin (2015)
Not Rated | 105 min | Action, Drama, History
A female assassin receives a dangerous mission to kill a political leader in eighth-century China.
Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Stars: Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Yun Zhou, Satoshi Tsumabuki
Votes: 17,992 | Gross: $0.61M
starting 809 AD, tang dynasty
11. House of Flying Daggers (2004)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Dandan Song
Votes: 116,279 | Gross: $11.05M
859 AD, tang dynasty
12. Ye yan (2006)
Not Rated | 131 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A loose adaptation of Hamlet, "The Night Banquet" is set in an empire in chaos. The Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Minister and the General all have their own enemies they would like to finish off at a night banquet.
Director: Xiaogang Feng | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, You Ge, Daniel Wu, Xun Zhou
Votes: 7,172
end of tang, start of five dynasties and ten kingdoms period
13. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
R | 114 min | Action, Drama, Romance
During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, Ye Liu
Votes: 45,971 | Gross: $6.57M
934-965 AD, later shu during five dynasties and ten kingdoms period
14. All the King's Men (1983)
100 min | Action, Drama
It's the 10th century BC, the emperor is not well, and the medicines he is receiving from con artist "Immortal Li" are in reality only making him worse.
Director: King Hu | Stars: Feng Tien, Bao-Yun Tang, Tai-Ching Tsui, Szu-Cheng Mu
Votes: 200
959 AD, end of Shu, start of Song dynasty
15. The Great Wall (I) (2016)
PG-13 | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
In ancient China, a group of European mercenaries encounters a secret army that maintains and defends the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau
Votes: 146,268 | Gross: $45.54M
1010-1063 AD, song dynasty
16. Marco Polo (2014–2016)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a world replete with greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry, "Marco Polo" is based on the famed explorer's adventures in Kublai Khan's court in 13th century Mongolia.
Stars: Lorenzo Richelmy, Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Remy Hii
Votes: 78,707
1276 AD, late song and beginning of yuan dynasty
17. Dragon Inn (1992)
88 min | Action, Thriller
During the Ming Dynasty, Tsao Siu-yan, a power-crazed eunuch who rules his desert region of China as if he were the Emperor, ruthlessly thwarts plots against him and sets a trap for one of this enemies at the Dragon Gate Inn.
Directors: Raymond Lee, Siu-Tung Ching, Hark Tsui | Stars: Tony Ka Fai Leung, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen
Votes: 4,840
1368 - 1644 AD, ming dynasty
18. Seven Swords (2005)
Not Rated | 153 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Seven warriors come together to protect a village from a diabolical General.
Director: Hark Tsui | Stars: Leon Lai, Donnie Yen, Charlie Yeung, Honglei Sun
Votes: 9,919
~1650 AD, beginning of qing dynasty
19. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
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: 281,671 | Gross: $128.08M
1778 AD, qing dynasty
20. The Warlords (2007)
R | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
China, 1860s: Having his army slaughtered, General Qingyun joins 2 bandit leaders in raids on rebels and in blood oath. They form a Qing loyal army with eyes on rebel held Suzhou and Nanjing.
Directors: Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Wai-Man Yip | Stars: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jinglei Xu
Votes: 27,823 | Gross: $0.13M
1851 - 1864 AD, taiping rebellion during qing dynasty
21. Fearless (2006)
PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A biography of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia, who is the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.
Director: Ronny Yu | Stars: Jet Li, Li Sun, Yong Dong, Yun Qu
Votes: 78,718 | Gross: $24.63M
~1900 AD, late qing dynasty
22. Iron Monkey (1993)
PG-13 | 85 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A martial artist/doctor steals from the corrupt authorities as a masked thief to give to the poor while another martial artist/doctor is forced to hunt him down. But a major threat unites them as a powerful and traitorous shaolin monk takes over the authorities.
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen | Stars: Rongguang Yu, Donnie Yen, Jean Wang, Sze-Man Tsang
Votes: 17,227 | Gross: $14.68M
~1900 AD, late qing dynasty
23. The Last Emperor (1987)
PG-13 | 163 min | Biography, Drama, History
Bernardo Bertolucci's Oscar-winning dramatisation of the life story of China's last emperor, Pu Yi.
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci | Stars: John Lone, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying
Votes: 111,541 | Gross: $43.98M
1907 - 1950 AD
24. 1911 (2011)
R | 99 min | Drama, History, War
A historical drama based on the founding of the Republic of China when nationalist forces led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty.
Directors: Tao Hai, Wei Li, Guoqiang Tang, Li Zhang, Jackie Chan | Stars: Jackie Chan, Winston Chao, Bingbing Li, Chun Sun
Votes: 6,527 | Gross: $0.13M
1911 AD
25. Dragon (2011)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A papermaker gets involved with a murder case concerning two criminals leading to a determined detective suspecting him and the former's vicious father searching for him.
Director: Peter Ho-Sun Chan | Stars: Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tang Wei, Jia-Min Li
Votes: 15,800 | Gross: $0.01M
1917
26. 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: 35,359 | Gross: $2.60M
1920s, warlord era
27. Farewell My Concubine (1993)
R | 171 min | Drama, Music, Romance
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: 33,174 | Gross: $5.22M
1924 - 1990 AD
28. Ip Man (2008)
R | 106 min | Action, Biography, Drama
During the Japanese invasion of China, a wealthy martial artist is forced to leave his home when his city is occupied. With little means of providing for themselves, Ip Man and the remaining members of the city must find a way to survive.
Director: Wilson Yip | Stars: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong Fan, Ka-Tung Lam
Votes: 233,635
1930s AD, warlord era and nanjing decade
29. The Flowers of War (2011)
R | 146 min | Drama, History, Romance
An American finds refuge during the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking in a church with a group of women. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Xinyi Zhang, Tianyuan Huang
Votes: 55,734 | Gross: $0.01M
1937 AD, rape of nanjing
30. 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: 20,452 | Gross: $2.33M
1940s -1970s
31. Empire of the Sun (1987)
PG | 153 min | Drama, War
A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers
Votes: 134,353 | Gross: $22.24M
1941-1945 AD, japanese occupation of shanghai
32. Devils on the Doorstep (2000)
139 min | Comedy, Drama, War
Villagers in World War II China are unsure what to do with the two enemy prisoners who have been left in their care.
Director: Wen Jiang | Stars: Wen Jiang, Kenya Sawada, Hongbo Jiang, Teruyuki Kagawa
Votes: 8,618 | Gross: $0.02M
1944 AD
33. The Road Home (1999)
G | 89 min | Drama, Romance
Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.
Director: Yimou Zhang | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Honglei Sun, Hao Zheng, Yulian Zhao
Votes: 13,920 | Gross: $1.28M
~1960 AD
34. 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: 5,532
~ 1966 -1976 AD, cultural revolution
35. Summer Palace (2006)
Unrated | 158 min | Drama, Romance
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
1987 - 2001 AD
36. Mountain Patrol (2004)
PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Drama
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: 5,434 | Gross: $0.14M
1993 - 1996 AD
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