The best Chinese-language films
The top 3 according to 24 votes from people: Infernal Affairs · Raise the Red Lantern · Farewell My Concubine. (Updated Apr 1, 2026.)
Based mainly on Douban's top-rated Chinese-language films (Farewell My Concubine first, at 9.6), plus international festival prizes: the most admired films from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Automatically translated (original in 简体中文). See the original
Top 20
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1
Infernal Affairs
Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, 2002. Tony Leung and Andy Lau as moles planted by the police and the triads.
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2
Raise the Red Lantern
Zhang Yimou, 1991. Gong Li as the fourth concubine in a vast family compound; Silver Lion in Venice.
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3
Farewell My Concubine
Chen Kaige, 1993. Half a century in the lives of two Peking opera actors; 9.6 on Douban and the Palme d'Or.
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4
Happy Together
Wong Kar-wai, 1997. Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung in Buenos Aires; Best Director at Cannes.
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5
East evil and west poison
Wong Kar-wai's 1994 martial arts film, adapted from characters from Jin Yong's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".
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6
To Live
Zhang Yimou, 1994. Ge You and Gong Li in the ups and downs of Fugui's family; Grand Prix at Cannes, 9.3 on Douban.
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7
A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella
Jeffrey Lau, 1995. Stephen Chow's Joker and the fairy Zixia; its lines are still quoted today.
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8
In the Heat of the Sun
Jiang Wen, 1994. A Beijing boy's summer during the Cultural Revolution; Xia Yu won Best Actor in Venice.
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9
In the Mood for Love
Wong Kar-wai, 2000. 1962 Hong Kong and the restrained love of Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen.
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10
Let the Bullets Fly
Jiang Wen, 2010. A bandit posing as county governor against the tyrant Huang Silang in Republican-era China.
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11
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee, 2000. Wuxia above the bamboo forest; Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
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12
Ne Zha
Jiaozi, 2019. An animated retelling of the Nezha legend; China's top box-office film of the year.
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13
Yi Yi
Edward Yang, 2000. The daily life of a Taipei family; Best Director at Cannes.
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14
A Brighter Summer Day
Edward Yang, 1991. A nearly four-hour epic based on a real 1961 teenage murder in Taipei.
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15
Eat Drink Man Woman
Ang Lee, 1994. An old Taipei chef and his three daughters at Sunday dinner.
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16
Comrades: Almost a Love Story
Peter Chan, 1996. Leon Lai and Maggie Cheung over ten years from Hong Kong to New York.
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17
A City of Sadness
Hou Hsiao-hsien, 1989. The Lin family around the 228 Incident; Golden Lion in Venice.
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18
Days of Being Wild
Wong Kar-Wai's 1990 work, starring Leslie Cheung, won the Hong Kong Film Awards Best Film.
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19
blue kite
Tian Zhuangzhuang's 1993 work tells the story of a Beijing family's fate in the 1950s and 1960s.
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20
Devils on the Doorstep
Jiang Wen, 2000. Villagers and a Japanese prisoner at the end of the war; Grand Prix at Cannes.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 20… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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21
Chungking Express
Wong Kar-wai, 1994. Two Hong Kong love stories, with Takeshi Kaneshiro and Faye Wong.
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22
King of Comedy
Stephen Chow and Lee Lik-chi, 1999. A struggling extra and a hostess, Liu Piaopiao.
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23
Dying to Survive
Wen Muye, 2018. Based on real events about smuggled Indian generic cancer drugs; it fuelled debate on drug prices.
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24
Hoh Xil
Lu Chuan's 2004 work tells the story of a mountain patrol team protecting Tibetan antelopes.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (2)
霸王别姬第一名实至名归，张国荣永远的程蝶衣。
怎么没有阿飞正传和东邪西毒？王家卫只有两部太少了。