With more than a fifth of the world's population, it's not surprising that the nations of the Far East have developed some of the most important cinematic traditions in the history of film. But our American readers are probably much less familiar with the histories of Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese film than they are with their European counterparts. This section gives you a quick, flash-in-the-pan overview of some of the crucial moments and personages in the development of Asian film.
Don't take what we have to say as a definitive treatment of this vast and virtually limitless repertory. Rather, read this section as a rough sketch of one little stretch of a shoreline bordering a vast continent of film that you'll have the rest of your life to explore!
