Mingxing Film Company (), also known as the Star Motion Picture Company, was one of the largest

production companies A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, an ...

during the 1920s, and 1930s in the

Republican era Republican Era can refer to: * Minguo calendar, the official era of the Republic of China It may also refer to any era in a country's history when it was governed as a republic or by a Republican Party. In particular, it may refer to: * Roman Rep ...

. Founded in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, the company lasted from 1922 until 1937 when it was closed permanently by the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

History

Founded in 1922 by

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 featur ...

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 ...

, and

Zhou Jianyun Zhou may refer to: Chinese history * King Zhou of Shang () (1105 BC–1046 BC), the last king of the Shang dynasty * Predynastic Zhou (), 11th-century BC precursor to the Zhou dynasty * Zhou dynasty () (1046 BC–256 BC), a dynasty of China ** West ...

, Mingxing emerged along with Dazhonghua Baihe Film Company, and

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 ...

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 May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chinese ...

. The film company struggled in its first few years with comic shorts like 1922's ''

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 ''R ...

''. In 1923, the company produced '' Orphan Rescues Grandfather'' which became a commercial success and with it Mingxing's fortunes were assured. By the early 1930s, Mingxing had become the leading film studio in China, and dominated the market with its upstart rival, the

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 ...

(which had co-opted Dazhonghua Baihe) as a close second. In 1931, the first Chinese

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

''Sing-Song Girl Red Peony'' was made, the product of a cooperation between the Mingxing Film Company's image production and

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

's sound technology. However, the sound was disc-recorded, and the first sound-on-film

talkie A sound film is a motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, percep ...

made in China was by Tianyi Film Company. Tianyi also continued to produce films throughout the 1930s, though its output did not match the two leaders. By the mid-1930s, both Mingxing and Lianhua became major production houses for films in Shanghai. With the death of co-founder Zheng Zhengqiu in 1934, and the advent of full-scale war in 1937, Mingxing was forced to close its doors permanently. Elements of the Mingxing operation would be resurrected by Zhang Shichuan in 1938 as the Guohao Film Company.Fu, p. 9

Notable films

*''

'' (1922) (Dir.

) *''

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 Swordsm ...

'' (1928) (Dir Zhang Shichuan) *'' Spring Silkworms'' (1933) (Dir.

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) ...

) *''

Wild Torrents Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

'' (1933) (Dir. Cheng Bugao) *'' The Boatman's Daughter'' (1935) (Dir.

Shen Xiling Shen Xiling (1904 – 17 December 1940) was a Chinese film director. Partial filmography External links Film directors from Zhejiang 1904 births 1940 deaths Artists from Hangzhou Chinese film directors {{China-film- ...

) *''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'' (1937) (Dir. Shen Xiling) *'' Street Angel'' (1937) (Dir.

Yuan Muzhi Yuan Muzhi (; March 3, 1909 – January 30, 1978) was an actor and director from the Republic of China and later of the People's Republic of China. Career As an actor, Yuan became extremely popular and took on the nickname "man with a thousan ...

)

Notes

References

* Fu, Poshek. ''Between Shanghai and Hong Kong: The Politics of Chinese Cinemas''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003. * Zhang, Yingjin. "A Centennial Review of Chinese Cinema" ''available at'' https://web.archive.org/web/20080907160026/http://chinesecinema.ucsd.edu/essay_ccwlc.html.

External links

An Incomplete List of Films Produced by Mingxing
{{Authority control Chinese film studios Film production companies of China Defunct film and television production companies of China Mass media companies established in 1922 Mass media in Shanghai Mass media companies disestablished in 1937 Companies based in Shanghai Chinese companies established in 1922 1937 disestablishments in China

History

Notable films

See also

Notes

References

External links