It is fun to watch anthology movies if you are looking for something different from a feature film. However, they are tricky to make. Often its storyline hooks us with its mixture of various emotions and stories. These stories will draw you in with their captivating plots, helping you to spend your time wisely.
So, here are the Top 10 Anthology Movies of China that are worth watching.
1. Cities In Love (2015)
Runnian Dong, Muye Wen, Fu Tien-yu, Yi Han, and Jiatong Yi directed Cities in Love, an anthology romance Chinese film released on August 20, 2015. The movie contains five love stories set in five different cities, Shanghai, Prague, Florence, Paris, and Hokkaido, around the world, each shot by various directors.
2. Run For Love (2016)
Zhang Yibai, Gao Qunshu, Zhang Meng, Teng Huatao, and Guan Hu directed the Chinese romance anthology Run for Love. The film tells five stories about love, each set in Japan, Norway, Turkey, and Saipan. The five stories in this anthology film are about love and heartbreak, as each couple has to deal with a change that forever changes their lives. 'Run for Love' explores human challenges and the depths of the heart through driving thousands of miles, finding lost children, and returning home. China released the film on February 14, 2016.
3. Crossed Lines (2007)
Crossed Lines is a funny New Year’s Day film containing four stories: Misunderstanding, Happy Song of Life, Mountain, and Mountain Accident. Zhou Sun, Jinhe Lin, Lei Shen, and Yiwei Liu directed the film. November 29, 2007, marked the release of the film.
4. Distance (2015)
A Chinese anthology drama film, Distance, directed by Tan Shijie and Xin Yukun, Sivaroj Kongsakul. It stars Tony Yang, Chen Bolin, Paul Chun and Chayanit Chansangavej, Jiang Wenli. A co-production by China, Thailand, Singapore, and Taiwan, the film was screened at the 52nd Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards on November 5, 2015, and premiered in China on May 13, 2016, by Beijing Juhe Yinglian Media. Executive producer Anthony Chen intended for each segment of the film to deal with three different types of relationships: family, friendship, and love.
5. Spicy Love Soup (1997)
A series of six anecdotes in the film Spicy Love Soup tells the story of love and life in Beijing in the 21st century. The story of the spicy love soup begins with a young pair having sweet (or sour) and spicy soup in a two-sided bowl. There are six separate chapters in Spicy Love Soup, up until the end of the film, in which the couple is married. Each episode explores a different generation's relationships: Love can be spicy, sweet, or sour.
6. Lianhua Symphony (1937)
Chinese anthology film Lianhua Symphony (also known as Symphony of Lianhua) premiered in 1937. It features eight very different short stories directed by eight leading directors of the period: Situ Huimin, Cai Chusheng, Shen Fu, Fei Mu, Tan Youliu, He Mengfu, Zhu Shilin, and Sun-Yu.
7. My People, My Homeland (2020)
In 2020, China released the anthology comedy My People, My Homeland. Filmed in Beijing, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hangzhou, and Shenyang, the film consists of five short stories based in these places. With a worldwide gross of $422.3 million, the film became the 12th highest-grossing movie in China. Each of the five story directors, Chen Sicheng, Yu Baimei, Xu Zheng, Deng Chao, and Yan Fei, directed five stories. It tells the story of five hometowns in different regions of China, East, West, North, and South.
8. The Sacrifice (2020)
A Chinese anthology film about war stars Li Jiuxiao, Zhang Yi, Deng Chao, Wu Jing, and Vision Wei. The Sacrifice, directed by Frant Gwo, Guan Hu, and Lu Yang. The film portrays the Korean War from three different perspectives and three distinct segments, each steered by a separate director. The three perspectives are Gunners, Soldiers, and Adversaries. Then there is a final segment called Bridge. This film premiered on October 23, 2020.
9. My People, My Country (2019)
Chinese Anthology drama film, My People, My Country is a 2019 film with seven segments directed by Wen Muye, Chen Kaige, Xue Xiaolu, Guan Hu, Xu Zheng, Ning Hao, and Zhang Yibai. Some top Chinese actors appear, many in supporting roles or have cameo appearances in the movie. A premiere of the film was held in China on September 30, 2019, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China founding. It features seven short films by seven distinct directors, beginning with the 1940s and the aftermath of World War II, moving through the 1960s, the 1980s, the 1990s, and finally the 2010s as the study of the evolution of modern China and its people.
10. Ten Years (2015)
Based on dystopian science fiction, Ten Years is an anthology film. There is a depiction of the semi-autonomous region in 2025, with human rights and liberties gradually eroding with the Chinese government exerting more influence. It became a surprise hit at Yau Ma Tei cinema, beating Star Wars: The Force Awakens despite being produced on a limited budget. Ten Years has won the Best Film award at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards. Ten Years was released on December 17, 2015.
