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Douglas Parkes

Since dropping his debut feature in 1997, Jia Zhangke has barely stopped. The acclaimed Chinese director has spent the last 27 years releasing a consistent stream of feature-length films, shorts and documentaries. Don’t know where to start with Jia?

Here are five of his best films to help familiarise you with this master of world cinema.
1. Xiao Wu (1997)

Jia’s debut feature Xiao Wu (Pickpocket) set the tone for much of his filmography, with its gritty focus on the urban poor in Shanxi, the director’s home province, against a backdrop of China’s economic liberalisation. Stars Wang Hongwei and Hao Hongjian.
2. Platform (2000)

Jia’s second outing sharpened his style and thematic approach. Beginning at the tail end of the Cultural Revolution, Platform, which stars Wang Hongwei and Zhao Tao, follows a theatre troupe through the Deng Xiaoping years and the economic currents that usher them along.
3. Still Life (2006)

This tale of two spouses (played by Zhao Tao and Han Sanming) searching for their missing partners serves as Jia’s vehicle to examine the tremendous transformation – millions displaced, historic towns and villages submerged – wrought by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Still Life won the Golden Lion award for best film at the 2006 Venice Film Festival.
4. A Touch of Sin (2013)

Wang Hongwei and Zhao Tao are paired once again in Jia’s most violent film, a fierce critique of an economic system that enriches a select few while leaving the majority trapped. It is a tale about the oppressed and the retribution they seek when pushed past their breaking points.
5. Ash is Purest White (2018)

Arguably Jia’s most commercial film, as well as a prototype for his latest movie, Caught by the Tides, Ash is Purest White is a love story starring Zhao Tao and Liao Fan. Nominated for a Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Ash is set on the margins of a contemporary China undergoing transformation and upheaval.


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5 of the best films by Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke

Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke and cast members of his latest film Caught by the Tides, Zhao Tao and Zhou You at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 19. Photo: Reuters

Jia Zhangke has an extensive portfolio of cinematic works. Photo: Reuters

A still from Jia Zhangke’s Xiao Wu (1998), which Martin Scorsese praised. Photo: M+

A still from Platform, starring Zhao Tao, Jia Zhangke’s current wife. Photo: Handout

Still Life (2006) is an award-winning film. Photo: Xstream Pictures

A Touch of Sin was so controversial when it first came out that it was never released in China. Photo: Xstream Pictures

Ash is Purest White was nominated for a Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Handout

Who are Brad Pitt’s parents, William and Jane – and do they still see their grandkids? The couple raised the actor in Missouri, where they still live, but have reportedly been cut off from Knox et al

William Pitt, Jane Pitt and their Hollywood actor son, Brad Pitt, at the 2012 Oscars in Hollywood, California. Photo: FilmMagic 

Brad Pitt’s father William, sister Julie and mum Jane. Photo: @julieneal05/Instagram 

Bill Pitt, Jane Pitt, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are no longer the family unit they once were. Photo: FilmMagic

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with his parents, Bill Pitt and Jane Pitt, during happier times in New York City, in 2011. Photo: Getty Images

Brad Pitt with his children Pax, Shiloh and Maddox, and his parents Jane Pitt and William Pitt, at the premiere of Unbroken in 2014 in Hollywood, California. Photo: FilmMagic

Hong Kong’s design summit is set to thrill with diverse, accessible offerings

Facades on the Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong waterfront illuminated with animations by motion graphics designer Kook Ewo and students from Gobelins School in Paris . Photo: courtesy of Kook Ewo

Design Office Bone Studio’s needle-felt handicrafts inspired by Yau Ma Tei in Hong Kong will be on show. Photo: courtesy of Bone Studio

Geometric sculptures by designer Ban Zhang will be on display at an exhibition in Cheung Sha Wan. Photo: courtesy of Ban Zhang

Willow Chair, an Art Nouveau chair with geometric back by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, will be one of the highlights. Photo: Handout

Nuage Cabinet designed by Charlotte Perriand is inspired by traditional Japanese architecture. Photo: Handout

An artisan works on one of Bone Studio’s Yau Ma Tei-inspired needle-felt handicrafts. Photo: courtesy of Bone Studio

One of the intricate needle-felt handicrafts by Bone Studio. Photo: courtesy of Bone Studio

A Zou Mat-designed folding stool attached to a base that spins and rolls. Photo: courtesy of Zou Mat

An intricate needle-felt artwork inspired by Yau Ma Tei by Bone Studio. Photo: courtesy of Bone Studio

The giant pandas in Hong Kong before An An and Ke Ke

In this photo taken in 2009, giant pandas Le Le (left) and Ying Ying (right) are seen chewing on bamboo shoots on their joint fourth birthday at Ocean Park in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

A screen shows a CCTV capture of the first 24 hours of quarantine of giant pandas Le Le and Ying Ying at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, in 2007. Photo: David Wong

The Post’s announcement on the giant pandas’ public viewing in 2007. Photo: SCMP Archive

The giant pandas on their way to Hong Kong in 2007. Photo: Dickson See

A crossing on board a ‘placeless place’ from China to South Korea

Shidao Port, where the writer’s maritime journey commenced. Photo: Getty Images

The Huadong Pearl VIII, moored at Incheon Port. Photo: Shutterstock

The Huadong Pearl VIII arrives at Incheon Port. Photo: Kristian Odebjer

The Incheon Bridge, under which the Huadong Pearl VIII sailed while approaching the port. Photo: Kristian Odebjer

The guest services desk on board the Huadong Pearl VIII. Photo: Kristian Odebjer

Entertainment options sitting idle on board the Huadong Pearl VIII. Photo: Kristian Odebjer

Hong Kong’s two-dish rice, but make it fancy

The lunchtime rush for two-dish rice at Chapter IFC in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak

90s by Ninetys serves an international selection as part of their bento boxes in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak

A selection of premium two-dish rice boxes (from top: Wellwellwell, Chapter IFC and 90s by Ninety). Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Wellwellwell offers dishes like cauliflower rice, stewed pumpkin and liangpi noodles. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Kikusan’s two-dish rice counter in full swing in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak

PostMag

Culture

Discover Jia’s cinematic brilliance over the years with 5 must-watch films, from his gritty debut Xiao Wu to the violent A Touch of Sin


Discover Jia’s cinematic brilliance over the years with 5 must-watch films, from his gritty debut Xiao Wu to the violent A Touch of Sin.
