Fiction and documentary (and their multiple sub‑genres) are the two main branches of filmmaking. In China, they have both been present since the beginning. The issues raised by them, as well as their evolution in China during the 20th century, also raise universal questions about representing the real world; these issues can also be considered as a quest for adapting to local cultural codes and styles that stem from Western cinematography. The link between national history and the building of a modern state is strong in both genres, even if their relationship to censorship and propaganda differs. Contemporary Chinese cinema that blurs the lines between fiction and documentary, also inherits this complex history.