The first generation of directors refers to film directors in the silent film period, who were generally active from the early stage of last century to the end of 1920s. There are about 100 directors in this generation, with Zhengqiu Zheng, Zhang Shichuan, Dan Duyu, Xiaozhong Yang and so on as the representatives, especially Zhengqiu Zheng and Zhang Shichuan. As far as artistic skills are concerned, the first generation of directors are still in the exploratory stage.

2. The second generation of directors-the first golden age of China's films.

The main activity time of China's "second generation directors" was in the 1930s and 1940s, and some directors still worked in film posts until the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s. This generation of directors mainly include Cheng Bugao, Shen Xiling, Cai Chusheng, Shi Dongshan, Fei Mu, Sun Yu, Yuan Muzhi, Yunwei Ying, Chen Liting, Zheng Junli, Wu Yonggang, Shen Fu, Tang Xiaodan, Zhang Junxiang and Sang Hu.

3. The third generation of directors-the classic creation of China's films.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, directors and artists who set foot in the film industry are called the "third generation" of China film directors. This generation of directors mainly include Cheng Yin, Xie Tieli, Shuihua, Cui Wei, Ling Zifeng, Xie Jin, Wang Yan, Guo Wei, Li Jun, Yanfu Yu, Lu Ren, Wang Ping, Lin Nong, etc. They have made very useful explorations in following the principle of realism to express the essence of life, deeply showing contradictions and conflicts, and in national style, local characteristics, artistic meaning and so on. ?

4. The fourth generation of directors-the survivors of China's films.

Most of the fourth generation filmmakers are creative groups composed of graduates from Beijing Film Academy and Shanghai Film School before the Cultural Revolution, and their creative life began after 1978. In the cracks between the third and fifth generations, they explored and struggled with steady creative strength, quickly found their own position, and had lasting artistic stamina.

The climax of the creation of the fourth generation is accompanied by the separation of film and drama and the reflection on history, and the countryside has gradually become the central theme of their works. The representative figures of the fourth generation directors are Xie Fei, Dongtian Zheng, Nuanxing Zhang, Huang Shuqin, Teng Wenji, Huang Jianzhong and Wu Tianming. Together with the third and fifth generation directors, they created the second golden age of China films.

5. The Fifth Generation of Directors-The Second Spring of China's Films

The fifth generation refers to the directors who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982 (later extended to the departments of photography and fine arts), including Jun-Zhao Zheng, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Zhang Yimou, Zhang Jianya and Huang Jianxin.

6, the sixth generation of directors-the sudden emergence of China films.

Directors seem to be strongly opposed to the collective title of "the sixth generation", but the busybodies have found the criteria for directors to be forcibly induced: first, students of the Beijing Film Academy in Grade 85, and second, people born after the 1960s. According to these established criteria, a large number of reasonable directors have emerged, such as Zhang Yuan, Wang Xiaoshuai, Jiang Wen, Lou Ye, Guan Hu, Zhang Ming, Lu Xuechang, Runjiu Shi, Zhang Yang, etc.