Painting the City Red

Painting the City Red illuminates the dynamic relationship between the visual media, particularly film and theater, and the planning and development of cities in China and Taiwan, from the emergence of the People’s Republic in 1949 to the staging of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Yomi Braester argues that the transformation of Chinese cities in recent decades is a result not only of China’s abandonment of Maoist economic planning in favor of capitalist globalization but also of a shift in visual practices. Rather than simply reflect urban culture, movies and stage dramas have facilitated the development of new perceptions of space and time, representing the future city variously as an ideal socialist city, a metropolis integrated into the global economy, and a site for preserving cultural heritage. Drawing on extensive archival research, interviews with leading filmmakers and urban planners, and close readings of scripts and images, Braester describes how films and stage plays have promoted and opposed official urban plans and policies as they have addressed issues such as demolition-and-relocation plans, the preservation of vernacular architecture, and the global real estate market. He shows how the cinematic rewriting of historical narratives has accompanied the spatial reorganization of specific urban sites, including Nanjing Road in Shanghai; veterans’ villages in Taipei; and Tiananmen Square, centuries-old courtyards, and postmodern architectural landmarks in Beijing. In Painting the City Red, Braester reveals the role that film and theater have played in mediating state power, cultural norms, and the struggle for civil society in Chinese cities.

“Yomi Braester takes us beyond this notion of film as a time capsule for a vanishing reality. . . . Braester’s expertly localized study is essential reading for devotees of Sinophone film who lack intimate knowledge of contemporary urban culture in the PRC and Taiwan.” - Andrew Chan, Film Comment, “In this well-researched work, Yomi Braester takes a fresh look at Chinese urban cinema and stage plays from 1949 to the 2008 Olympics. . . . Painting the City Red will remain an important reference book for scholars of urban cinema and urbanization for years to come.” - Jenny Huangfu, China Journal, “. . . Braester’s point remains valid: as a device that mediates between state and non-state actors, visual media play a crucial and often overlooked role in the creation of new forms of urbanism. Any scholar of film, urban studies, and Asian history in general would be well served to read this book.” - Emily Baum, Journal of Asian Studies, “[T]he book offers rich insights into how Chinese cinema has responded to urban policies, participating in debates on how the city should develop, disseminating images of power, documenting alternative ways of using public space, and, in recent years, helping preserve historical memory in contexts of rapid change.” - Paola Iovene, American Historical Review, “Painting the City Red is an exciting intervention in studies on cinema and the city. It provides a wealth of fascinating original research and insight into the way Chinese cities have appeared on film. But, equally important, it also argues for a new approach to the topic. Moving beyond analysis of the films themselves, it also includes remarkable research into the negotiations amongst city planners, politicians, developers and residents that shape the vision of the city.”—Chris Berry, Goldsmiths, University of London

Yomi Braester is Professor of Comparative Literature and Cinema Studies at the University of Washington. He is the author of Witness against History: Literature, Film, and Public Discourse in Twentieth-Century China.