Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, 

My name is Malcolm Clarke, and I’m a filmmaker who decided a few years ago to live and work in China. It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation to speak here today because the forum’s focus and organizing principle; ‘The Charm of China in the Eyes of the World’ is dilemma that I give a great deal of thought to in terms of my work. Why? Because as we are aware, in the wider world there are newly emerging global forces that are being arrayed against the Chinese Renaissance; and these economic, cultural and of course; political forces are doing their utmost to undermine, erode and diminish China’s many extraordinary achievements; in effect - its ‘charms’ and accomplishments. So I’m gratified to be here with you today to share a few of my thoughts and suggestions as to how the Charm of China" can be better explored, explained and most importantly, shared with a sceptical world, through the ‘soft power’ medium of film.

As I’m sure you already know, the emergence of Chinese faces in Western cinema harks back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, In 1895, the Edison Company captured the image of Chinese characters in their "Chinese Laundry Scene" in which the Chinese were depicted as comic characters. A little strange, a little different – but funny and benign.

However, a decade later we saw these images beginning to perverted with the gradual rise of the widespread "Yellow Peril" trope in much American media. Comedy was replaced by villainy. Chinese characters were cast as inscrutable, malevolent and fearsome. I still remember the twinkling evil eyes of ‘Flash Gordon’s all-powerful nemesis ‘Ming the Merciless’ – who gave the 7-year-old me some very uncomfortable Saturday afternoon matinees!

For decades, Villains or Clowns seemed to become the default roles for Chinese and Asian actors in western films – until the advent of home-grown Chinese cinema icons like Anna May Wong and a little later, the widely celebrated Bruce Lee & Jackie Chan. These actors played heroes – they fought for good, they had personal integrity and most important of all – they could kick ass!

The problem was that Chinese films whether they came from the Mainland – or from Hong Kong & Taiwan – were always considered a niche product. Enjoying only limited distribution outside of China. They never really rivalled the success, impact and Box Office clout that western films achieved. Notwithstanding their technical quality and entertainment value – in the wider world Chinese films were still ‘Strangers in a Strange Land. 

But then things began to change. 24 years into the 21st century, with the process of China's historicrejuvenation well under way, Chinese cinema has gradually been playing an increasingly significant role on the global stage. Hollywood studios, ever the opportunists, belatedly realized that by incorporating Chinese locations and faces into their movies they could capture a larger share of the world's most populous and burgeoning market – so today we see Chinese and Asian faces becoming more commonplace in high-profile western franchise films. And this development should not be underestimated; familiarity with Asian characters in any movie, whether it’s a drama or a documentary, normalises and familiarises western audiences to a Chinese presence and perspective. And why is that good? Because Chinese actors and characters need to be seen as equals, not as the ‘other’ as a risky casting choice that audiences might resist or even reject. The more the West gets used to seeing emotionally engaging Chinese performances in which they laugh and cry, play heroes or villains; the more they portray a whole of world of emotions – the more they show themselves to be just like everyone else – not different, not special, not to be feared of mistrusted – the less fear & suspicion they will harbour for Chinese people who, for many decades they have seen as, distinct, different and mysterious.

Actually, I have great confidence in the future of the Chinese film industry – and I’m betting that in the years ahead – the continued soft power of excellent Chinese storytelling – whether it’s in films about contemporary life in the New China - or new interpretations & ‘retellings’ of ancient Chinese myths and legends – or in the surprisingly influential science fiction space – where adaptations of great ChineseSci-Fi novels have achieved great respect overseas. With films like ‘Wandering Earth’, ‘Three Body Problem’ & ‘Decoded’ China can lay claim to inventing masterworks in a genre that was once seen as the exclusive province of an elite group of Western Directors. China should take special pride in not just joining that group, but showing that Chinese innovation and visual ingenuity can expand the entire Sci-Fi universe.

Despite the huge progress that China has achieved in transforming the living standards of its 1.4 billionpeople, in the eyes of much Western media, China is still regarded as a closed, oppressive and predatory nation. And this bias has become increasingly severe in direct proportion to the rapid progress that’s been achieved in all aspects of Chinese life; in poverty alleviation, education, science & technology, the environment and commercial development and of course – the Arts. China's rapid rise has made life exponentially better for countless millions of it citizens – but it has also created predictable push-back outside China – where countries whose development has been less rapid and successful, particularly those countries that once enjoyed sitting comfortably at the world’s “Top Table” – they see China through a very different lens – they’re envious, jealous perhaps of the new ‘power player’ in the global sand box. So they cast China as a rival or an adversary – an obstacle to them maintaining their centuries-long priveleges. What we’ve witnessed during these past several years is a concerted attempt in the West to shape and pervert public opinion against China. And this incessantonslaught is largely driven by the continuous agitation of Western media outlets. So what can we do to redress these misunderstandings, to rebalance the narratives by using the ‘Charm of China’ as a nuanced, soft-power weapon for positive change?

I first came to your country in the ‘80s; sent by ABC; the American Broadcasting Company, to produce a film about China. I traveled extensively and saw widespread poverty and underdevelopment. Yet I vividly recall the irrepressible optimism that I saw day after day in the eyes of Shanghai dockworkers and peasant farmers in the vast northwest—they were people willing to work incredibly hard and followtheir Government’s lead in transforming Chinese society out of all recognition.

I came back to China in 2014 and lo & behold… they’d done it! The mesmerizing transformation of China’s cities; the dramatic changes in peoples’ standard of living. Yet, in the films I’ve made since then - I still see the same deep care for the villagers and families in the eyes of a village party secretary, the same longing for a better life in the sacrifices made by a young female truck driver, the same profound love for their hometown in the eyes of highly successful entrepreneurs.

Making films that are genuine expressions of deeply-felt emotions – films about love, family, wild dreams and crushing disappointments is by far the best way to showcase the dignity, integrity and the charm of China. True emotions; simple, sincere and authentic, can reach the hearts and minds ofpeople everywhere.

As you all doubtless know, recently a small team of Chinese game designers accomplished something remarkable. "Black Myth: Wukong" caused a sensation both here and abroad. It has swept the worldand become a topic of global discussion. And though I’m not a ‘gamer’ – I’d like to congratulate those game designers for their great achievement. Any game (or film, or TV Series) that can lead Westerners to explore a Chinese classic like "Journey to the West" and learn more about the culture and history it represents – deserves our praise. But there’s also a lesson we can learn from ‘Black Myth: Wukong’; it’s a lesson about distribution, about how China sends its films, TV Shows & Games out into the wider world - into the global media ecosystem.

I can attest that, on several occasions during the past few years, my job of telling Chinese stories to the world has been a struggle. In the present geopolitical climate, resistance from foreign exhibitors & distributors to release Chinese content has radically increased. But there is, perhaps, one radical idea that just might turbocharge awareness of the ‘Charm of China’ overseas…   

China already has its own global news platform that reaches into scores of countries all over the world. I wonder if China’s overseas news platform could become something more than just a news platform?Could it perhaps incorporate high quality films by the best Chinese film-makers and dramatists? Once or even several times each week China’s global news platform could become a showcase for the best of both classic and contemporary Chinese films and TV Series? China has a powerful and yet, under-utilized means of opening a window on to the brave, new world that is China. And once global audiences learn that they can expect to be entertained, to see the best of what Chinese film-makers and dramatists have to offer – free of charge - a powerful new means of getting the world to understand China just might open the hearts and minds of people everywhere to the ‘indisputable and irresistible Charm of China’.

Thank you all for listening.