Huang Shaofen

Nie Er (1962)

Shot in gorgeous color, this fascinating communist flipside to fifties Hollywood music biopics chronicles the life and tragic early death of Nie Er, the composer of the PRC's national anthem. ...

A Withered Tree Meets Spring (1961)

A critical hit during one of China's most politically charged periods, Zheng's follow-up to his 1959 anniversary epics merged Soviet-style socialist realism with his own breakthroughs in film technique, specifically his use of continuous camera movement in ...

The Opium Wars (1959)

China 1839. Because the British imports of opium into Southern China are creating such widespread medical and economic problems, the weak Manchu emperor Tao Kuang is forced to take action that precipitates the 'Opium War'. ...

Woman Basketball Player No. 5 (1957)

Tian Zhenhua arrives in Shanghai to coach a local women's basketball team. Number 5 on the team, Xiaoje, excels at basketball but is unsure of whether to continue playing. As Tian gets to grips with training Xiaoje and the rest of the team, he reflects on ...

A Great Start (1955)

An episode from the life of a metallurgical plant collective. Lu Zhong-kui, an advanced worker appointed as head of the smelting shop, initiates the re-equipment of the open-hearth furnace. The plant director and some specialists warn him that the furnace, ...

The Butterfly Lovers (1954)

A traditional chinese story about a girl, Zhu Yingtai, daughter of the noble Mr. Zhu, who goes to Hangzhou to study, dressed as a boy. There, she meets a student, Liang Shanbo, with whom she becomes good friends. They go to school together for the followin ...

Window to America (1952)

A New York City businessman meets a window washer hoping to commit suicide and decides to market his grief to the highest bidder in this acidic satire on American capitalism, one made even more memorable by the fact that the entire "American" cast are Chin ...

Sorrows and Joys of a Middle-Aged Man (1949)

Chen Shaochang (Shi Hui), a primary school principal widowed at a young age, raises his children alone. His close friend's daughter, Liu Minhua (Zhu Jiachen), whom he hasn't seen for many years, begins working at the primary school through his introduction ...

Long Live the Mistress! (1947)

A man who becomes wealthy starts to have an affair and though his wife knows of it, she says nothing. Soon, the affair starts to have consequences and his business falls apart while the man's sister starts to have a relationship with the brother of his wif ...

Ming mo yi hen (1939)

Vistas of Art (1938)

Three stories about art stages. "Film City", "Drama Group" and "Dance Class". ...

Symphony of Lianhua (1937)

"Lianhua Symphony" - a small collection, consisting of eight short films shot in 1937 by young filmmakers Shanghai Lianhua Film Company. ...

The Front and the Back of the Stage (1937)

When the top diva of an opera troupe storms off after not getting money upfront from their manager, a common street performer comes in to replace her. ...

Song of China (1935)

A businessman moves his family from the city to the countryside to open a school. ...

The Peach Girl (1931)

An upper-class son of urbane landowners falls in love with a peasant girl. When a pregnancy results, the couple are kept apart by strict societal morays. ...

A Spray of Plum Blossoms (1931)

Bai Le De and Hu Lun tung are military cadets. After graduating, Hu Lin Tung is appointed captain of Guangdong headquarters and goes away. Later, Bae Le De is also appointed to a post at the same place. Hu Lun Ting falls in love with Luo Hua, daughter of t ...

Love and Duty (1931)

The film tells the story of Yang Naifan (Ruan Lingyu) who runs from her arranged marriage to be with her true love, Li Zuyi (Jin Yan). The film details the poverty she must endure for breaking with tradition. ...

Visions Cinema: Cinema in China - An Account by Tony Rayns (1983)

History of filmmaking in China from its beginnings in the 1920s to 1982, featuring Shanghai cinema of 1930s; the progressive filmmakers; the organisation of filmmaking under the post-war communist government; the impact of the Cultural Revolution; the work ...

Two Stars in the Milky Way (1931)

This is a silent film from China made in 1931. It is about two leads in a film, Yan (Raymond King) and Ying (Violet Wong). They meet after hearing Ying sing while another movie is being shot. You, of course, don't get to hear the song, but it catches peopl ...

Love and Duty (1931)

The film tells the story of Yang Naifan (Ruan Lingyu) who runs from her arranged marriage to be with her true love, Li Zuyi (Jin Yan). The film details the poverty she must endure for breaking with tradition. ...