1, Xie Jin dies

Early on the morning of October 18, China lost its legendary filmmaker, Xie Jin, who died of a heart attack in his hometown of Shanghai at the age of 85. Tens of thousands traveled to Shanghai to pay their final respects to the old man.

Throughout his career as a filmmaker, Xie Jin was known for his patriotism and intellectual power. He was the ultimate legend of Chinese cinema. Concern for the human condition was the central theme in his work. His early films included No. 5 in the Women's Basketball Team, the Red Detachment of Women, and the Sisters of the Stage; later works like Furong Town and the historical epic The Opium War, in its day the most expensive film produced in China, Xie Jin created a set of aesthetic values and principles that influenced all subsequent Chinese cinema. He was a monumental figure in the 100 years of China's film history. It is impossible to overestimate his contribution in terms of artistic achievement. He formulated a distinctly Chinese film vocabulary in a time dominated by monotony, ambiguity and chaos.

(China.org.cn December 31, 2008)