Introduction

This chapter brings attention to baokuan (smash hit) films as a cultural phenomenon in mainland China (or the People&s;s Republic of China), regarding it as an important trend during the evolution of Chinese popular cinema and Chinese commercial filmmaking since the 2010s. It points out major features of baokuan films, including their high box office gross, audiences’ positive responses, the incorporation of Hollywood blockbuster mode, and their nationalist implications. The chapter introduces my research objectives and approaches. It also provides an outline of each body chapter. Baokuan films, the cultural phenomenon, enable us to comprehend both the development within the Chinese film industry and China&s;s economic, political, and social circumstances in the past decade.