Before 1995, cinemas on the Chinese mainland would be closed during the Spring Festival (Chinese lunar New Year). But in 1995, Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx lit up movie screens during the Spring Festival, taking in 110 million yuan ($16.11 million). The following year, Jackie's other kungfu film, First Strike, took away about 100 million yuan ($14.64 million) from the Chinese mainland's audience during Spring Festival. Using Jackie Chan as a model, Feng directed his first New Year's film, The Dream Factory, and defeated Chan's Who Am I in 1997. In the ensuing 10 years, films released over the Chinese lunar New Year have experienced a flourishing period.

John Woo, a Chinese director well-known to Hollywood, was invited to direct the ancient war movie Red Cliff in 2008. Being a famous war with familiar characters from Chinese history, the film's title virtually guaranteed box-office success in China. With Woo attached to the project, the film's future success became a lock. Investors put 600 million yuan ($87.85 million) into the film with little hesitation, and they were rewarded. Total Chinese box-office returns have topped 400 million yuan ($73.21 million), breaking Titanic's 10-year-old record of 359.5 million yuan ($52.64 million).

Longing for legal guarantees

During 2009's Spring Festival, Yip Man, a film that tells the story of Bruce Lee's master and stars Donnie Yen, made 30 million yuan ($4.39 million) in the first weekend. However, many cinemas put the film on only one screen and disregarded audience interest. More of their screens were devoted to films by big directors.

The incident showed that China's film market is still underdeveloped.

"Film's industrialization needs a mature market, and a mature film market needs legal regulation and protection," said Wang Xingdong, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body. Wang has been a screenwriter for 33 years.

As part of China's film industry reform, Film Promotion Law shaped a draft as early as 2004 that has yet to be implemented.

"Legal guarantees are the basis for further reform of the Chinese film system," said Ye Hongming, a member of the CPPCC. He believes Film Promotion Law must have full power to regulate and monitor China's film market.

Early in December 2001, Regulations on Administration of Films was confirmed by the State Council, or the cabinet. From then on, many other policies and regulations have been issued by authorities. And the structure of China's film industry has begun to change.

"Chinese films have been increasing for six years in numbers released, quality and investment each attracts. It's a great time to enact Film Promotion Law. It will provide a looser and more flexible environment for Chinese film production and it will be beneficial to the up-and-coming state of China's film industry," said Zhou Xing, a professor at Beijing Normal University's College of Art and Communications.

"Film Promotion Law should focus on restricting government's administrative powers, forbid unjust competition and monopolization of some film production companies, encourage the participation of the public and gradually reduce consumers' costs. This will change the film industry into a burgeoning sector that is beneficial to millions of audience members," said Qiao Xinsheng, an economic law professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.