Ying Zhu

The project brings to light the missionary-affiliated documentary filmmaking practice of Sun Mingjin during the Sino-Japan war and the subsequent civil war in China. It draws comparisons between Sun’s film practice and that of his contemporaries in United Kingdom, Russia, the United States, and elsewhere during the period to situate his work within a global context. It further examines the role of Christian missionaries in the development of early Chinese film and China’s higher education and relates the legacy to the resurgent interest of Western countries in China’s current educational reform. It sheds new light on a cluster of complex issues concerning the production, circulation, and reception of the contemporary Chinese independent documentary movements.