The Chinese Mirror

"The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds."
--Jawaharlal Nehru

    The national cinema of every nation reflects to some degree the culture, heritage and traditions of that nation, its historical concerns and its people's joys, sorrows and aspirations throughout history.  Even many films which appear at first to be little more than sheer escapist entertainment may still provide some insight into these matters, as a reflection of what has concerned and still interests the people of that nation.

    The Chinese Mirror is an online journal devoted to the history of one of the world's most productive national cinemas of the 20th Century, reflecting the hopes and sufferings of the Chinese people throughout a century of revolution, civil war and foreign invasion. The primary objective of this journal is to provide an historical record of China's contributions to world cinema, and introduce its classic films and filmmakers to the Western world.  The secondary objective is to convey to Western readers some understanding of China and the Chinese people through their motion pictures, and hopefully provide some insight into how their modern history has influenced their contemporary world outlook.  The articles published here are provided as a service to scholars and researchers in the West, particularly those who may not be proficient in the Chinese language.  It is hoped that what is presented here will inspire some visitors to this site to learn more about China's motion picture tradition, and perhaps guide them to some greater understanding of this massive, complex, fascinating country and its people. While the majority of the topics discussed will be concerned with classical films and filmmakers, there will be some attention to the modern era as well.  All of the articles presented in these pages are the work of the website publisher, either authored or translated by him from the Chinese film literature.  This material is made available to the public under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-Noncommercial).

    Any use of this content should cite The Chinese Mirror as the source, and if the article is labeled as a translation, use of that material in further research should also cite the original Chinese source, for which full bibliographic information will be provided with the translation.       

    On the morning of January 7, Sir Run Run Shaw (邵逸夫) was found unconscious at his residence in Hong Kong.  He later died in the hospital, aged 107.  He was an established filmmaker, entertainment mogul and philanthropist, whose film empire (Shaw Brothers films and Hong Kong TVB) discovered and cultivated numerous  

superstars over the years.

    In an earlier article, we related the story behind the founding of the Great Wall Motion Picture Manufacturing Company:  how a group of Overseas Chinese, deeply offended by the caricatured and stereotyped portrayals of Chinese people and Chinese culture by Hollywood, pooled their talents and raised the funding to make their own movies presenting a true picture of their people and culture.

    One of the young Chinese involved in this movement was Li Zeyuan 李泽源. Li was a native of Taishan, Guangdong.  After finishing secondary school, he went to the U.S. to study mechanical engineering, first in San Francisco and later in New York.  It was while in New York that Li saw one of the movies he and his fellow Chinese found so offensive.  When the group determined to make their own films, Li went to work for an optical company where he could learn both optics and lighting, as well as e.  So when the group was ready to make the two documentary shorts they produced in New York, Li was ready to serve as both director and cinematographer.

    When the Great Wall company's founders moved back to China in 1924 to continue filmmaking there, Li Zeyuan went back as well.  He directed or co-directed 10 of the 28 features Great Wall made from 1924-1930, when the studio ceased operations.  While his screen credits were relatively few during this period, it is known that he was employed by Great Wall in an administrative or technical capaity, and in 1927, during the Northern Expedition, Li and cinematographer Cheng Peilin took portable camera equipment to the front to film news films which were edited into a documentary titled《Record of Victory in the National Revolution》.  Li's future activities after Great Wall shut down are unrecorded, but he had no other movie credits after 1930.

Filmography:

1922:
Chinese Costume                     (director, cinematographer)
China's National Art                 (director, cinematographer)

1924:
The Divorcee                          (director)
(aka Discarded Wife)

1925:
The Person in the Boudoir Dream (co-director)
Between Love and Filial Duty      (co-director)

1926:
Unlucky Couple                        (director)
Closing a Rift                           (director)
A String of Pearls                     (director)

1928:
Nezha is Born                           (director)
The True and False Monkey King  (director)

1929:
Tiger From Fengyang                 (co-director)

1930:
Uproar on the Movie Set             (director)

Daxia Gan Fengchi (1928) 大侠甘风池 (Hero Gan Fengchi)

    Great Wall.  B&W.  Silent.  Direction:  Yang Xiaozhong.  Screenplay:  Chen Zhiqing.  Cinematography:  Cheng Peilin.  Cast:  Wang Guilin, Yang Aili, Liu Hanjun, Hong Jingling, Wang Zhengqing, Tan Jianqiu.

    Although Chinese sources do not furnish plot details, it is known that this film consisted of two separate stories dealing with the exploits of Gan Fengchi, a legendary hero, set during the reign of the Qing emperor Kang Xi (1661-1722).

[left, Chinese-American actress and popular leading lady Olive Young, billed in China as Yang Aili]

                                   [right, a still from the film; click on to enlarge]  

    Zhou Shoujuan 周瘦鹃 (1895-1968) (sometimes credited as Eric Chow) was an author, screenwriter and translator, and while his personal filmography was short, he still contributed much to the early development of Chinese cinema, mostly as a mentor to young, aspiring writers.  He was born Zhou Guoxian 周国贤 on June 30, 1895 in Suzhou City, Jiangsu.  He lost his father at the age of 6, but his widowed mother was determined to get her son an education, and through years of hard work as a seamstress was able to get him into good schools in Shanghai.  He began writing seriously in secondary school, but still found time to devote considerable effort to gardening, his other love.  This culminated in the opening of the famous "Zhou Garden," a draw for Suzhou residents and tourists alike.  In later, postwar years, the garden drew many famous visitors, including Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi, and other top political figures, who often escorted foreign guests to visit and enjoy the site.  Meanwhile, Zhou proved to be an outstanding student, and after graduation from secondary school was hired by the school as a teacher.  He published his first novel, Flowers of Love, in the magazine Novel Monthly at the age of 17, and after adaptation for the stage, it was presented at several theaters, becoming a hit.  In 1916, he was appointed an editor at the publisher China Bookstore.  In 1917, he translated and published Anthology of Famous European and American Short Stories, a 3-volume set.  In 1920 he was named editor-in-chief of Shen Bao, the leading Shanghai newspaper, and concurrently assistant editor of its magazine supplement "Talking Freely."   He later started his own magazine, titled The Semi Monthly.   In 1921 he became editor-in-chief of Saturday, a magazine devoted at first to publishing stories in the "Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies" school, then later to articles on movies and short stories with movie settings.  During its long run, Saturday published more than 100 such articles and stories, indicative of cinema's popularity.  In 1926 he joined the Da Zhonghua Baihe Film Company as an editor and screenwriter.  During the War of Resistance, Zhou Shoujuan published numerous anti-Japanese short stories with titles such as "The Siege of Nanjing," "Diary of the Conquered," and "Diary of a Traitorous Slave."

    In retirement, he devoted himself to gardening and editing a collection of his writings.  He was also summoned into politics, appointed a member of the Communist Party Central Committee, representing his home city of Suzhou.  But it all ended disastrously during the chaotic, murderous decade of China's "Cultural Revolution," when Zhou Shoujuan, like so many others in China's artistic community, was relentlessly persecuted by Red Guards, ending in his death in August, 1968.  The details are not recorded.  As a further sad footnote, in a city renowned for its beautiful gardens, the "Zhou Garden" in Suzhou was invaded, trampled and destroyed by Red Guards, denying this restful sanctuary to so many who came after its creator.
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Filmography (screenwriter, unless noted otherwise):

1924:
A Couple Through Water and Fire   

1925:
True Love 
The Young Factory Owner  (original novel) 

1926:
Ma Jiefu
Mother's Happiness  (program notes)
Return the Money  

1931:
Pleasures of the Dance Hall  (stage management)

1932:
One Night of Luxury (co-writer)

References:
Baidu entry (in Chinese)

Chen, Jianhua (Hong Kong Univ. of Science and Technology).  "A scholar in film--Zhou Shoujuan and early Chinese film."  Film Art 2012-01. (in Chinese)

"Zhou Shoujuan" in:  Zhongguo Dianying Da Zidian (China Cinema Encyclopaedia).  Shanghai, 1995.  p.1382.

    As we discussed in an earlier article, the first genre to dominate Chinese domestic filmmaking was the comedy short, which began declining in popularity by the mid-1920s with the emergence of feature-length films, and replaced in popularity by the "Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies" romance genre.  There were a few feature-length comedies, however, as with this 1926 silent release, a sex farce adapted from a Kunqu opera.  Although Da Zhonghua Baihe was one of the leading film studios at the time, I have (so far) found no other film credits for the two leads, indicating they were probably opera performers hired to reinact their stage roles on screen.

     A note about Kunqu opera:  Kunqu, with its roots in the beautiful Chinese city of Suzhou (the "Venice of the East"), is a cousin to the traditional Peking opera more familiar to those in the West.  In this writer's opinion, Kunqu is more entertaining, and easier for the foreigner (at least this one) to understand.  Wikipedia has a brief, though superficial, overview of Kunqu opera.  However, for an in-depth examination of the subject which examines the Kunqu school in the context of traditional Chinese culture, the best online source is a 10-part series from CCTV-9, the English language channel of China's national television network.  It's excellent, and a must-see if you are really into traditional Chinese culture.

Dai Zhong Fu (1926) 呆中福 (The Lucky Dolt)

    Da Zhonghua Baihe.  B&W.  Silent.  9 reels.  Direction:  Zhu Shouju.  Screenplay:  Wang Beier, adapted from a Kunqu opera of the same title.  Cinematography:  Yu Shengsan.  Program notes:  Xu Weiming.  Titles:  Jiang Qifeng.  Cast:  Xing Haha (Chen Zhi), Wang Beier (Diao Xiao), Wang Caiyun (Little Sister Qiao), Lin Wusi (Mr. Zhang), Xie Yunqing (doctor), Wang Motuo (boatman), Yang Baocheng (Song Youcai), Wang Yuzhen (Song's wife), Zhang Xueming (Diao's wife), Gong Yidan (Father Qiao).

    His parents think that Chen Zhi is the brightest young man in their village, but others take his naiveté and trusting nature to be a sign of stupidity, although they don't say so in public.  Other young men in the village tease amd bully Chen Zhi, so to get their son away from these bullies, his parents send him to Shanghai to visit his aunt and uncle.  Never having been away from his parents or his native village, the unsophisticated young man makes several ridiculous mistakes while traveling alone.  When he at last arrives at his destination he continues his bumbling, even accidentally injuring his uncle and bringing great consternation to his relatives.  Uncle Song has two close friends:  Diao Xiao and Mr. Zhang.  Diao Xiao has a desire for a girl called Little Sister Qiao, the daughter of a local bean curd shop owner, a bright girl whose father wants to secure her future by finding her a husband.  But Diao Xiao has a suspicious and controlling wife who forbids him from taking a concubine.  So he asks Mr. Zhang to help, and Zhang makes a matchmaking visit to Little Sister's father, who readily consents to his daughter becoming Diao's second wife, but only if the first wife agrees to it.  Since this is unlikely, Zhang and Diao hatch a deception: