This dissertation addresses the Western images of China and the Chinese depicted in The Good Earth (1937), The Sand Pebbles (1962), and The Last Emperor (1987). By examining these three films in particular historical contexts and in the light of historical developments, this study intends to identify and discuss the changes from the original books to the film versions, and the reasons why China and the Chinese people are represented in the way they are in the films under discussion.; Western images of and attitudes toward China and its people changed dramatically from favorably to unfavorably and vise versa when the "climate" of Sino-Western relations changed at different historical periods. The images portrayed in these three films are a reflection of Sino-Western relations in the 1930s, 1960s, and 1980s. Hollywood is always accorded with the "tone" set by the U.S. government and makes films in a way that would enhance the images accordingly. In order to achieve commercial success, Hollywood filmmakers would go so far as to impose American values and convention onto another culture.; This study seeks to demonstrate that the change of Sino-Western relations is the key factor in the formation of these images, either positive or negative. Films, as the most powerful media, play an important role in promoting Western image of and attitudes toward China and its people.
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