Soviet-Chinese Cooperation in Cinematography in the 1950s

The article examines the channels of Soviet-Chinese cooperation in cinematography in the 1950s. As in other sectors of the national economy, in the film industry Soviet specialists assisted Chinese colleagues in restoring work in the first years after the formation of the PRC. They established professional contacts and a mechanism of bilateral cooperation, which took place in the form of joint filming of documentary, feature, scientific and educational films, mutual exchanges of films, newsreels, festivals and film weeks, and delegation exchanges. In the shortest possible time China managed to establish its film production and join the global film business. The Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China shared an ideological platform and an understanding of the importance of cinema as an essential tool for propaganda and education of the people. Cinema helped Soviet and Chinese viewers get acquainted with each other’s history and modern life, to deepen mutual understanding and friendly relations, which have undoubtedly benefited inter-State relations. However, under the influence of political factors by the end of the 1950s the cooperation began to decline and came to the end in 1962.