“…However, over the last forty years and, in particular, after the commercial film boom that followed Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2002, CN) in 2002, Chinese audiences have become more inclined towards 'Blockbusters' (Zhang, 2020), especially traditional Chinese martial arts films and Chinese New Year comedies. In addition, 'Main-Melody Films', which have become popular in recent years and which meet the requirements of political propaganda, account for most ticket sales (Dai et al, 2019). In other words, Jia Zhangke's realist films have had a minor presence in the Chinese film industry, and are best described as niche.…”