Zhang Shichuan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zhang Shichuan 張石川
Born	Zhang Weitong 1889 or 1890 Ningbo, Zhejiang, Qing China
Died	1953 or 1954 (aged 64) Shanghai, China
Occupation	Entrepreneur, filmmaker
Known for	A founding father of Chinese cinema
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	張石川
Simplified Chinese	张石川
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhāng Shíchuān Wade–Giles Chang Shih-ch'uan

Zhang Shichuan (also known as S. C. Chang) was a very important person in the early days of Chinese movies. He was born around 1889 or 1890 and passed away in 1953 or 1954. He was a businessman, a movie director, and a producer. Many people see him as one of the main founders of Chinese cinema.

Zhang Shichuan and his friend Zheng Zhengqiu made China's very first feature film, called The Difficult Couple, in 1913. Later, in 1922, they started the Mingxing (Star) Film Company. This company grew to be the biggest movie studio in China under Zhang's leadership.

Throughout his career, Zhang directed about 150 movies. Some of his most famous films include:

• Laborer's Love (1922): This is the oldest complete Chinese movie that we still have today.
• Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923): This was one of the first Chinese movies to become a huge hit at the box office.
• The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928): This movie was the very first martial arts film ever made.
• Sing-Song Girl Red Peony (1931): This was China's first movie with sound.

After the Mingxing studio was destroyed during a war in 1937, Zhang Shichuan continued to make movies. He worked for a company in Shanghai that was controlled by the Japanese at the time. After the war ended, some people were unhappy about this. Zhang never fully recovered from this difficult time and passed away a few years later.

Early Life and First Steps in Film

Growing Up in China

Zhang Shichuan was born with the name Zhang Weitong in a place called Ningbo, in Zhejiang province, China. His father was a small merchant who sold silkworms. When Zhang was about 16 years old, his father died. He had to leave school and move to Shanghai.

In Shanghai, Zhang lived with his uncle, Jing Runsan, who was a successful businessman. Zhang worked during the day at an American company and studied English at night.

Making China's First Feature Film

In 1913, two Americans in Shanghai, Yashell and Suffert, asked Zhang to help them with their movie company, Asia Film Company. Even though Zhang didn't have much experience making movies, he took on the job. He asked Zheng Zhengqiu, a well-known writer, for help.

Together, Zhang and Zheng started a new company called Xinmin Film Company. They made movies for the Asia Film Company. Soon, they created The Difficult Couple in 1913. This movie was China's very first feature film. However, their company closed down when they could no longer get film supplies because of World War I.

After his uncle passed away, Zhang helped manage his family's amusement park, called New World. In 1916, Zhang tried again to start a movie company, called Huanxian (Fantasy) Film Company. He made a movie called Victims of Opium. But this company also closed quickly, and he went back to managing the amusement park.

Leading the Mingxing Film Company

Starting a Movie Empire

In 1922, Zhang Shichuan teamed up with his old partner Zheng Zhengqiu again. They also joined with Zhou Jianyun, Zheng Zhegu, and Ren Jinping. Together, they founded the Mingxing (Star) Film Company.

Zhang was a businessman who focused on making money. Zheng, on the other hand, was a writer who believed movies should teach people good lessons. Even with these different ideas, they worked well together.

Early Successes and New Genres

Mingxing's first movies, like The King of Comedy Visits Shanghai (1922), were mostly for fun and entertainment. But Zhang also directed movies that taught moral lessons, like Zheng's film Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923). This movie was a big success at the box office.

In 1928, Zhang Shichuan directed The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple. This movie became incredibly popular. It was so successful that Zhang made 17 more movies in the same series over the next three years! This film also started a brand new and very popular type of movie: the martial arts film. Many other studios quickly started making similar movies.

Becoming China's Top Studio

In 1928, Mingxing became a bigger company and started selling shares to the public. For 17 years, Zhang was the general manager and director of the company. Under his leadership, Mingxing grew to be the largest movie production company in all of China.

In 1931, Zhang worked with Hong Shen to direct Sing-Song Girl Red Peony. This was the first Chinese movie to have sound. The sound was on a separate record that played along with the film.

In the early 1930s, there was a lot of tension in China due to conflicts with Japan. Mingxing movies started to focus more on national issues. Zhang hired many writers who wrote scripts for films like The Tenderness Market (1933) and Lucky Money (1937). These movies often showed a more serious side of life in China.

Studio Destruction and a New Path

In August 1937, a major battle started in Shanghai. The Imperial Japanese Army took control of Shanghai after many months of fighting. During this battle, the Mingxing Studio was completely destroyed by Japanese bombing.

Zhang managed to save some of the movie equipment. He then joined another company called Guohua Film Company. However, he was never able to bring Mingxing back to its former glory.

Later Years and Legacy

Working During Difficult Times

When the Pacific War began in 1941, the Japanese took control of the parts of Shanghai that had been managed by other countries. They combined all the remaining movie studios in Shanghai into one company called Zhonglian (China United) Film Production Company. Zhang worked for this company as a manager and director.

A Lasting Impact on Chinese Cinema

After World War II ended in 1945, some people criticized Zhang for working for the Japanese-controlled company. He was never officially charged with anything, but this period was very difficult for him. He worked briefly for other film companies in Hong Kong and Shanghai, but he never fully recovered from the criticism. He passed away in Shanghai in 1953 or 1954, at the age of 64.

Zhang Shichuan is remembered as one of the most important people in the history of Chinese movies. He directed about 150 films, many of which were groundbreaking:

• The Difficult Couple (1913): China's first feature film.
• Laborer's Love (1922): The oldest complete Chinese film that still exists.
• Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923): One of China's first big box-office hits.
• The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928): The first martial arts film, which started a hugely popular trend.
• Sing-Song Girl Red Peony (1931): China's first movie with sound.

Under Zhang's leadership, Mingxing was the biggest and most important film studio in China. Many famous directors and writers started or grew their careers at Mingxing, including Hong Shen, Cheng Bugao, Xia Yan, Ouyang Yuqian, Shen Xiling, Cai Chusheng, and Yang Hansheng.

Selected Films Directed by Zhang Shichuan