Ten years after China's accession to the WTO, we are pleased to see that the Chinese film industry has not withered away facing with the competitions of Hollywood, but has developed prosperously. Record-highs of box office earnings have been reached at home. Domestic films have great acceptance among movie fans. Moreover, some films have been shown outside of the country and produced some influence in the international arena.
Chinese stories represent the unique feature of Chinese films. A survey carried out by Beijing Normal University titled "Study on the international dissemination of Chinese film culture" shows that 31 percent of the respondents think Chinese film stories are very characteristic and are important symbols of Chinese films. However, up to 51 percent of foreign audiences think the film stories are exactly the factor most in need for improving Chinese films. Besides, close to 50 percent of respondents think Chinese film stories are confusing in logic and hard to understand. It is clear that Chinese film stories are the factor most appealing to foreign audience and most difficult to understand. The reasons partly include cultural barriers and language communication difficulties. Chinese films are in urgent need of scenarios writing improvement in order to expand their international influence. On the one hand, it is not advisable either to work behind closed doors or get into the dead end of nationalism, resulting in difficulties for foreign audience's comprehension. An open-minded attitude is needed to expand the international influence of Chinese films so as to discover and disseminate the essence of Chinese culture through cultural exchanges and collisions.
Kung fu action films have always been the most popular type of Chinese films. However, for a long time, hardly any other types of Chinese films could attract foreign audience. But the situation is beginning to change with the development of comedies in China in recent years. The achievements of Chinese comedies are for all to see. Some low-cost but very distinctive domestic films repeatedly made surprising box office earnings at home. This phenomenon has also been responded abroad. Compared to film types that rely on language and plot, comedies like action films can tell the story through movements and facial expressions, which go beyond the barriers of culture and language and have an advantage in international dissemination. Therefore, the development of comedy type films is an effective way to expand the international influence of Chinese films.