This journal issue invites critical and creative contributions that explore how Chinese independent cinema engages with the countryside as both a site of representation and a mode of seeing. The rural has long been a central theme in Chinese film history, often idealized, politicized, or romanticized. “Going to the countryside” has been both a distinctively modern experience and a continuous practice in China. Since the early twentieth century, intellectuals, reformers, revolutionaries, leftist journalists, and idealistic youth have frequently traversed the widening divide between city and countryside (Yu Zhang, 2020). Since the 1990s, independent filmmakers have also returned to the countryside with a renewed sense of urgency, documenting its profound transformations under the pressures of modernization, migration, and ecological change.
We take the concept of the “rural gaze” to examine not only how rural spaces are filmed, but also how the countryside becomes a visual and affective language in independent cinema. Who is doing the seeing, how and what do they see, and how are rural people, landscapes, and lives positioned in these cinematic encounters? How do independent films challenge, reproduce, or reimagine dominant narratives of rural China?
We welcome submissions from scholars, critics, filmmakers, and curators. Contributions may take the form of academic essays, interviews, artist statements, visual materials, or experimental formats. Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Rural Memory, Displacement, and Post-Socialist Transformation
- Gender, Sexuality, Aging, Labor, and Migration in Rural Narratives
- Representations of Rural Environment, Education, and Public Health in Independent Cinema
- Independent Documentaries and Ethnographic Modes of Rural Representation
- Cinematic Landscapes and Visual Aesthetics of the Countryside
- Rural Spiritual Life, Christianity, and Local Cosmologies
- Village-Based Production and Grassroots Filmmaking
- Archival Gaps and Informal Histories of Rural China
- Circulation and Reception of Independent Rural Cinema
- Comparative Ruralities in Sinophone and Global Independent Film
- Independent Film and Its Differences from Television Series or Short-Form Media (e.g., TikTok) in Representing the Rural
- Dialogues between Independent Rural Cinema and Rural Literature or Nonfiction Wring
Submission and questions:
This issue is scheduled to be published in December 2026. Please submit your full articles by 30 June, 2026. If you have any questions or suggestions about this special issue, please contact the issue editors. Submissions should be emailed directly to the issue’s executive editor
Dr Jing Li at cifa.ruralgaze@gmail.com and CIFA at cifacontact@gmail.com.
About Chinese Independent Cinema Observer:
Chinese Independent Cinema Observer (CICO) is as an open-access, bi-lingual e-journal published on the Chinese Independent Film Archive (CIFA) website and is indexed in the Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLA) database. Rigid academic publication rules not only limit young scholars’ opportunities to share their insights but also marginalize practitioners, reducing them to mere ‘research subjects’. Furthermore, language barriers and differing academic systems often hinder the exchange of ideas and mutual learning among academic communities. This journal is dedicated to breaking these boundaries by providing a freer, rule-defying space for expression and exchange. We aim to bring bold voices and innovative ideas to the forefront, giving practitioners the opportunity to speak for themselves while also engaging with the analyses about them. At the same time, we strive to empower emerging scholars from diverse cultures by showcasing their work to a broader audience.
To further foster diverse participation and collaborative curation, starting from Issue 7, CICO invites aspiring young scholars to join its editorial team. We warmly welcome proposals for future thematic issues and are committed to supporting individuals or editorial teams in developing ideas and editing journal issues, jointly expanding the scope of inquiry. Proposals should follow the format of the journal’s previous calls for papers and be submitted to the official CIFA email: cifacontact@gmail.com.
Formats:
Submissions can take various forms, including but not restricted to filmmaker interviews, director notes, critical reflections, and academic essays. We encourage contributors to explore their unique creative and intellectual styles. For reference, please consult previous issues of the journal for a sense of the diverse range of content we publish. As a bilingual publication, Chinese Independent Cinema Observer accepts submissions in both Chinese and English. Our editorial team will ensure translations between the two languages.
Style guide:
Please refer to the Chinese Independent Film Archive website for journal style guides and past issues: https://www.chinaindiefilm.org/publications/chinese-independent-cinema-observer/
Words suggestion:
There is no strict word limit, as clarity of expression and completeness of argument take precedence. We warmly welcome well-structured, high-quality submissions, including longer articles where justified.
In general, the recommended word count for academic articles is no more than 8,000 words in English and 12,000 words in Chinese.