On Zhang Yimou's "Golden Touch": A Comparison between "Judou" and "The Last Emperor"

This study explores and explains Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou's "Golden Touch" so as to shed light on the following questions in intercultural communication through films: (1) How is Zhang's film text related to its cultural context? In other words, what cultural identity and cultural mythologies portrayed by Zhang are highly evaluated by the Western filmmakers and critics? (2) How is Zhang's filmmaking style similar or different from the Western style? Why is his style appreciated and accepted by the Westerners? To this end, Bernardo Bertolucci's film "The Last Emperor," a version of Westerners' interpretation of Chinese culture in the current Western filmmaking style, is chosen to compare with Zhang's "Judou," because (1) both films were made at about the same time; (2) they have the same cultural context; (3) they are in the same form; and (4) they represent the filmmakers' professional levels.