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Mingxing
Mingxing Film Company (), also known as the Star Motion Picture Company, was one of the largest production company, production companies during the 1920s, and 1930s in the Republic of China (1912–49), Republican era. Founded in Shanghai, the company lasted from 1922 until 1937 when it was closed permanently by the Second Sino-Japanese War. History Founded in 1922 by Zhang Shichuan, Zheng Zhengqiu, and Zhou Jianyun, Mingxing emerged along with Dazhonghua Baihe Film Company, and Tianyi Film Company as one of the three dominant film studios of the 1920s. During this period, all three studios were known for producing "light" entertainment though even at this early time there was a sign of social criticism, inherited from the May 4th Movement. The film company struggled in its first few years with comic shorts like 1922's ''Laborer's Love''. In 1923, the company produced ''Orphan Rescues Grandfather'' which became a commercial success and with it Mingxing's fortunes were assured. By ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zhang Shichuan
Zhang Shichuan (; 1889–1953 or 1890–1954), also credited as S. C. Chang, was a Chinese entrepreneur, film director, and film producer, who is considered a founding father of Chinese cinema. He and Zheng Zhengqiu made the first Chinese feature film, ''The Difficult Couple'', in 1913, and cofounded the Mingxing (Star) Film Company in 1922, which became the largest film production company in China under Zhang's leadership. Zhang directed about 150 films in his career, including ''Laborer's Love'' (1922), the earliest complete Chinese film that has survived; ''Orphan Rescues Grandfather'' (1923), one of the first Chinese box-office hits; ''The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple'' (1928), the first martial arts film; and ''Sing-Song Girl Red Peony'' (1931), China's first sound film. After the destruction of Mingxing's studio by Japanese bombing during the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, Zhang Shichuan made films for the China United Film Production Company (Zhonglian) in Japanese-occupied ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cinema Of China
The cinema of China is one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan. Cinema was introduced in China in 1896 and the first Chinese film, '' Dingjun Mountain'', was made in 1905. In the early decades the film industry was centered on Shanghai. The 1920s was dominated by small studios and commercial films, especially in the action wuxia genre. The first sound film, '' Sing-Song Girl Red Peony'', using the sound-on-disc technology, was made in 1931. The 1930s, considered the first "Golden Period" of Chinese cinema, saw the advent of the leftist cinematic movement. The dispute between Nationalists and Communists was reflected in the films produced. After the Japanese invasion of China and the occupation of Shanghai, the industry in the city was severely curtailed, with filmmakers moving to Hong Kong, Chungking (Chongqing) and other places. A "Solitary Island" period began in Shanghai, where the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laborer's Love
''Laborer's Love'' () is a classic silent comedy short film produced in China during the Republican Era, which officially premiered on October 5, 1922 at the Olympic Theater in Shanghai. It is also known as ''Romance of a Fruit Peddler'' or ''Romance of a Fruit Pedlar'' (). Even though filmmaking in China began in the 1890's, ''Laborer's Love'' is the earliest complete film from China's early cinematic history that is available today. The film was also one of the earliest productions of the soon-to-be prolific Mingxing Film Company and was directed and written by Mingxing co-founders Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengqiu. Notably, the film has both Chinese and English intertitles, indicating that at this early point in Shanghai cinema history, films were tailored to both Chinese and Western audiences. In addition to the English intertitle cards, the short film further showcased Western influence in Chinese filmmaking, such as taking inspiration from American silent film comedians Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Street Angel (1937 Film)
Street Angel (馬路天使), also known as ''Street Angels'',Christopher Rea. “Street Angels (Malu tianshi 馬路天使).” In ''Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949'', 158-175. New York: Columbia University Press, 2021 is a 1937 left-wing Chinese film directed by Yuan Muzhi (袁牧之) and released by Mingxing Film Company. Starring popular Chinese actor Zhao Dan (赵丹) and iconic Chinese singer Zhou Xuan (周璇), the story is set in the slums of Shanghai, chronicling the lives of a band of downtrodden underclass outcasts: a tea house singer, a trumpet player, a newspaper hawker, and a prostitute. By blending elements of romance, comedy and melodrama into the storyline, the characters find themselves in a variety of difficult situations as they try to navigate the hardships of the city during the 1930s. Released towards the end of the golden age of Shanghai cinema, the film is regarded as a masterpiece of the Chinese left-wing movement. Taking place during a time of national tens ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tianyi Film Company
Tianyi Film Company (), also called Unique Film Productions, was one of the "big three" film production companies in pre-Second World War Republic of China. Founded in Shanghai in 1925 by the Shaw (Shao) brothers led by Runje Shaw (Shao Zuiweng), the company also established operations in Malaya and Hong Kong. Although the company's Shanghai studio was destroyed in 1937 during the Japanese invasion, its offshoot in Hong Kong, later called Shaw Brothers Studio, blossomed into a media empire under the leadership of the youngest brother, Sir Run Run Shaw. Founding In 1922, Runje Shaw (Shao Zuiweng), the eldest Shaw brother who had been a lawyer and businessman, was the manager of the theatre Xiao Wutai (Happy Stage or Laughter Stage) in Shanghai. Among his colleagues were Zhang Shichuan, Zheng Zhengqiu, and Zhou Jianyun, who co-founded Mingxing Film Company. In 1923 Mingxing released the film ''Orphan Rescues Grandfather'' to great commercial success. Inspired by his former colle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crossroads (1937 Film)
''Crossroads'' is a 1937 Chinese seriocomedy film directed by Shen Xiling, starring Bai Yang and Zhao Dan. The film exemplified the growing trend of Chinese films by the mid-1930s of incorporating references (both veiled and explicit) to the war with Japan. In this way, ''Crossroads'' joins films like ''Blood on Wolf Mountain'' by Fei Mu and ''The Big Road'' by Sun Yu. ''Crossroads'' has its background in the Great Depression of the 1930s. Produced by Mingxing Film Company, the film also represented an expansion by Mingxing into the leftist film market that had been dominated by its rival Lianhua Film Company, due to a flagging financial situation. In 2001, a sequel was made, despite the half-century gap, entitled ''New Crossroads''. Plot ''Crossroads'' begins at a dock at Shanghai, where college graduate Xu is contemplating suicide because he cannot find a job. His friend Zhao (Zhao Dan) stops him and leads him back to their rented apartment. We learn that the four grad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Chinese Production Companies (pre-PRC)
The following is a list of notable film production companies from Mainland China before the communist revolution in 1949. C * Changcheng Film Company- (Great Wall) Active in the 1920s D *Dadi Film Company- (Great Earth), Hong Kong production company active between 1939-1940 that focused on Mandarin-language films, founded by Cai Chusheng and Situ Huimin * Datong Film Company- (Great Harmony), Major privately owned production company of the 1940s * Dazhonghua- (Great China), first major production company to emerge in post-war Hong Kong, focused on Mandarin-language films * Dazhonghua Baihe Film Company- Major production company of the 1920s, later merged into Lianhua *Diantong Film Company- Leftist film company active from 1934-1935. Only produced four films. G * Guohua Productions- Founded in the late 1930s by former Mingxing director Zhang Shichuan, major rival of Xinhua Film Company during the "Solitary Island" period H * Huamei Film Company- (China-America Film), early prod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Burning Of The Red Lotus Temple
''The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple'' () is a lost Chinese silent film serial directed by Zhang Shichuan, widely considered to be the founding father of Chinese cinema. The film is adapted from the novel ''The Tale of the Extraordinary Swordsman''. ''The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple'', in 16 parts, is among the longest films ever produced and the longest major release, running 27 hours in total. The Mingxing Film Company production was released in 19 feature-length parts between 1928 and 1931. No copies have survived. The craze of the film series eventually led the Kuomintang to ban all wuxia films by the early 1930s because wuxia was thought to be inciting anarchy and rebellion. See also *List of lost films *List of longest films This list of longest films is composed of films with a running time of 300 minutes (5 hours) or more. Cinematic films Note: Some releases are extended cuts or director's cuts, and are ranked according to the longest verified running time. E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheng Bugao
Cheng Bugao (1898–20 June 1966) () was a prominent Chinese film director during the 1930s. Employed by the Mingxing Film Company, Cheng was responsible for several important "leftist" films in the period, including the ''Wild Torrents'' (1933) and '' Spring Silkworms'' (1933). Both films were based on screenplays by Xia Yan.Pang Laikwan (2002). Chinese National Cinema'. Routledge, p. 67-68. . After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Cheng moved to Hong Kong, where he made films of a purposefully apolitical nature. Partial directorial filmography See also *Mingxing Film Company Mingxing Film Company (), also known as the Star Motion Picture Company, was one of the largest production companies during the 1920s, and 1930s in the Republican era. Founded in Shanghai, the company lasted from 1922 until 1937 when it was close ... References External links *Cheng Bugaoat the Chinese Movie Database Film directors from Zhejiang Hong Kong film directors 1898 births 1966 deaths ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zheng Zhengqiu
Zheng Zhengqiu (; January 25, 1889 – July 16, 1935) was a Chinese filmmaker often considered a "founding father" of Chinese cinema.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "Zheng Zhengqiu" in ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''. Taylor & Francis, pp. 393-94. . Biography Born in Shanghai in 1889, Zheng Zhengqiu was a young intellectual involved in China's theater scene when he and his friend and colleague, Zhang Shichuan, made the first Chinese feature film, a short film titled, ''The Difficult Couple'' in 1913. The two men would come together again in 1922 with the founding of the seminal Mingxing Film Company and the oldest surviving classic Laborer's Love, which would dominate Shanghai's film industry for the next fifteen years. While with Mingxing, Zheng served not only as screenwriter and director, but as a studio manager and producer, personally writing and directing 53 films before his early death in 1935. Like many of his colleagues during the period, Zheng was devoted to lef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spring Silkworms (film)
''Spring Silkworms'' () is a 1933 silent film from China. It was directed by Cheng Bugao and was adapted by Cai Chusheng and Xia Yan from the novella of the same name by Chinese author Mao Dun. The film stars Xiao Ying, Yan Yuexian, Gong Jianong, Gao Qianping and Ai Xia and was produced by the Mingxing Film Company. Today the film is considered one of the earliest films of the leftist movement in 1930s Shanghai. Plot The film tells the story of a family of poor silk farmers in Zhejiang province, who suffer hardship and deprivation when their crop of silkworm cocoons die off. The film criticizes not only the harsh market conditions that have forced the family into poverty, but the family's own superstitions and selfishness. Old Tong Bao is the patriarch of a silkworm-rearing family in Zhejiang. He refuses to buy foreign breeds of silkworms for his coming crop. The market conditions are harsh and despite the efforts his family put in rearing the silkworms, the ensuing co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lianhua Film Company
The United Photoplay Service Company () was one of the three dominant production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other two being the Mingxing Film Company and the Tianyi Film Company, the forerunner of the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studio. Names The original name of the company was Lianhua Productions. It is also known by a large number of translated names, notably China Film Company, United China Film Company and United Photoplay Service. The full name of the limited company later on was called "Lianhua Film Production and Processing Company, Ltd." History Lianhua was formally registered in March 1930 in Hong Kong by Luo Mingyou (Law Ming-yau) and his partner, director Li Minwei (Lai Man-Wai). In order to resist the invasion of American films that dominated the box office in Shanghai and other cities, Luo realized he would have to produce films that were equally attractive artistically and equally rigorous in the business of production and distrib ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
