The Last Foreign Nuns in China Screenplay: An Exegesis to ‘The Last Foreign Nuns in China’ Screenplay: the Significance of Lost History, Docudrama and Co-production

Abstract

This is an exegesis of the docudrama screenplay of The Last Foreign Nuns in China. It introduces the historical background of this screenplay, emphasises the significance of docudrama and analyses the pros and cons of film co-production. With the exception of the introduction and the conclusion, there are three parts to this exegesis.

Part one, Chapter 2 focuses on the literature and history review. It examines the history and literature of the Catholic Church in China and the background of the incidents. It not only highlights the relationship between the Chinese government and foreign missionaries, but also provides a historical context in which to observe the development of attitudes towards foreign missionaries in China. Three historical moments have been included: missionaries and the new technology - the Golden Age of Christianity and the Chinese Rites Controversy; the Church’s development after the Opium Wars and ‘rice bowl’ Christians.

These historical moments, as well as the historical figures, have been chosen carefully in order to summarise the positive and negative social impacts on various aspects of Chinese history. The screenplay gives the audience a brief but comprehensive understanding of the performance of the Catholic Church in ancient and contemporary history.