中國電影作為一個「國籍電影」（national cinema），必須從不同層次來探討，主要的考量是它如何在中國內外起作用。我們可以說明它是一種在全球化時代，相對於好萊塢電影的壟斷，所採取的對抗機制，或者說是一種從幾個地區、城市及種族之間區別大陸電影與香港電影、台灣電影或東南亞華僑文化地區的機制，或者說是一種意識形態國家機構（ISA）正在建立國家意識形態。雖然已經有很多和「國籍電影」這一命名有關的歷史和爭論，本文重新要討論它的必要性。但是，在今日全球化時代，跨國電影日益增加，同時中國電影的特殊性也在增加。本文說明所謂「中國電影」的命名是歷史性產物，它的用法如何演變過來的，代表性例子是華語電影、華人電影等。本文就探討它們在特殊脈絡上的文化政治學。

As a case of "national cinema", Chinese cinema should be considered some different horizon how it is been functioning on the context of inside and outside of China. It could be explained as an opposition mechanism against Hollywood in globalization; or as a distinction mechanism among some regions or cities and some ethnics; or as a belting mechanism from mainland cinema to Hong Kong cinema, Taiwan cinema and the overseas Chinese culture area in Southeast Asia; or finally as an ISA for projecting national ideology. This essay argues the necessity on reexamination or regulation of "national cinema", despite it has had abundant arguments on its own historicity. However, it's increasing transnational cinema in globalization era nowadays, and it has some particularities of Chinese cinema. It recognizes the christening, Chinese cinema is a historical product, and researches how it's been changing, for example, some new names today we can confront like Chinese language cinema, the Chinese (people) cinema (Huaren Dianying). They have their own cultural politics on the special contexts.