The China Film Archive (CFA) is a Chinese film archive located in Beijing that is owned and operated by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. It was founded to preserve existing Chinese films and restore ‘lost’ films. In recent years it has collaborated with international film bodies to assist in film preservation and has organised numerous events, most notably the Beijing International Film Festival. Aim The intention of the Archive upon its foundation was for preserving Chinese films and screening them in rural areas. In 2012, approximately 2,400 Chinese-produced films between 1905 and 1976 were stored in the archive. Overtime, the Archive has extended its services towards digitally restoring both Chinese and international films. In addition, the Archive undertakes research projects directed at finding ‘lost’ films and abandoned filmmaking practises. Organisation History Early establishment (1958–1979) The Archive was founded in 1958 by the Chinese Communist Party. Prior to the foundation of the Archive, the China Film Management Corporation - which was founded in 1951 - served to oversee the national distribution of Chinese films. This body was renamed in 1958 to the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Corporation. The Archive was restricted during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) as Chinese films became of national interest. In 1971 the Archive and the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Corporation merged to establish the China Film Corporation. The role of this entity was to acquire all Chinese-made films and convert them into film prints which could be distributed in mainland China. The group dissolved several years later, and the Archive became its own organisation, however the name – China Film Corporation – is still in use. Later developments (1980–present) By 1980, under the leadership of Wang Hui, the Archive had acquired 10,000 film titles, in which 30% of these were nitrate copies. In 1984, the Archive partnered with the Cinema Research Office of the Institute of Art Research, to establish the China Film Art Research Centre (CFARC). The CFARC currently participates in research and restoration projects, as a division of the Archive. During the 1980s the Archive organised several, week-long screenings of Chinese films in which Chinese scholars and critics also become involved in the Archive through delivering papers. During this time the Archive held notable pre-release screenings of films such as Transmigration in December 1988, an event attended by Beijing Film Critics Li Tuo and Zheng Dongtian. Under the leadership