The Chinese Mirror

Zhang Yuting (1900-1953): early documentarian

    Zhang Yuting 张玉亭 was an early cinematographer who specialized in documentaries and newsreels, but whose film career was cut short by patriotism.  A native of Tianjin, Zhang began in 1914 at the Tianjin office of the French Pathé Brothers Company.  In 1920 he was designated Pathé's Beijing representative.  He later started his own company, Yuting, which offered a full range of photographic services:  still and motion picture photography, film processing, film and equipment sales, etc.  As a sideline, Zhang began shooting documentary and newsreel films.  Although he had several outstanding productions, his major film effort was documenting the dedication of Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum in Nanjing.  Sun, the "Father of Modern China," had died in 1925 in Beijing.  The Chinese government ordered that his permanent resting place be in Nanjing, the capitol of the Republic of China at that time, and commissioned a mausoleum for that purpose.  Construction of the tomb was completed in the spring of 1929, and in late May of that year Sun's coffin was transported to Nanjing by special train, then conveyed to the mausoleum for final interment.  Zhang Yuting recorded the entire process on film, then edited it into a feature-length documentary.  Unfortunately, by the time of the Japanese occupation, the original was lost, with only scattered printed records remaining to describe Zhang's film.  When the Japanese occupation forces demanded Zhang Yuting hand over these records, since they might be a rallying point for Chinese resistance, Zhang refused.  He was arrested and interned for the rest of the war.

[right, Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum in Nanjing]

    In the 1991 TV miniseries《Song Qingling and her Sisters》, one episode consisted entirely of a recreation of Zhang Yuting's documentary, as taken from surviving written records and contemporary accounts.  It is powerful, and conveys (even to a foreigner) the emotional impact Zhang's original documentary must have had on patriotic Chinese viewers of the time.  The recreation is remindful of other national heroes' funeral trains, e.g. those of Wellington and Lincoln, although their passing came a half-century too early for recording on motion picture films.




 [left, dvd of《Song Qingling and her Sisters》, well worth watching for the student of modern Chinese history]

Yu Shengsan (1902? - 1956)

    Yu Shengsan 余省三 (Cantonese:  Yu Singsan) was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, born there in 1902 or 1904 (sources vary).  He worked as a hotel desk clerk while attempting to break into movie acting.  But by 1925 most of his acting work was as an extra or bit parts, with only one minor credited role, so he decided to try another path, and was hired as an apprentice cinematographer by the Hainan Film Company of Shanghai.  After learning his new trade Yu made his first film behind the camera in 1926.  He became a respected cinematographer, especially noted for his work on action films, but he was hampered by health problems which made him unable to work for nearly the entire first half of the 1930s.  He returned to filmmaking on a part-time basis in the latter part of the decade, and worked on some of Shanghai's best films during this time, including such late 1930s classics as《A Night of Madness》,《Soaring Aspirations》and《Song at Midnight》.  He worked through World War II, and after the war moved to Hong Kong, where his health problems resumed.  He returned to work full time in the early 1950s, usually credited as a director of cinematography rather than performing the actual photography himself.  Yu Shengsan died in Hong Kong on September 7, 1956.

Filmography (as cinematographer unless noted otherwise):

In Shanghai:

1925:
The Young Gentleman (actor)  ... Lu Benren

1926:
The Lucky Dolt
Ma Jiefu
Mother's Happiness
Cycles of Debt            ... co-cinematographer 

1927:
The Beauty Trap (aka Liu Bei Seeks a Wife) ... co-cinematographer

1928:
Silver Gun Robber
Secret History of the Qing Court
Fantastic Swordsman
My Love Became My Stepmother

1929:
The Blade of Vengeance
The Camel King
The Black Cat
Four Heroes of the Wang Family
Crisis for Man and Beast
Circus Girl

1931:
Three Heroes Named Wang 

1935:
New Peach Blossom Fan

1936:
A Night of Madness         ... co-cinematographer with Xie Boqing
A Little Orphan Girl        ... co-cinematographer with Xie Boqing
Soaring Aspirations         ... co-cinematographer with Xie Boqing

1937:
Song at Midnight            ... co-cinematographer with Xie Boqing
Youth on the March

1938:
Visiting Shanghai After 60 Years
Unexpected Tears of Blood
Thunderstorm
Poet's Soul in the Cold Moonlight

1939:
Empress Wu Zetian
The Leper Girl
Imperial Maiden Fei Zhen'e
Empress For a Night
Mulan Joins the Army

1940:
Xi Shi the Beauty
Su Wu Herds the Sheep
The Bride Seeker
Drizzling Rain (aka Autumn Rain by the Xiang River)
Yanmen Pass

1941:
A Girl in Wartime
Wild Rose
Two Tramps
A Little Lady
Lovers Village

1942:
Standard Wife
______________
In Hong Kong:

1948:
The Soul of China

1949:
Hearts Aflame
Prisoner of Love            ... co-cinematographer with Jiang Wei

1953:
Ode to Youth                    ... co-cinematographer with Jiang Wei

1954:
Flight of a Pair of Swallows
Tales of the City                ... director of cinematography
Till We Meet Again            ... director of cinematography

1955:
The Inspector General        ... director of cinematography
Irreparability                     ... director of cinematography
It So Happens to a Woman  ... director of cinematography

1956:
They All Want a Baby         ... director of cinematography
Survivors of Love                ... director of cinematography
The Wedding Night            ... director of cinematography

1957:
Love Lingers On                ... director of cinematography    

Zhou Ke (? - ?)

    While most people in his profession tended to spend the bulk of their careers with a single studio, Zhou Ke 周克 never stayed in one place for long, although he was highly respected among his peers and worked on some of China's best films of the 1930s. Zhou began in 1925 with the Youlian studio, but by the time his first effort,《Autumn Stirs Resentments》, was released in early 1926 he had moved to the larger Shenzhou studio, where he worked for a year as a producer and editor while continuing to polish his cinematography skills.  He then joined the Mingxing studio, where he was mentored by the legendary Dong Keyi 董克毅.  After 1930 he moved to the new and progressive Lianhua studio, and then, after filming the award-winning《Song of the Fisherman》, he moved to Yihua, another progressive studio.  He left Yihua in 1935:  the reasons are not recorded, but several of the studio's top filmmakers, including writer Tian Han and writer/director Shi Dongshan, had resigned that spring after a dispute with studio heads, and that may have been a factor.  In any case, Zhou Ke made no more feature films after 1935, turning instead to making documentaries, his last credit in 1939.

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Filmography (as cinematographer, unless indicated otherwise):

1926:
Autumn Stirs Resentments                    
Moral Principles                                    (producer and assistant cinematographer)           
Disaster for Younger Sister                    (producer and editor)

1927:
A Courtesan's Wish                                 (assistant cinematographer and editor)
A Dream of Red Mansions                        (also assistant director)

1928:
The Beijing Yang Guifei (aka Yang Xiaozhen)
Heroine in Black
The Heroine Saves a Lady

1929:
Tears and Flowers                                    (co-cinematographer, with Dong Keyi)
Repentance            
Papa Loves Mama

1930:
The Road to Riches
New Journey to the West II, III                   (co-cinematographer, with Dong Keyi)
A Red Egg
A Romantic Girl
Virtuous Mother From a Brothel

1931:
Hengniang
Two Galaxy Stars                                       (also actor)

1932:
Spring in the South
Pink Dream
Loving Blood of the Volcano
Confronting the National Crisis
Struggle

1933:
Daybreak
Early Morning in the Metropolis
Little Toys

1934:
Song of the Fisherman
Golden Age

1935:
The Beginning of Life
A Hero of our Time  

Ren Pengshou (? - ?)

    Ren Pengshou 任彭寿 did not have many movie credits, but he worked on some of the better films of the late 1920s and early 30s.  Little is known of him personally, except that he was a native of Zhejiang province and the brother of pioneering director Ren Pengnian.  He began in movies with a minor Shanghai studio, the Dongfang (Oriental) Film Company in 1925, filming《Stepmother's Tears》, then moved on to work for the Youlian (Friendship) and Fudan movie studios.  In 1928 he joined the Yueming (Bright Moon) studio, working with his brother.  His signature work is considered to be the 13-part martial arts series《Northeast China Hero》(1928-32).

Filmography (all as cinematographer):

1925:
Stepmother's Tears

1926:
The Worker's Wife
The Prostitute's Son
Story of a Mirror

1927:
Magnificent Destiny, I, II

1928:
Warrior of Northeast China, I, II

1929:
The Great Lady
Journey to the West

1930:
Warrior of Northeast China, III-V

1931:
The Flying General
Heroine Black Peony
Warrior of Northeast China, VI-VIII

1932:
Warrior of Northeast China, IX-XIII

1933:
Ruffian Husband
Her Heart
Some Dozen Words
A Secret Chart
Vicious Neighbors (aka Greedy Neighbors)

1935:
Mad Faint 

Zhou Shilu (1914-1963)

    Zhou Shilu 周诗禄 was a native of Guangdong province, and began in motion pictures in 1926 as a cinematography trainee and then a cinematography assistant at the Tianyi studio.  His first credit as sole cinematographer was in 1931's《Between Themselves》, then made over a  dozen more films in the rest of the decade.  In 1946, Zhou moved to Hong Kong where his career really took off:  in addition to working as a cinematographer for several studios, he was much in demand as a director, editor and producer, amassing more than 50 directing credits alone.  He died in Hong Kong on September 7, 1963. 

Huang Shaofen (1911-1997)

  Huang Shaofen 黄绍芬 (1911-1997) was the number one cinematographer at the Lianhua studio during its glory years of the 1930s.  Born May 2, 1911 in Zhongshan, Guangdong, he received his primary education in the village school, and in 1925 was accepted by Li Minwei's Minxin studio as an apprentice, learning cinematography, photography and lighting.  He moved to Shanghai with the studio the following year, and when it merged in 1929 into the newly-founded Lianhua studio he was named principal cinematographer, with overall responsibility for the new organization's technology.  Beginning with Lianhua's first production "Spring Dream in the Old Capital," he was in charge of photographing many of Lianhua's major movies during its existence.  He continued working in Shanghai during the "Orphan Island" and postwar periods, and after the establishment of the People's Republic assumed more of an administrative role, serving as chief engineer of the Shanghai Film Studio and Chief of its Technology Office.  Huang also held offices in several photographers' professional associations.  He participated in making over 100 films in his nearly 70 year career in photography, including many which are considered masterpieces of Chinese film history.  He was also the cinematographer on China's first color operatic film "The Butterfly Lovers."  During his later years, Huang held several exhibitions of his still photography, one of which was honored with a special award by the East German government.  
    Little is recorded of Huang Shaofen's personal life except that throughout the 1930s he was the lover and later the husband of Lianhua acting star Chen Yanyan.  The couple married shortly after the outbreak of war with Japan, and had a daughter.  They later divorced.  Huang Shaofen died in a nursing home in Shanghai January 21, 1997, age 86.

  

[right, Huang Shaofen posing with the chief tool of his trade.  Photo undated, but probably from the late 1940s.]

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Selected Filmography (all as cinematographer unless otherwise noted): 

 

1930: 
Spring Dream in the Old Capital

Suicide Contract

Wild Flower Among the Weeds

1931:

Love and Obligation

The Peach Girl

1932:

Humanity

Spring Dream in the Old Capital II

1933:

Three Modern Women

New Year's Eve

Light of Motherhood

1934:

Flowers in the Storm

Kindred Feelings

1935:

Perfumed Snowy Sea

Song of China

1936:
Go to Nature
1937:
Spring Arrives Everywhere
United by a Hyphen
Song of a Loving Mother
So Busy
1938:
Vistas of Art 3:  Dance Class
Unexpected Luck
A Beggar Girl
Diao Chan
Rouge Tears
Wu Song and Pan Jianliang
1939:
Regrets of Life and Death
Legend of the White Snake
Mother and Daughter
Ge Nenniang 
1940:
White Orchid
New Twin Sisters
Family 

1942:

Song of Spring

1946:

Faraway Love

1947:

A False Phoenix     (director of cinematography)

Mother and Son                         "

Long Live the Wife                     "

Night Inn                                      "

Bright Day                                    "

 

 

 

Li Wenguang (? - ?)

    Li Wenguang 李文光 was a cinematographer for several Shanghai studios in the 1920s-40s.   Began with the Great Wall studio in 1925 as an editor, working on《Cupid's Puppets》and《The Person in the Boudoir Dream》.  Became a cinematographer the following year, and most of his subsequent credits were behind the camera, with an occasional credit as art director or scenic designer.  Worked for Hong Kong studios through much of the 1930s, including the cinematography on Hong Kong's first musical in 1935. He then returned to Shanghai in 1940 and made one more film there, released in 1941.  In some films, was credited as "T. K. Lee".

Shanghai Filmography (as cinematographer, unless noted otherwise):

1925:
Cupid's Puppets                                (editor)
The Person in the Boudoir Dream      (editor)

1926:
Unlucky Double                                (set design)
A String of Pearls                             (editor)
The Country Girl

1927:
At the End of Her Rope

1928:
The Tyrant Huang Ba Seeks a Wife
The Date of Ne Zha's Birth
Strange Knight

1929:
Tiger From Fengyang
Heroic Son

1930:
Heroine From the South
Uproar on the Movie Set
Plum Twig Hero

1934:
Give Back My Home

1935:
Shadow

1941:
The End of Life

Hong Kong Filmography (all as cinematographer):

1935:
The Scent of Wildflowers
Opera Stars and Song Girls
Remembering the Past
The Fool Pays Respects (aka The Idiot Pays Respects)
Life in the Military Academy
One Night of Romance

1936:
The Model Wife
Children's Debts
Cuiheng Village

1937:
The Desert Flower
Romance of the Pearl River
The War Effort In Guangzhou        (co-director)
Scorched Earth

1938:
The Ideal Fiancée

1939:
The Perfect Woman

Dong Keyi (1906-1973)

     In the history of Chinese cinematography, Dong Keyi (董克毅) is legendary, not only for his films, but also for the development of its technology.  Dong was born in Ningpo, Zhejiang (also the hometown of the Shaw brothers).  A childhood fascination with photography led to a career when at the age of 18 he joined the Mingxing studio as an apprentice.  After assisting on one film, 1924's "Guided Marriage," he became the studio's principal cinematographer the following year, making six films, including such successes as "The Last Conscience" and "Young Master Feng."  The exact number of films Dong worked on during his four decade career is uncertain, but is believed to be upwards of 300.  His rapid rise was due in large measure to his devotion to the technology and his innovations, spending much of his time off studying American and European technical journals, which led to his being the first Chinese cinematographer to employ such advanced techniques and devices as double exposure, reverse images, slow motion, special effects lenses, light meters, polarimeters, motorized variable speed cameras, etc.  After the Mingxing studio was shut down by the Japanese, he worked for the wartime "orphan island" studios Datong, Guohua and Zhonglian.  He moved to Hong Kong in 1950, where he joined the Great Wall studio as a cinematographer.  He officially retired in 1962 but continued as a consultant and teacher for Hong Kong studios until his death in 1973.

Xu Shaoyu (? - ?)

    Xu Shaoyu 徐绍宇 worked on some of the better silent films of the late 1920s.  He began with the Shao (Shaw) brothers Tianyi film studio, then worked as a free lance cinematographer for several studios during the rest of the decade.  It was a frequent practice at that time for Shanghai studios, particularly the smaller ones, to not list cinematographers in their films' credits, so it is possible that he worked on more movies than the relative few listed below.  But his career apparently did not extend past 1930, for reasons unknown.

 

Filmography (all as cinematographer):

1925:
Repentance
Heroine Li Feifei

1926:
Four Commandments
The Pearl Pagoda
Secrets Between Husband and Wife
The Tragedy of Liang and Zhu
Legend of the White Snake I,II
Movie Actresses
Meng Jiangnü

1927:
Three Kingdoms - Cao Cao Controls the Emperor
Feng Shenpang Subdues Seven Ghosts
Feng Shenpang Burns the Pipa Spirit

1928:
The Triad
Journey to the West:  Monkey

1929:
A Romantic Heroine

1930:
A Couple Forever

Xu Wenrong (? - ?)

    Xu Wenrong was active as a director and cinematographer for several minor studios at the end of the silent era.  A native of Nanhui, Jiangsu (now part of Shanghai), he began in movies in 1925 with the Lianhe (Joint) Film Company as a photographic assistant, and later was given full responsibility for filming《A Home Truth》, which led to other assignments.

 

Filmography:

1925:
A Home Truth                        (cinematographer)

1926:
As They Wish It                        (director)
Sacrifice for Parents                  (director)

1927:
Brother's Romance                    (director)
Four Guardian Warriors             (cinematographer)
The Matchmaker is Fooled         (director)
A Woman Warrior                     (director)
Water Heroes I,II                      (cinematographer)

1929:
Young Overlord Zhang Chong     (cinematographer)
China's First Great Detective      (cinematographer)

1930:
Hatred of Loving                       (cinematographer)

1932:
The Boor                                  (cinematographer)