This course provides an introduction to the cinema and culture in the Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. We examine the following questions: What is at stake in defining Chinese cinema and culture toward the end of the twentieth century and at the beginning of the twenty-first? What kinds of contextual differences exist in the Chinese-speaking world and how are they represented and negotiated in cinematic production in the past twenty years? In addition to exploring how these cinemas reflect the changing social, cultural, political, economic, and historical conditions, we will investigate how the idea of a national culture is imagined and articulated in different Chinese societies. While this course focuses on Chinese films, we will also examine some of the Japanese and Korean films in order to complicate the question of national culture. Among the aims of this course is to examine the ways in which modern East Asian cinemas and cultures are in dialogue with one another, while recognizing the specific conditions and cultural forces that are at work in each location. Another key objective is to introduce students to the language of cinematic and cultural criticism, and help them develop skills in analyzing films and cultures.