Adjust font size:

Back in late August, during the 3rd Lushan International Romance Film Week, the China Film Foundation and the China Film Critics Association presented a list of the 10 best romantic films in Chinese cinema since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. They organized and entrusted 13 film experts and critics with reflecting on all the romantic works China had made. They considered the media attention, people's discussions on social media, critics' reviews, awards, academic value, and the films' importance in Chinese motion picture history.

"Domestic romantic movies demonstrate the rich and delicate emotional world of the Chinese people and also show the cultural confidence of Chinese filmmakers. The excellent works shortlisted were recommended based on multiple dimensions and are representatives of romantic movies in different stages of Chinese film history," said Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, on behalf of the selection panel.

"Five Golden Flowers" (1959)

A poster for the movie "Five Golden Flowers." [Image courtesy of Changchun Film Studio]

The romantic comedy directed by Wang Jiayi tells the story of Ah Peng (Mo Zijiang), who meets a girl named Jinhua (Yang Likun) at the March Street Festival, also called the Third Moon Fair, one of the most magnificent festivals of the Bai ethnic group in Dali, Yunnan province. They agree to meet the following year. However, when Ah Peng returns the next year, he finds four other girls named Jinhua and must discover the one he loves while facing drama and hardship. The film showcases not only a beautiful love story but also the beautiful life, ethnic folk culture and scenery of Yunnan province.