Gastronomie9 min
Peking Duck: The Imperial Dish That Conquered the World
The complete history of Peking duck (北京烤鸭): imperial origins, roasting technique, carving ritual, legendary restaurants and the global rise of China's most iconic dish.
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ChineseCulture9 min
C-Drama: The Guide to Chinese Series Captivating the World
Complete guide to C-dramas (Chinese series): unique genres (xianxia, wuxia, palace drama), must-watch shows, streaming platforms and the international rise of Chinese television.
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JapanesePop-culture10 min
Uta no Prince-sama: When an Otome Game Becomes a Musical Empire
From the PSP to 30,000-seat arenas, the story of UtaPri, the male idol franchise that redefined the Japanese media mix and spawned an entire industry.
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Recent entries
All entriesfilmchine
Kung Fu Hustle
Hong Kong film directed by Stephen Chow in 2004, a wild action comedy set in 1940s Shanghai. A small-time crook tries to join the fearsome Axe Gang but discovers that the residents of a slum called Pig Sty Alley are actually concealed martial arts masters. An extravagant tribute to classic kung fu films, Looney Tunes cartoons, and Fred Astaire dance movies, the film was an international hit with over $102 million at the worldwide box office.
filmchine
Hero
Wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou in 2002, in which a nameless warrior presents himself before the King of Qin, claiming to have eliminated his three most fearsome assassins. Each account offers a different version of events, illustrated by a distinct symbolic color palette (red, blue, white, green). A worldwide hit with over $177 million at the box office, the film is a visually dazzling meditation on sacrifice, power, and national unity.
filmchine
Fallen Angels
Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar-wai in 1995, a neo-noir drama set in nocturnal Hong Kong. Five lonely characters live parallel stories of love and disconnection in a dazzling and alienating metropolis: a hitman and his partner who never meet, a mute ex-convict who forces passersby to use his improvised services. Aesthetically flamboyant with its distorted wide-angle photography and hypnotic soundtrack, the film captures the essence of Wong Kar-wai's cinema.
filmchine
Infernal Affairs
Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak in 2002, a crime thriller in which a cop infiltrates the triad while a triad mole infiltrates the police, each trying to unmask the other before being discovered. This gripping duel between two men trapped in their double identities has become a Hong Kong cinema classic and directly inspired Martin Scorsese's Hollywood remake The Departed, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2007.
filmjapon
Seven Samurai
Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1954, in which a village of farmers recruits seven ronin samurai to protect them from bandits threatening to plunder their harvest. Over three hours long, this epic fresco is considered one of the greatest films in cinema history and has influenced countless works, notably John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven. The film established Kurosawa as the master of Japanese cinema and popularized the 'assembling the team' narrative structure.
filmjapon
Rashomon
Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1950, in which four witnesses give radically contradictory versions of a murder and rape committed in a forest in medieval Japan. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1951 and an Honorary Academy Award in 1952, the film invented the narrative concept known as the 'Rashomon effect' and revealed Japanese cinema to the Western world. It is unanimously considered one of the most influential films in cinema history.
filmcoree
The Handmaiden
South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook in 2016, an erotic thriller set in 1930s Korea under Japanese occupation. A con man sends a pickpocket to be hired as handmaiden to a wealthy Japanese heiress to seduce her and steal her fortune, but alliances reconfigure in unpredictable ways. Adapted from Sarah Waters' novel Fingersmith, the film is praised for its dizzying twists, sumptuous direction, and bold exploration of female desire.
filmcoree
Memories of Murder
South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho in 2003, inspired by the real Hwaseong serial murder case that terrorized rural South Korea in the 1980s. Two detectives with radically opposing methods try to unmask an elusive serial killer in a frustrating and emotionally devastating investigation. Regarded as a masterpiece of crime cinema worldwide, the film launched Bong Joon-ho's international career.
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