BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- "The One Man Olympics," a film depicting China's first Olympian Liu Changchun who competed in the 1932 Los Angeles Games, hit theaters in Hong Kong on Thursday.

    Chinese films have gained worldwide attention and China has become the world's third-largest film industry after Hollywood and Bollywood. Here we present some basic facts about Chinese cinema.

    HISTORY: The first Chinese film, "The Battle of Dingjunshan", a recording of a Peking Opera, was made in 1905.

    CHINESE HOLLYWOOD: Hengdian World Studios, which has 13 shooting bases.

    FILM COMPANIES: There are more than 35 state-owned film makers and over 100 private film companies. Beijing New Picture, Poly-Huayi media of China and Huayi Brothers are three leading independent companies. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the industry regulator, in 2004 allowed foreign investors to set up cinemas with local firms.

    BOX OFFICE: In 2007, China produced 402 films with a box office of 3.3 billion yuan (about 478 million U.S. dollars), and the movie channels of domestic TV stations generated 1.38 billion yuan for the film industry. Frequent movie-goers are between 18 and 35 years old.

    FILM EXPORTS: China exported 78 feature films to 47 foreign countries and regions in 2007 and earned 2.02 billion yuan from the ticket sales.

    FILM AWARDS: Chinese film awards have been given since the early 1960s.

    The following are major film awards in China:

    -- Golden Rooster Awards, initiated in 1981, the year of the Rooster, and sponsored by the China Film association.

    --Hundred Flowers Awards, started in 1962 by "Popular Cinema" magazine.

    --Golden Horse Awards, started in 1962 and sponsored by the Government Information Office in Taipei, Taiwan.

    --Hong Kong Film Awards, founded in 1982, the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong.

    FAMOUS DIRECTORS:

    --Fei Mu, a major director of the 1930s and 1940s, famed for his masterpiece "Spring in a Small Town".

    --Chen Kaige, whose epic "Farewell My Concubine" was the first Chinese film to win the Cannes' Golden Palm.

    --Zhang Yimou, an internationally acclaimed film maker, who also directed the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. His works include "Red Sorghum", "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers".