The 1980s is the golden decade for the vigorous development of Chinese films. During this period, the documentary aesthetics led by the fourth generation of directors quietly rose. Under the background of great changes in China's politics, economy and culture, Chinese films, which inherit the original production system and decades of development experience, are full of vitality. On the one hand, they are accusing history, on the other hand, they are seeking a kind of seclusion and evasion, and they are digesting their youth sacrifice in the "real" image. Taking old stories in the south of the city as an example, this paper re examines the works of the fourth generation directors from the aspects of narrative motivation and complex mood expression, in order to provide new ideas and perspectives for how to express Chinese stories and Chinese culture in the era of cultural globalization. We should actively sum up and absorb the achievements of Chinese films in the 1980s. In the current context of cultural globalization, we should use practice to seek and explore how to use Chinese image language to tell Chinese stories and express profound, beautiful and profound Chinese culture.