Top 250 Movies Like The Forbidden City
A list of the best movies similar to The Forbidden City. If you liked The Forbidden City then you may also like: 24 City, 55 Days at Peking, Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon, Zombie Night, Iron Moon and many more great movies featured on this list.
55 Days at Peking
Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, delayed relief and tacit support of the Boxers by the Empress of China and her generals.
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon
The action-packed and captivating tale of Dee Renjie's beginnings in the Imperial police force. His very first case, investigating reports of a sea monster terrorizing the town, reveals a sinister conspiracy of treachery and betrayal, leading to the highest reaches of the Imperial family.
Iron Moon
Few of us have stopped to consider the lives of the workers who manufacture the objects that make up our daily lives. We use these objects without knowing anything about the Foxconn plants in which they are made, or even where these factories are located, let alone who works in them. One such worker was the young Chinese poet Xu Lizhi, who, at the age of 24, jumped out of a building not far from where he worked at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen.
The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom
In the twilight of the Ming Dynasty, the Imperial court is plagued by corruption as tyrants rule over the land. With the Manchurians preying on a weakened empire, war is imminent. To save the victims from their suffering, sorceress Jade Raksha fights the soldiers that oppress people for their own gain. As payback, local government officials decide to pin the murder of Governor Zhuo Zhonglian on Jade, turning her and the members of her cult into wanted fugitives for a crime they didn't commit.
Nicholas and Alexandra
Tsar Nicholas II, the inept last monarch of Russia, insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family.
The Opium War
The story of the Opium War between China, in the waning days of the Qing Dynasty, and the British Empire, in the 1830s, and the subsequent takeover of Hong Kong by Britain; through the eyes of the key figures, fiercely nationalistic Lin Zexu, and opportunistic British naval diplomat Charles Elliot.
Red Cliff
In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.
The Rise of Catherine the Great
The woman who will become Catherine the Great marries into the Russian royal family when she weds Grand Duke Peter, the nephew of Empress Elizabeth. Although the couple has moments of contentment, Peter's cruel and erratic behavior causes a rift between him and Catherine. Mere months after Peter succeeds his aunt as the ruler of Russia, a revolt is brewing, and Catherine is poised to ascend to the throne as the country's new empress.
Rory O'More
Based on the story of the real-life 17th Century Irish rebel and the eighteen century ballad about him, this one-reeler is one of the Kalem pictures shot by Olcott and his company on their second trip to the Emerald Isle.
Russian Ark
A ghost and a French marquis wander through the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, encountering scenes from many different periods of its history.
Know Your Enemy: Japan
Frank Capra-directed propaganda film produced during World War II depicting the United States' new enemy: Japan.
The Assassins
In the year 198 BC, Cao Cao (Chow Yun Fat), Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty, ventured to the east and defeated China's greatest warrior Lu Bu, terrifying every ambitious warlord across the country. Several years later, after taking the Han Emperor under his wing, Cao crowns himself King of Wei. He built a magnificent Bronze Sparrow Island to symbolize his power and rumors spread that he would replace the Emperor. Meanwhile, young lovers Mu Shun (Hiroshi Tamaki) and Ling Ju (Liu Yi-Fei) are taken from a prison camp to a hidden tomb, where they spend five cruel years together, training as assassins for a secret mission. In the year 220 BC astronomical signs predict dramatic change. As a result, Cao's son Cao Pi (Yau Sam-Chi) and Cao's followers urge Cao to become the new Emperor - but unknown opposing forces plot against him.
The Battle
Union soldiers march off to battle amid cheering crowds. After the battle turns against the Union Army, one soldier runs away, hiding in his girlfriend's house. Ashamed of his cowardice, he finds his courage and crosses enemy lines to bring help to his trapped comrades.
Brotherhood of Blades
In the late Ming Dynasty, three sworn brothers who serve as the imperial secret police are dispatched to hunt down Wei Zhongxian, a eunuch politician who had been forced to resign from his influential post and exiled from Beijing. The brothers return successfully from their quest, only to find that their task was but the beginning of a strange conspiracy.
Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield
An imperial guard searches for the truth behind a conspiracy that framed him and his partners. The proof of his innocence lies with a wanted woman named Bei Zhai... but will she reveal what she knows? In this intense prequel to BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES, the only thing he can truly trust is his sword.
Caligula
The perversion behind imperial Rome, the epic story of Rome's mad Emporer. All the details of his cruel, bizarre reign are revealed right here: His unholy sexual passion for his sister, his marriage to Rome's most infamous prostitute, his fiendishly inventive means of disposing those who would oppose him, and more.
Catherine the Great
Trapped in a loveless arranged marriage to the immature future Czar, a young German Princess proves a skillful political infighter and rises to become Catherine the Great.
City of Life and Death
In 1937, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army has just captured Nanjing, then-capital of the Republic of China. What followed was known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, a six week period wherein tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed.
The Emperor's New Groove
Kuzco is a self-centered emperor who summons Pacha from a village and to tell him that his home will be destroyed to make room for Kuzco's new summer home. Kuzco's advisor, Yzma, tries to poison Kuzco and accidentally turns him into a llama, who accidentally ends up in Pacha's village. Pacha offers to help Kuzco if he doesn't destroy his house, and so they form an unlikely partnership.
Mulan II
Fa Mulan gets the surprise of her young life when her love, Captain Li Shang asks for her hand in marriage. Before the two can have their happily ever after, the Emperor assigns them a secret mission, to escort three princesses to Chang'an, China. Mushu is determined to drive a wedge between the couple after he learns that he will lose his guardian job if Mulan marries into the Li family.
Curse of the Golden Flower
During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.
Empire of the Sun
Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all foreigners into prison camps. Jamie is captured with an American sailor, who looks out for him while they are in the camp together. Even though he is separated from his parents and in a hostile environment, Jamie maintains his dignity and youthful spirit, providing a beacon of hope for the others held captive with him.
Mulan
When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the name of Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her innermost strength and embrace her true potential.
Chinese Zodiac
Asian Hawk leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860. Assisted by a Chinese student & a Parisian lady, Hawk stops at nothing to accomplish the mission.
The Emperor and the Assassin
In pre-unified China, the King of Qin sends his concubine to a rival kingdom to produce an assassin for a political plot, but as the king's cruelty mounts she finds her loyalty faltering.
Martial Arts of Shaolin
In ancient China, Zhi Ming trains at the legendary Northern Shaolin temple to avenge the death of his father at the hands of a nefarious magistrate.
Genghis Khan
This is the story of the shy Mongol boy Temujin who,during the 13th century, becomes the fearless Mongol leader Genghis Khan that unites all Mongol tribes and conquers India,China,Persia,Korea and parts of Rusia,Europe and Middle-East.
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings
Dee, the detective serving Chinese empress Wu Zetian, is called upon to investigate a series of strange events in Loyang, including the appearance of mysterious warriors wearing Chiyou ghost masks, foxes that speak human language and the pillar sculptures in the palace coming alive.
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
When the future empress Wu Zetian's two courtiers die in a mysterious fire, she gets Di Renjie, a former detective and rebel, released from prison to solve the mystery of the fire.
Don't Cry, Nanking
In December 1937, during the Second Japanese-Sino War, a Chinese doctor, his Japanese pregnant wife, their teenage daughter and their young son travel from Shanghai to Nanjing seeking shelter in the Capital during the Japanese invasion. The family faces the Rape of Nanking by the Imperial Japanese Army, with rapes, mass murder of prisoners of war and civilians including women, children and elders, and disrespect of international conventions.
East Palace, West Palace
A young gay man, identified as a writer, encounters a local policeman, who arrests him for public cruising in a park. The policeman is more than professionally curious about the young man, who seems to have the cop's number and suddenly kisses him.
The Emperor's Shadow
Epic drama about China's first emperor (221 BC) who struggles to make his childhood best friend, now China's greatest composer, succumb to his will and compose a grand anthem to his exploits.
Imperial Bodyguard
When internal strife leads to a conspiracy to assassinate the emperor, it is up to a group of loyal warriors to protect the emperor and defend the kingdom.
Lady of the Dynasty
The tragic story of a Tang Dynasty imperial consort who was the favorite of the Emperor Xuanzong.
The Last Emperor
A dramatic history of Puyi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.
League of Gods
During the reign of King Zhou, an official enters his bedchamber, and is devoured by the monstrous tails of Daji, his concubine. Outside their city, several warriors within a metal wagon discuss their strategies to free the Invisible People and their Chief, when Jiang Ziya appears to them. He tells them that when King Zhou was younger, he let himself become possessed by the Black Dragon for his quest for power.
Legend of the Demon Cat
During the Late Tang Dynasty, a manor is invaded by a demon cat and a sense of unrest befalls the capital of Changan. A poet is charged with investigating the case and meets up with a monk. The two work together and pull apart the thread of clues to reveal a history of truths leading to the events.
Li Lianying, the Imperial Eunuch
Set against the backdrop of the Boxer Rebellion and the takeover of the Forbidden City by foreign powers, the empress-dowager Cixi and her notorious chief eunuch fight a losing battle to preserve their corrupt and autocratic regime.
The Lost Bladesman
During the warring period of the three kingdoms, ancient China is in turmoil. To unify the country, general Cao Cao, the real power behind the Emperor, enlists the aid of the greatest warrior in the land, Guan Yu. However, Guan Yu is a loyal friend of Cao Cao's enemy Liu Bei so to persuade the peerless warrior to fight, Cao Cao takes his beloved Qi Lan hostage. After leading Cao Cao's forces to victory Guan Yu sets out with Qi Lan to rejoin Liu Bei. Now Cao Cao has deemed him too great a threat to live, and on the journey he must face all the forces at the Emperor's command sent to destroy him.
Mayerling
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, over implementing progressive policies for their country. Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that doesn't realize the need for social reform. The Prince of Wales, later to become Britain's King Edward VII, provides comic relief. Rudolf finds refuge from a loveless marriage with Princess Stéphanie by taking a mistress, Baroness Maria Vetsera. Their untimely demise at Mayerling, the imperial family's hunting lodge, is cloaked in mystery.
Purple Butterfly
Ding Hui is a member of Purple Butterfly, a powerful resistance group in Japanese occupied Shanghai. An unexpected encounter reunites her with Itami, an ex-lover and officer with a secret police unit tasked with dismantling Purple Butterfly.
Saving General Yang
When a rival nation sends troops to invade the Song Dynasty, the emperor sends general Yang Ye (Adam Cheng) to defend the nation. However, Yang's place in the court is shaky due to a feud with Pan Renmei caused by the accidental death of his son at the hands of one of Yang's sons. At the battle, Yang is abandoned by Pan's troops, leaving him trapped in the face of an attack by Yeli Yuan (Shao Bing), an enemy general who wants to kill Yang to avenge his father. After learning about their father's predicament, Yang Ye's seven sons set out to rescue their father at any cost.
A Tale of Two Cities
A condensed silent film version of the Charles Dickens classic about the French Revolution and its subsequent Reign of Terror.
The True Story of Ah Q
Based on the 1921 novella of the same name by one of China's most well-known modern writers, Lu Xun (Lu Hsun), the True Story of Ah Q is set during the 1911 revolution. Ah Q is a lowly peasant who wants to rise above his class, or at least get out of his grinding poverty. At first he thinks the way to do it is by marrying into a better station in life; later, he joins the revolution as he feels that is the only way he and others like him can transcend poverty. In this film version of Lu Xun's story, the character of Ah Q might benefit from a more rounded humanity to make him appealing to those not familiar with the harsh environment in China before the 1911 revolution.
The Emperor's New Clothes
In Europe several several centuries ago, a group of prisoners about to be executed are freed as part of the celebration of the upcoming marriage of the emperor's daughter, Princess Gilda, to a very rich prince from another country. Sid Caesar composed the song "Clothes Make the Man". Ran 93 minutes on German TV.
The Great Waltz
Composer Johann Strauss risks his marriage over his infatuation with a beautiful singer.
Ancient Sword and Wizardry: Aversion to Fire
A thousand-year-old demon shrimp infiltrates the palace to take revenge on the emperor, but he is stopped by Creepy Master Le Wu Yi, who is highly capable of hunting him down, and the battle to save the people begins.
White Vengeance
White Vengeance tells the story of two brothers contending for supremacy during the fall of the Qin Dynasty, which ruled Imperial China from 221 to 206 BC. As rebels rose, the nation fell into chaos. Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, became leaders of the rebellious army, and also became sworn brothers in battle.Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are close friends who both serve King Huai of Chu. King Huai uses a plot, saying that whoever can subvert the Qin kingdom in Guanzhong would be the Lord Qin, in order to benefit from the competition between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. Xiang Yu is over-confident. He fights against the main force of Qin army, and entrusts Liu Bang with Yu Ji, the woman he loves.Liu Bang expresses his love to Yu Ji and takes the chance to invade Guanzhong first when most of Qin army is outside fighting against Xiang Yu’s army.
Laboratory of the Devil
In the spring of 1945, Japan established a secret base, Unit 731 in Manchuria, where many innocent Chinese, Korean and Mongolian people were killed in grotesque experiments. An idealistic young doctor , Morishima, is horrified by the experiments being performed in the camp and when his fiancée arrives disguised as a Chinese prisoner he sets out to liberate the camp. A docudrama sequel to the notorious Men Behind the Sun, which pulls no punches when it comes to delivering the shocks!
One Mile Above
Shuhao is a 24 year old Taiwanese university graduate. His older brother Shuwei, whom he has idolized since childhood, dies on a bicycle ride to Lhasa. He decides to complete Shuwei's journey, hoping to prove himself through this challenging trip. Shuhao's inexperience almost sees him headed over a cliff one dark night. Food poisoning nearly costs him his life just after surviving an attack by a pack of menacing Tibetan Mastiffs. In the end, Shuhao arrives in Lhasa to see the Potola Palace. His lonely journey, filled with laughter and tears, brings him to the discovery of a new purpose in life.
Iceman: The Time Traveler
The imperial guard and his three traitorous childhood friends ordered to hunt him down get accidentally buried and kept frozen in time. 400 years later pass and they are defrosted continuing the battle they left behind.
Sword of Destiny
The peerless swordsmith, Meng Yezi, suffered the calamity of family extermination from the traitor Zhao Han served in the court for casting the famous Hanguang Sword. He desperately saved his son Meng Yang and left him the unforged Chengying Sword. Twenty years later, Meng Yang grew up and tried to avenge his father. At that time, Chengying Sword had not been cast yet to compete with Hanguang Sword. Then, the emperor was dying, and by chance, Meng Yang was assigned to escort the prince Gong Zidu back to the palace to succeed to the throne. Meng Yang accepted the task to investigate the truth about his family extermination for avenge. However, he met a fatal disaster on the way...
The Four 3
The reputation of the Four constables survives, but since Emotionless’s departure, there have been changes at the Divine Constabulary. The four Coldblood, Iron Hands, Life Snatcher, rescue Zhuge Zhengwo from An Yunshan’s mountain fortress, then with the Emperor and Di armies, they attack. But An Yunshan absorbs their power, which means the constables and their allies now face their most lethal opponent yet, a nearly invincible kung fu master who won’t stop until he has absolute power...
Legendary Amazons
The film is set in early 11th century China during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. The emperor neglects state affairs and indulges in personal pleasures, while the government sinks into corruption and war continues to rage on at the borders of the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty is being invaded by the armies of the rival state of Western Xia. Yang Zongbao is the last man standing in the Yang clan, a family of generals who have dedicated their lives to defending the Song Dynasty from foreign invaders. He apparently dies in battle tragically when the treacherous Imperial Tutor Pang refuses to send reinforcements to aid him. Yang Zongbao's widowed wife Mu Guiying leads the other widows of the Yang clan into battle to continue the legacy of their husbands.
The Emperor's Sword
During the chaotic rule of Qin Shi Huang ruled China, his Qin Dynasty is about to be usurped by Zhao Gao. For a time, heroes came together to guard the Ding Qin sword that could stabilize the country, so as not to fall into the hands of the enemy., Ji Lian a loyal subject of the Qin Dynasty did not retreat from the untold fighters sent by the wicked Zhao Gao, and vowed to stick to the last moment of life to safeguard the sword and the Qin dynasty.
The Guillotines
In the time of the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor Yongzheng created a secret army known as the Guillotines. It was the job of the Guillotines to protect the Emperor by killing anyone who posed a threat to him or his rule. After 348 successful missions to eliminate their target, the 349th assignment proves to be their last.
7 Assassins
When social unrest plagues a Kingdom in ancient China, the Imperial Court collects stockpiles of gold from local governments to expand the royal army. However, the gold is robbed while in transport. In a desperate move to retrieve the stolen treasure, elite royal guards are sent on a mission to go after the gold but soon find out they are not the only ones in pursuit of it.
Fighting For The Motherland 1162
In 1161, Wanyan Liang, emperor of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, planned to invade the Southern Song Dynasty. Owing to the harsh recruitment policy and the Jin's cruelty, people in the Central Plain found it hard to live on. Xin Qiji, aged 21, rose up in arms with villagers to fight against the Jin army and then joined a more influential voluntary army led by Geng Jing, winning victory after victory. In 1162, aiming to expel invaders and recover the lost land to realize the reunification, Xin Qiji went to the south to persuade the Song Emperor to drive the Jurchens out of the north. Successfully accomplishing his mission, Xin Qiji only to find the commander Geng Jing was killed by a traitor and the army had lost morale. Facing with Wanyan Basu's army of 50,000 soldiers, what course would Xin Qiji and his 50 loyal subordinates follow?
The Great Conqueror's Concubine
Insurrection deposes the tyrannical first emperor of China during the evil Qin Dynasty. Warrior/general Xiang Yu and the cunning peasant Liu Pang join forces to win through civil war. Xiang Yu's weakness for Lady Yu combine with Liu Pang's treachery result in Liu founding the legendary Han dynasty
The Final Blade
Early Qing Dynasty, Jin guard(the imperial guards of Ming) assassin-ed into the palace of the general Li, won the Chicken Cup back. three hundred years later, inside a temple, the lead of Jin guard He Fan is dying to protect the chicken cup from the treasure hunter David Wong, He fan died in the battle, only survived is his son He Xingyun, the treasure got into the near lake.
The Last Mission
Four days after the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, American airmen are flying the last and longest bombing mission of the war. In Tokyo, a fanatical group of Japanese officers stage a daring coup d'etat in an effort to prolong the war. As the rebels take over Japan's Imperial Palace, and with it - Emperor Hirohito; radio operator Jim Smith and the men of the 315th Bomb Wing are facing their own dangers in the sky above Japan. In a development not anticipated by generals or world leaders - the Last Mission and the coup d'etat converge, helping to bring an end to the most destructive war the world has ever known.
Guardian of the Palace
'Guardian of the Palace' tells the story of a time when a plague spreads in Heishun (Blackwater) Town during the warring warlords, and Tianya, Wunian and Jiujiu set out on a treasure hunt to find the Golden Moon Gem that cures the plague. The warlord Feng Pei Chuan was trailing them and tried to take the gems for himself, but Tianya and the others managed to subdue Feng Pei Chuan, reclaim the gems and save the people.
Just Call Me Nobody
Poor young cobbler Wu Di lives with his mother and is crazy about martial-arts picture books. One day he repairs the shoe of wandering swordswoman Yuelou and later helps save her in a fight with wanted criminal Tian Baguang, even though he has no martial-arts training. She tells him she owes him a life and can be found on Qin Mountain if he ever needs her. Yuelou is actually a princess who was due to marry the emperor but ran away after setting fire to her palace quarters. In love, Wu Di sets out to find her, fighting river pirate Dugu and his sidekick on the way, and also meeting a hermit Buddhist monk who offers to take him on as a pupil. Yuelou plans to attend a martial arts tournament to establish her name, little knowing that the emperor's chief eunuch Cheng has arranged for her to be secretly protected by Penal Bureau officer Yang Guo and to win the tournament, so the emperor can award her the prize and persuade her to reconsider marriage.
On His Majesty's Secret Service
Louis Koo plays 009, or translated literally from its aural pronunciation, double-O Dog. He's one of 12 special Royal Bodyguards of a simpleton Emperor (Liu Yiwei) who named these 12 guards after the Chinese Zodiac, hence 9 translated to Dog. Unlike his peers, Dog is a scientist, and relies pretty much on his brains and fantastical gadgets to protect his Majesty from evil ninja assassins.
Chu Liuxiang: The Beginning
Bandit chief Chu Luixiang is the main character of eight wuxia novels written by late legend Gu Long. Many cult films rom Hongkong have been based on the history of his adventures (Clans of Intrigue, Legend of the Bat, Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman, Legend of the Liquid Sword etc) In Wei Dong’s movie we will learn about the early years of the newcomer Chu who aspires to become a "thief" and inadvertently befriends Mu Qianyu, the new master of the Divine Water Palace, who is dressed as a man.
Betrayal and Revenge
In 1864, the death of the emperor of China's Taiping rebellion gives the rival Ch'ings an opportunity to attack. They break into the Taiping capital; the emperor's son goes into hiding, taking with him his family's invaluable sword. The loyal army chief, Gao Dekum, wants to find the young man and reinstall him as emperor of the heavenly kingdom of great peace. But he is double-crossed by Bei Wenbing. Several years later, after ardent training in kung fu, Gao's son Yulong and his daughter are ready to avenge their father's death and lead the Taiping loyalists into battle against the Ch'ings. A showdown between Yulong and Bei appears inevitable.
Seven Spirit Pagoda
The Tang emperor is betrayed by one of his most trusted aides who is the general of all the armies. He attacks the palace to establish himself as the new emperor. The real emperor is killed and his daughter commits suicide rather than be taken prisoner.
Dragonkeeper
In ancient China, dragons were once friends of men, but men’s greed and lust for power ended their alliance, and these wise and magical creatures were hunted down by the Empire. Years later, in a remote fortress, a young slave girl named Ping strikes up an unlikely friendship with Long Danzi, the last of the imperial dragons. Learning the power of Qi, Ping helps the dragon escape from captivity and together they journey across the Empire in order to save his lineage, chased by the Emperor’s men and pursued by even darker powers.
The Empress Dowager
Han Hsiang Li's lush epic re-creates the fascinating life and times of Tzu Hsi, the Manchu Qing dynasty empress who rose from the ranks of Emperor Xianfeng's many concubines to become the de facto ruler of China for nearly 50 years.
Empress Wu Zetian
Historical film based on the life of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history
The African Desperate
It’s MFA grad Palace Bryant’s final 24 hours in art school, and she is not going to the graduation party! She needs to get back home to Chicago from Upstate New York, but that means surviving a hazy, hilarious, and hallucinatory odyssey, stumbling from academic critiques to backseat hookups.
History of the World in Two Hours
Did you know that 1% of the white noise you see on old televisions is background radiation from The Big Bang? That the gold on a wedding ring comes from a star that exploded 5 billion years ago? And, that we're connected to the salt water of the first oceans through the water in our bodies? Our human story is actually 14 billion years old and the clues are all around us. This CGI-driven special will tell the history of our world in two hours, an ambitious story that will give surprising connections to our daily lives. From the formation of the earth and the emergence of life, to the advance of man and the growth of civilization, it’s a rapid-fire view of our unforgettable story.
The First Emperor
Docu-drama profiling Ying Sheng, the first Emperor of China. Charting the life of the man who unified China, this documentary begins with the future Emperor's rise to power after the death of his father, becoming King of Qin at the age of thirteen. Mostly told through the use of re-enactments, the story continues to the present day and the discovery of the Emperor's tomb and terracotta army in 1974.
China's Megatomb Revealed
Albert Lin and National Geographic Channel unearth the terrible secrets that lie hidden in the tomb of China's first Emperor. The Terracotta Warriors are just the tip of the iceberg in this mausoleum the size of Manhattan, that has gone largely unexcavated…until now. These silent statues guard explosive, macabre findings that rewrite history and paint a very different picture of the ancient world from what we thought we knew.
Russia 1917: Countdown to Revolution
Russia, 1917. After the abdication of Czar Nicholas II Romanov, the struggle for power confronts allies, enemies, factions and ideas; a ruthless battle between democracy and authoritarianism that will end with the takeover of the government by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
Japan's War In Colour
Using never-before-seen footage, Japan's War In Colour tells a previously untold story. It recounts the history of the Second World War from a Japanese perspective, combining original colour film with letters and diaries written by Japanese people. It tells the story of a nation at war from the diverse perspectives of those who lived through it: the leaders and the ordinary people, the oppressors and the victims, the guilty and the innocent. Until recently, it was believed that no colour film of Japan existed prior to 1945. But specialist research has now unearthed a remarkable colour record from as early as the 1930s. For eight years the Japanese fought what they believed was a Holy War that became a fight to the death. Japan's War In Colour shows how militarism took hold of the Japanese people; describes why Japan felt compelled to attack the West; explains what drove the Japanese to resist the Allies for so long; and, finally, reveals how they dealt with the shame of defeat.
China's Lost Pyramids
In China, there exists an astonishing place. A burial ground to rival Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, where pyramid tombs of stupendous size are full of astonishing riches. In 221 BC, China's first Emperor united warring kingdoms into a nation that still exists today. To memorialise this achievement, he bankrupted the national treasury and oppressed thousands of workers to build one of the world’s biggest mortuary complexes. China's second dynasty, the Han, inherited the daunting challenge of building larger tombs to command respect and establish their right to rule without running the nation into the ground. Although no Han emperor's tomb has been opened, the tombs of lesser Han aristocrats have revealed astonishing things: complete underground palaces (including kitchens and toilets) and at least one corpse so amazingly well-preserved some believe Han tomb-builders knew how to "engineer immortality".
The Movie Emperor
Andy Lau is perfectly, cheekily cast as a movie star seeking relevance via a film festival–baiting art-house role in director Ning Hao’s sharp satire of movie industry pretension.
The Last Empress
There were three women lived with Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, during 1922 and 1924. Wan-jung, the Queen, ended up with being insane. Tan Yuling died. Wenxiu, a concubine, was eliminated from the Royal family. This is the story of the fate of three women, including the wife and cousin of who have a lesbian relationship
Mysterious Raiders
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, most of the people in the city contracted strange diseases. He Miao, who cares about the fate of the country, hopes that Zhang Xiaozhi will help him to get the treasure in the underwater underground palace. But several other forces started a big fight in order to obtain the treasures of the underground palace.
The Palace
In Qing Dynasty, Chen Xiang and Liuli became maids and friends in the imperial palace. Liuli wanted to be famous whereas Chen Xiang just wanted to live a normal life. Liuli attempted to change her life by knowing the prince, even at the cost of betraying Chen Xiang.
The Burning of the Imperial Palace
Dramatization of events from the Second Opium War which culminated in the looting and destruction of imperial estate "Yuan Ming Yuan", AKA the Old Summer Palace by invading English and French troops.
Scars Of Nanking
During the brutal invasion of China in 1937 by Imperial Japanese forces, tens of thousands of civilians and prisoners of war are murdered and women raped in what is known simply as "The Rape of Nanking." This docudrama is a stirring account of a small band of courageous American missionaries who choose to stay in Nanking to try and protect a quarter million vulnerable Chinese civilians who are trapped in a city ruled by a savage, out of control army. Their stories are brought vividly to life through actual real-time letters and diaries as they bear witness to one of the worst wartime atrocities in history.
The Opium Wars
China 1839. Because the British imports of opium into Southern China are creating such widespread medical and economic problems, the weak Manchu emperor Tao Kuang is forced to take action that precipitates the 'Opium War'.
Sworn Brothers
Hou is sent by the emperor to the city of Fengtian to capture the leader of the revolutionary forces, code named Baihu, whose identity is not known, not even to his own followers. Hou meets his younger sworn brother Lei, the commander of the forces of Fengtian, whom he had not seen for years. Hou receives reports that Baihu is bringing 'Lotus Heart' from Japan to use against the Imperial government.
The Naval Battle of 1894
In 1894 the Japanese Imperial Navy provokes the Chinese navy to test defenses. Some Chinese want to make concessions while others want to fight. When Japan invades, some naval officers put up a heroic resistance.
Battle Between Song and Liao Dynasties
982. Times of Northern Song Dynasty. After murder of Emperor Shengzong his queen Xiao Yanyan began war with Yang generals from Liao dynasty.
Fairy Couple
The seventh immortal sister flies down to the mortal world and marries Dong Yong until the Jade Emperor obliges her to return to her world...
Qin Xianglian
Qing (i.e. Qin) Xianglian was the wife of a man named Chen Shimei, who won the first title of national examination and awarded as husband of the emperor's daughter. Then Qing (i.e. Qin) sues Chen as a murderer who plans to kill his wife and son. In spite of the royal power, gownsman Bao Zhen settles the lawsuit and sentences Chen to serve his head.
Emperor's Female Son-in-Law
Feng Suzhen and Li Zhaoting booked a marriage when they were reading together. Soon, Li’s family suffered a disaster and became poor. One day, Li Zhaoting came to Feng Jia to borrow money. Feng Suzhen’s stepmother was so poor that she loved the rich and forced him to retire. Feng Suzhen is unyielding and deeply loves Li Zhaoting. She quietly met Li Zhaoting in the back garden and privately gave silver to help him enter Beijing.
The Eight Hundred Heroes
800 Chinese soldiers guard the important warehouse district against the invading Japanese Army. Re-imagination of a famous (bordering on legendary) episode from the battle of Shanghai: 800 soldiers of the 88th regiment against what feels like the whole of Japan’s Imperial Army - think Thermopylae, Chinese version. A splendid, visually amazing gem which, in its own way, is also a last stand: of silent cinema, Shanghai style. (iffr)
The Forbidden City
The daughter of a Chinese mandarin is sentenced to death for her secret marriage to an American. Their child, raised in the mandarin's palace, grows up and escapes to seek her father, now a high-ranking official in the Philippines.
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second
Directed by Kevin Burns, this documentary from Playboy Home Video examines the oftentimes tense relationship between sex, women, and popular Hollywood culture. With a particular focus given to Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Jean Harlow, and Sharon Stone, Sex at 24 Frames Per Second studies the role of female sexuality in film throughout the years. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
24 City
24 City chronicles the dramatic closing of a once-prosperous state-owned factory in Chengdu, southwest China and its conversion into a sprawling luxury apartment complex. Three generations, eight characters : old workers, factory executives and yuppies, their stories melt into the History of China.