China Film Symphony Orchestra is one of the national outstanding orchestras founded earliest in the People's Public of China. Over 60 years, along with the development of China’s film and television music arts, the Orchestra has performed music for nearly two thousand of films, TV dramas, documentaries and films. The Orchestra also performed music in more than 40 countries and regions, and played symphonic concerts, opera and ballets with international conductors, composers, musicians and dancers for many times to promote Chinese music development and international cultural exchange.

China Radion and Film Symphony Orchestra is formerly known as Orchestra of the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio established on April 20^th, 1949. Initially, it is an orchestra with only more than 40 members, affiliate to the Beijing Film Studio. Just after its establishment, the Orchestra performed music for two important historical newsreels (July 1949) of new China.

In 1951, the Orchestra held a "Concert for New Film Exhibition" and "Film Music Concert" in Beijing, presenting the film music by form of concert for the first time. Famous conductor ZHANG Ninghe acted as chief conductor in the initial phase. In 1953, the Orchestra became a member of the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio; in 1955, he performed symphony with the Chinese conductor LI Delun; in 1956, the Orchestra was named as Orchestra of the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio (i.e. Newsreel Film Orchestra), in the same year, the Orchestra performed music in "The First National Music Week" and members were interviewed by the central leadership in Zhongnanhai. In the meantime, by cooperating with the Beijing Dance School (now the Beijing Dance Academy), the Orchestra also performed in the premiere of the ballet La Fille mal Gardee, Straits, Swan Lake, etc., and became the earliest orchestra playing dance music. In 1950s, the Orchestra created far-reaching folk ensembles Radiant, Purple Bamboo Tune and Malan Flower which have been spread at home and abroad.

As an active orchestra with wide impact in China’s music circle, China Radio and Film Symphony Orchestra has presented symphonic concerts, world-renowned opera, ballet and other Chinese and foreign classics by cooperating with famous foreign conductors, composers, performers and dancers who came from the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Philippines, Russia, Italy, etc. In recent years, the Orchestra has created multiple large-screen audio-visual film concerts and light music concerts loved by the audience.

In the development process of Chinese film music arts, there are many renowned musicians working with the Orchestra, they are ZHANG Ninghe, CAO Peng, LU Qiming, FENG Guangtao, YAO Guanrong, WANG Liping, BIAN Zushan, LIU Mingyuan, TANG Liangde, WANG Fandi, XIA Rengen, XIANG Sihua, FAN Shange, CHEN Zuohuang, etc., and also trained some young conductors such as FAN Tao, ZHANG Lie, LI Ling, etc., these new and old musicians have made great contributions to the development of Chinese and foreign symphony classics.

Since its establishment, the Orchestra has been recording music for a dozen of film studios, TV stations and broadcasting stations such as Beijing Film Studio, the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio, Beijing Science and Technology Education Film Studio, Bayi Film Studio, Changchun Film Studio, Xi’an Film Studio, etc. these music works are recorded for nearly two thousand of feature films, news documentaries, science education films, documentary films. The Orchestra has won more than 40 awards in creating, conducting, playing, singing excellent works at home and abroad.