本文以歷史發展的角度，縱向的敘述臺港兩地華語電影的發展，勾勒各期主要電影類型的面貌及演變大勢；並橫向的對比臺港兩地的同異，進而反省華語類型電影所呈現的特殊的意義。在時間斷限方面，本文主要處理從一九一三年到二○○三年的發展。在結構方面，本文將先說明十九世紀到一九四九年之前的發展梗概；而因為在一九七○年左右，臺港華語電影界呈現嶄新的發展，可以視為新的轉捩點，是以本文又以七十年代為界限，區分為前後兩期，分別介紹臺港兩地的重要發展及基本類型，並兼論這些類型與發展的社會文化意義。同時，本文也對比臺港兩地的華語類型電影的發展，以彰顯兩地的特色。一般流行的觀點，往往將類型電影理解為公式化的商業電影，強調其商業性以及此等電影在結構與成分方面的穩定性，本文從華語類型電影的研究，特別提出類型性電影也擁有高度的自生性特色；而且從臺港兩地類型電影的發展，也不難發現類型電影不僅是商業投資的產品，有許多類型電影其實與政治宣傳有關，而由於近百年華人世界始終身處政治動盪之中，而政治力量的涉入又使得臺港兩地的電影發展產生特殊的景況。這種政治面向，使得臺港華語類型電影呈現商業性之外的特殊風貌，迥異於好萊塢的商業類型電影。同時，也反映臺港兩地的身分認同與主體建構。

This article examines the historical development of different Chinese film genres in Taiwan and Hong Kong and outlines their key features and general trend. It also looks comparatively into the distinctive characteristics of the different film genres that developed in Taiwan and in Hong Kong, particularly their significance to the development of Chinese language film genres as a whole. This research covers the period from 1913 to 2003. The article begins with a survey of film development from the late nineteenth century to 1949. Historically, the period around 1970, when there appeared in both Taiwan and Hong Kong film-marking new trends and new genres, can be seen as a turning point. This article, therefore, divides the history of film development in the two regions into two periods: the period before the 1970s and the period that began in the 1970s. It introduces separately the important developments that occurred in Taiwan and in Hong Kong, discusses the social and cultural significance of such developments, and compares the history of film development in the two regions to highlight their distinctive characteristics. A popular conception of genre films is that they are usually formulaic and commercial in character. This study particularly points out that genre films also possess a high degree of vitality and flexibility. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, it is not difficult to see that genre films have not always been pure commerencial productions. In fact, many genre films have been made with political propaganda in mind. And considering that for almost a hundred years, the Chinese had been living in a world of political upheavals, it is understandable that propaganda politics would play a significant part in the development of genre films in Taiwan and in Hong Kong. This political dimension gives Chinese language genre films from Taiwan and Hong Kong a distinctive character, different from commercial genre films made in Hollywood.