Color Disappearance: Medial Storytelling and Signification in Chinese Realist Film

Abstract

The present article focuses on Chinese realist cinema produced between 2014 and 2025 to examine the functions of color in film narrative and meaning making in the digital media era. Whilst the aesthetic dimension of color has been the focus of much existing scholarship, its potential as an independent narrative system has received insufficient attention. Adopting a media-narrative perspective and drawing upon literature review and case study methodologies, this study investigates how color—through the coding of cool and warm tones, the construction of metaphorical symbols, and the application of digital technologies—facilitates emotional resonance and thematic depth in the film. The findings demonstrate that, within the context of Chinese realist cinema, using grey-yellow palettes to depict grassroots adversity and high-saturation reds to symbolize conflict serves to underscore the narrative function of color as a cultural code. This approach perpetuates indigenous aesthetic traditions and expands the dimensions of realist expression. The study posits that color and realist cinema form a symbiotic relationship; rather than diminishing its narrative capabilities, digital technology has further amplified the expressive potential of color.