ABSTRACT
Screen-based storytelling is important to the sense we make of the world around us, while class dictates the quality of our lives, our and our children's chances and ultimately how disconnected we are from the realities and lived experiences of our fellow citizens. Privileged Chinese saw housing as a means of personal social distinction and would not recommend the film to their social network, as they believed that the houses presented in the film were pitched at lower classed audiences. The film industry relies on filmmakers, writers and actors, among many other cultural practitioners and investors, to bring to life the narratives of class that are subsequently watched on the big screens by China's audiences. More significant, though, is China's film industry is en route to becoming the world's largest and most lucrative exercise in social engineering of a single people, both audiences and filmmakers alike: that is, China's Cinema of Class.
