AMERICAN MOVIES IN CHINA, 1912-1949 Wang Chaoguang(113) American films succeeded in occupying a dominant position in Chinese movie market before 1949 by box office sharing, but they came across many obstructions in China due to political, economic and cultural disparities between the two countries. Government censorship affected their release and they were often criticized bitterly by film reviews. Owing to the lack of understanding of foreign culture, viewers in medium and small towns and rural areas were not much interested in American films. However, all these troubles did not shake their predominance in the market of big cities. Although they got a large share of the Chinese film market in the period of the Republic of China, they had never attained monopoly and their share was on a downward trend. There were diversified views in China regarding the role of American films.