Ren Qingtai (1850-1932)

     Ren Qingtai (1850-1932), aka Ren Jingfeng, was a typical example of  the late 19th-century technology-based entrepreneur.  As a youth Ren studied photography in Japan, and upon returning to China and going into business, he continued photography as a hobby.  In 1892, he expanded his growing number of businesses (which by then included pharmaceuticals, soft drink distribution, and furniture sales) by setting up a photo studio, the first in Beijing.  Because his Fengtai Studio was equipped with the latest technology, business was soon thriving.  In the early 1900s, Ren purchased a French-made motion picture camera in Japan, and began experimenting with this new and popular medium.  His first films were very similar to those being imported into China from the West, mostly reality scenes of urban buildings, scenery, etc.  His later commented that these short subjects were "much too short, and other than comedy films, just exterior scenes of foreign locations."  So in 1905, he mounted a sheet against a wall outside his studio as a backdrop, and filmed several excerpts from Beijing (Peking) operas, the first motion pictures made in China by a Chinese.  In 1909, a fire destroyed the Fengtai studio, and Ren Qingtai's motion picture activities came to an end.  He died in 1932.