Introduction:
As with all major film-producing countries, Chinese filmmakers over the decades have drawn their source material from literary sources, both domestic and foreign. Our discussions of early films which were adaptations of foreign (i.e. non-Chinese) works prompted the compilation of a list of these, but not limited to early Chinese movies, covering through 2006.
No claim is made to completeness: these are just the ones that are credited in Chinese sources as being foreign adaptations, and if possible, the specific source adapted. In a few instances (as in the first two), the Chinese credits were somewhat vague as to the specific title of the source, providing at most a Chinese translation.
The format is as follows:
(1) Year of release in country of production (which often conflicts with Chinese references, which list films by year of production, regardless of release date.
(2) Title in PinYin romanization.
(3) Title in Simplified Chinese.
(4) English title -- if an English release title was confirmed, that took priority; second priority was given to titles commonly used in Chinese and Western histories; if all else failed, I provided my own translation.
(5) Language of production: Republican era and PRC sound films are nearly all in Mandarin; Hong Kong productions are noted as HK-C for Cantonese and HK-M for Mandarin, Taiwan films are in Mandarin unless otherwise noted.
(6) Director name(s) are in Mandarin PinYin, unless more widely known by an alternate form of the name, e.g. and English name, or in Cantonese or Wade-Giles romanization.
(7) Foreign literary source, with author's name and dates.
The list currently ends with 2006 productions; future additions will bring it up to the present, with updates announced in The Chinese Mirror. (last update: November 14, 2009)
1920
"Che Zhong Dao" 《车中盗》 (Railway Robbers). Director: Ren Pengnian (任彭年). American detective story, "The Railway Incident" in: "Badly Beaten/In a Fix" [Exact English title unknown].
1921
"Hongfen Kulou" 《红粉骷髅》 (Women Skeletons). Director: Guan Haifeng (管海峰). French detective novel, "Ten Sisters of the Insurance Gang" [Exact French title unknown].
1925
"Xiao Pengyou" 《小朋友》 (Little Friends). Director: Zhang Shichuan (张石川). Based on Bao Tianxiao's novel 《苦儿流浪记》 (A Bitter Son's Wandering Notes) which was itself adapted from the French novel "Sans Famille" [Without Family] by Hector Malot (1830-1907).
1926
"Yichuan Zhenzhu" 《一串珍珠》 (A String of Pearls). Director: Li Zeyuan (李泽源). French short story "La Parure" [The Necklace] by Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893). [Remade in 1932, q.v.]
"Kong Gu Lan" 《空谷兰》 (Lonely Orchid). Director: Zhang Shichuan ((张石川). Based on "Yureito" (幽霊塔) [Ghost Tower] by Kuroiwa Ruikō (1862-1920), the Japanese translation and adaptation of the English mystery novel "A Woman in Grey" by Alice Muriel Williamson (1869-1933). [remade 1935]
"Chanhui" 《忏悔》(Repentance) [aka "Liangxin Fuhuo" 良心复活》 [The Confession]. D: Bu Wancang (卜万苍). Russian novel, "Voskresenie" [Resurrection] by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). [Remade in 1937, 1938, 1941, 1948 (q.v.)]
"Buru Gui"《不如归》(Better Go Home). D: Yang Xiaozhong (杨小仲). Japanese novel "Hototogisu" 《不如帰》 [The Cuckoo] by Tokutomi Roka (徳冨 蘆花) , pen name of Tokutomi Kenjirō (徳富 健次郎) (1868-1927)].
"Wei Junzi" 《伪君子》[The Hypocrite] D: Hou Yao (侯曜). French play "Tartuffe" (or "The Hypocrite") by Moliére (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, 1622-1673).
1927
"Dao Minjian Qu" 《到民间去》[Go to the People] - unfinished. D: Tian Han (田汉). Japanese poem by Ishikawa Takuboku (石川 啄木, 1886-1912).
"Nü Lüshi" 《女律师》 [Woman Lawyer]. D: Qiu Qixiang (裘芑香), Li Pingqian (李萍倩). English play "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
1928
"Shao Nainai de Shanzi" 《少奶奶的扇子》[The Young Mistress's Fan]. D: Zhang Shichuan (张石川). English play "Lady Windemere's Fan" by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). [Remade 1939]
"Lu Binhua" 《卢鬓花》[Robin Hood]. D: Dan Duyu (但杜宇). English legend "Robin Hood"
"Jiushi Wo" 《就是我》[That's Me]. D: Zhu Shouju (朱瘦菊). Chinese translation by Chen Lengxue (陈冷血) of a foreign novel published in China as《火里罪人》 "Guilty Person in the Fire." I have been unable to identify the foreign source exactly.
"Feixing Xie" 《飞行鞋》 [The Flying Shoes]. D: Pan Chuitong (潘垂统). German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, "The May Bird." 《五月鸟》 I have been unable to identify the exact story for this one.
1930
"Ye Cao Xian Hua" 《野草闲花》[Wild Flower Among the Weeds]. D: Sun Yu (孙瑜). Inspired by the French novel, "La Dame Aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas, fils (1824-1895) and the American movie "Camille". [Unspecified whether the Nazimova/Valentino version of 1921 or the Talmadge/Roland version of 1927, but probably the latter.]
"Taohua Hu" 《桃花湖》[Peach Blossom Lake]. D: Zheng Zhengqiu (郑正秋). According to a film journal article, Zheng based his script on a "popular and complex foreign romantic novel," but the source's actual title is unspecified. (Li Jinsheng, "Lun Zheng Zhengqiu, xia" (论郑正秋,下) (On Zheng Zhengqiu, pt.2) Film Art, 1989:2, p.39.
1931
"Fu-er-mo-si Zhentan An"《福尔摩斯侦探案》[The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes]. D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). Based on several short stories from the English collection of the same title by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930).
"Lianai yu Yiwu" 《恋爱与义务》[Love and Duty]. D: Bu Wangcang (卜万苍). Chinese novel of the same title by Polish expatriate writer Stephanie Rosen-Hoa (? - ?).
"Sharen de Xiaojie" 《杀人的小姐》[The Murderess]. D: Tan Zhiyuan (谭志远), Gao Lihen (高梨痕). Chinese stage play "Xue Suo Yi"《血蓑衣》[The Bloody Rain Cape], an adaptation of the Japanese play "Ryobijin" 《両美人》by Murai Gensai [村井弦斎], (1864-1927).
"Ya-sen-luo-bin"《亚森罗宾》[Arsene Lupin]. D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). French novel of the same title by Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941).
"Yijian Mei" 《一剪梅》 [A Spray of Plum Blossoms]. D: Bu Wancang (卜万苍). English play "Two Gentlemen of Verona" by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
1932"Yiye Haohua"《一夜豪华》[One Night of Wealth]. D: Shao Zuiweng (邵醉翁). French short story "La Parure" [The Necklace] by Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893).
1933
"Ai-la-ting" 《爱拉廷》[Aladdin]. D: Ye Yisheng (叶一声). From "The Arabian Nights" story "Aladdin and the Lamp."1934
"San Zimei"《三姊妹》[Three Sisters]. D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). Japanese story "New Pearl" 《新珠》 by Kan Kikuchi, pen name of Hiroshi Kikuchi 菊池 寛 (1888-1948).
1935
"Kong Gu Lan" 《空谷兰》[Lonely Orchid] aka [Orchid in an Empty Valley)]. D: Zhang Shichuan (张石川).
Japanese novel "Yureito" [Ghost Tower] by Kuroiwa Ruikō (黒岩涙香) (1862-1920), an adaptation of the English mystery novel "A Woman in Grey" by Alice Muriel Williamson (1869-1933).
1936
"Kuanghuan zhi Ye" 《狂欢之夜》[A Night of Madness]. D: Shi Dongshan (史东山). Russian novel "The Inspector General" by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852).
"Dao Ziran Qu" 《到自然去》[Go to Nature]. D: Sun Yu (孙瑜). English play "The Admirable Crichton" by J.M. Barrie (1860-1937).
1937
"Yao Qian Shu" 《摇钱树》[The Money Tree]. D: Tan Youliu (谭友六). Irish play "Juno and the Paycock" by Sean O'Casey (1880-1964).
"Yongyuan de Weixiao" 《永远的微笑》[Eternal Smile]. D: Wu Cun (吴村). Russian novel, "Voskresenie" [Resurrection] by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
"Shipotianqing" 《石破天惊》[Shatter and Batter]. D: Dan Duyu (但杜宇). English short story from the "Casebook of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). (One Chinese source says the story was "The Problem of Thor Bridge," but written summaries of the plot do not sound like that of the Doyle story.)
1938
"Yihai Fengguang"《艺海风光》[Vistas of Art]. D: Zhu Shilin (朱石麟), He Mengfu (贺孟斧), Situ Huimin (司徒慧敏). Three short stories by English writer Leonard Merrick (1864-1939), but I have not been able to identify the specific ones.
"Caihuanü"《茶花女》[Camille]. D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). French novel "La Dame aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas, fils (1824-1895).
1939
"Shao Nainai de Shanzi" 《少奶奶的扇子》[The Young Mistress's Fan]. D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). English play "Lady Windemere's Fan" by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900).
"Jinyin Shijie"《金银世界》[A World with Money]. D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). French play "Topaze" by Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974).
"Nü Da Si Jia"《女大思嫁》[Two Daughters] (HK-C). D: Kwun Siu (君啸) [Mandarin: Jun Xiao]. French play "Prenez garde à la peinture" ("Wet Paint") by René Fauchois (1882-1962). [Remade in HK in 1950] -- This play has also been popular on Chinese theater stages over the decades, with at least 8 separate productions between 1934 and 1983, when it was done by the Experimental Theater Company of Beijing.]
1940
"Hudie Furen"《蝴蝶夫人》[Madame Butterfly] (HK-C). D: Wong Toi (黄岱) [Mandarin: Huang Dai]. American short story of the same name by John Luther Long (1861-1927). [remade 1948]
"Cong Xin Suo Yu"《从心所欲》[As the Heart Desires] (HK-C). D: Chiu Shu-sun (趙樹燊) [Mandarin: Zhao Shushen]. Engllsh play "A Comedy of Errors," by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).
“Hun Gui Li Hen Tian"《魂归离恨天》[To Die for Love] (HK-C). D: Hui Siu-kuk (许啸谷) [Mandarin: Xu Xiaogu]. English novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë (1818-1848).
"Zhongguo Yeren Wang" 《中国野人王》[The Chinese Tarzan] (HK-C). D: Hou Yao (侯曜), Wan Hoi-ching (尹海请) [Mandarin: Yin Haiqing]. American novel "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).
"Zhongguo Baixue Gongzhu"《中国白雪公主》[The Chinese Snow White] . D: Wu Yonggang (吴永刚). German fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
1941
"Xue Gu Qi You"《雪姑七友》[Snow White and her Seven Friends] (HK-C). D: Yam Wu-fa (任護花) [Mandarin: Ren Huhua]. German fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
"Gu Guo Ren Yao"《古国人妖》[[Ancient Kingdom of Goblins]. The Hong Kong Film Archive lists the English title as "Ancient Kingdom of Human Freaks"]. (HK). D: Yip Lui (叶雷) [Mandarin: Ye Lei ]. Arabian folk tale collection, "One Thousand and One Nights." Specific tale not specified.
"Fu Huo"《复活》[Resurrection]. D: Mei Qian (梅阡). Russian novel, "Voskresenie" [Resurrection] by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
1942
"Si Zimei"《四姊妹》[Four Sisters]. D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). English novel "Pride and Predjudice" by Jane Austen (1775-1815).
1943
“Hongfen Zhiyi"《红粉知己》[Confidantes]. D: Wu Wenchao (吴文超). English novel "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855).
"Qing Chao"《情潮》[Tide of Passion]. D: Griffin Yue Feng (岳枫). Russian novel "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
"Riben Jiandie"《日本间谍》[Japanese Spy]. D: Yuan Congmei (袁丛美). Italian memoir "Secret Agent of Japan: A Handbook to Japanese Imperialism" by Amleto Vespa (1888-c1940).
1946
"Da Leiyu"《大雷雨》[The Storm] (HK-C). D: Chen Kengran ( 陳鏗然). Based on the Russian play "Groza" (Thunderstorm) by Aleksandr Ostrovsky (1823-1886).
1947
"Huangjin Hu" 《黄金潮》[Gold Fever] (HK-C). D: Kea Tso (左几), Tam Sun-fung (谭新风) [Mandarin: Zuo Ji, Tan Xinfeng]. Russian novel "The Inspector General" by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852).
"Mu yu Zi" 《母与子》[Mother and Son] D: Li Pingqian (李萍倩). Russian play "Innocent as Charged" by Aleksandr Ostrovsky (1923-1886).
"Jiamian Nülang"《假面女郎》[A Girl's Mask]. D: Fang Peilin (方沛霖). Adapted from part of the French novel series "La Comédie humaine" by Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850). Particular title uncertain, but from Chinese written sources the plot sounds like it might be "La Cousine Bette," transplanted to post-WW2 China.
"Chun Can Meng Duan"《春残梦断》 [A Tragic Love Story]. D: Maxu Weibang (马徐惟邦), Sun Min (孙敬). Russian novella "Dvoryanskoye Gnezdo" (A Nest of Gentlefolk) by Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883).
"Yedian"《夜店》 [Night Inn]. D: Zuo Lin（佐临). Russian play "The Lower Depths)" by Maxim Gorky (1868-1936).
1948
"Ya Qi"《哑妻》 [Dumb Wife]. D: Wu Renzhi (吴仞之). French play " La Comédie de celui qui épousa une femme muette" (The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife) by Anatole France (1844-1924).
"Zaisheng Yuan"《再生缘》[A Reborn Romance]. (HK-C). D: Hong Chung-ho (洪仲豪) [Mandarin: Hong Zhonghao]. Russian novel, "Voskresenie" [Resurrection] by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
"Hudie Furen"《蝴蝶夫人》 [Madame Butterfly]. (HK-C). D: Wong Toi (黄岱) [Mandarin: Huang Dai]. American short story of the same name by John Luther Long (1861-1927). [remake of 1940 version]
"Miao Shao Tou Xiang"《妙手偷香》 [To Steal a Sweetheart] (HK-C). D: Ng Wui (吴回）[Mandarin: Wu Hui]. Russian novel "The Inspector General" by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852).
1949
"Dangfu Xin"《荡妇心》 [A Forgotten Woman] (HK-M). D: Griffin Yue Feng (岳枫). Russian novel, "Voskresenie" [Resurrection] by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
"Huantianxidi"《欢天喜地》 [Overjoyed]. D: Zheng Xiaoqiu (郑小秋). Based on the Chinese play "Dujin" 《镀金》(Gold-plated), which was itself an adaptation of the French play "La poudre aux yeux" (Throwing Dust in People's Eyes) by Eugène Marin Labiche (1815-1888).
"Wangchuanqiushui"《望穿秋水》 [Yearning]. D: Zhang Shichuan (张石川). Russian play "Zhdi Menya" (Wait for Me) by Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov (1915-1979).
"Biao"《表》 [The Watch]. D: Huang Zuolin (黄佐临). Russian short story by L. Panteleev (1908- ).
1950
"Haomen Nie Qian" 《豪门孽债》[The Insulted and Injured] (HK-M). D: Liu Qiong (刘琼). Russian novel "Unizhennye i oskorblennye" (The Insulted and Humiliated) by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821-1881).
"Youqi Wei Gan" 《油漆未干》[Wet Paint] (HK-M). D: Ouyang Yuqian (欧阳予倩). French play "Prenez garde à la peinture" ("Wet Paint") by René Fauchois (1882-1962).
"Yuegong Baohe" 《月宫宝盒》[The Precious Lamp in the Moon Palace] (HK-C). D: Yip Yat-Sing (葉一聲) [Mandarin: Ye Yisheng]. Arabian folk tale collection "One Thousand and One Nights."
1951
"Baojian Mingzhu" 《宝剑明珠》[The Sword and the Pearl] (HK-C). D: Wu Wenchao（吴文超）Arabian folk tale collection "One Thousand and One Nights."
"Yinhe Feima" 《银河飞马》[Stallion on the Milky Way] (HK-C). D: Yip Yat-Sing (葉一聲/叶一声) [Mandarin: Ye Yisheng]. Arabian folk tale collection "One Thousand and One Nights."
"Zhibuguo Shi Aiqing" 《只不过是爱情》[It is Only Love]. D: Han Yi (韩义). Polish novel "Po prostu miłość" (It is Only Love) by Wanda Wasilewska (1905-1964).
"Hua Guniang" 《花姑娘》[Flora] (HK-M). D: Zhu Shilin (朱石麟). French short story "Boule de Suif" (Ball of Fat) by Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893).
1952
"Meiguo zhi Chuang"《美国之窗》[A Glimpse of America]. D: Huang Zuolin (黄佐临 ), Shi Hui (石挥), Ye Ming (叶明). Numerous Chinese sources describe this as based on an original work by "Di-Hao-Li-Chi-Na" (狄豪里赤纳), but I have been unable to identify this author.
"Daochu Re Ren Lian" 《到处惹人怜》[Everyone's Darling] (HK-C). D: Lee Sun-fung (李晨风) [Mandarin: Li Chenfeng]. Based on Bao Tianxiao's novel《苦儿流浪记》(A Bitter Son's Wandering Notes) which was itself adapted from the French novel, "Sans Famille" [Without Family] by Hector Malot (1830-1907).
"Zhenzhu Lei" 《珍珠泪》[Pearly Tears] (TW). D: Yin Hai-ch'ing (尹海请). American novella "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck (1902-1968).
"Buzhidao de Fuqin"《不知道的父亲》[Unknown Father] (HK-M]. D: Shu Shi (舒适). Soviet stage comedy "Chuzhoi Rebyonok" (Somebody Else’s Child) by Vasily Shkvarkin (1894-1967).
1953
"Shuang Xiong Dou Zhi" 《双雄斗志》[Two Heroic Rivals] (HK-C]. D: Ng Wui (吴回) [Mandarin: Wu Hui]. Although featuring a Chinese version of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, this is actually an original story in which the detective is in a challenge competition with a Chinese version of Maurice Leblanc's gentleman burglar Arsene Lupin. Instead of Dr. Watson, Holmes' associate is a beautiful young woman, and there is a romantic subplot involving her and Lupin.
"Shen Deng" 《神灯》[The Wonderful Lamp] (HK-C). D: Chen Huanwen (陈焕文). Arabian folk story "Aladdin and the Lamp."
1954
"Da Di" 《大地》[The Good Earth] (HK-C). D: Lee Sun-fung (李晨风) [Mandarin: Li Chenfeng]. American novel "The Good Earth" by Pearl Buck (1892-1973).
"Hudie Furen"《蝴蝶夫人》[Madame Butterfly] (HK-C). D: Chen Pi (陈皮). American short story of the same name by John Luther Long (1861-1927).
1955
"Gu Xing Xuelei" 《孤星血泪》[An Orphan's Tragedy] (HK-C). D: Zhu Ji (珠玑). English novel "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens (1812-1870).
"Zi Jun Bie Hou"《自君别后》[Forever Goodbye] (HK-M). D: Wang Yin (王引). American short story of the same name by John Luther Long (1861-1927).
“Tao Lin Niao"《同林鸟》[Tragedy of Vendetta] (HK-M). D: Tao Qin (陶秦). English drama "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
"Yang Guifei"《杨贵妃》[Princess Yang Kwei Fei] (HK-M). D: Kenji Mizoguchi (沟口健二). Joint HK-Japan production (Japanese title: "Yôkihi"), based on the Japanese novel of the same title by Kawaguchi Matsutarô (川口松太郎).
"Shicha Zhuanyuan"《视察专员》[The Inspector General] (HK-M). D: Huang Yu (黄域). Russian play "Revizor" [The Inspector General] by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852).
"Tianchangdijiu" 《天长地久》[Everlasting Love] (HK-C). American novel "Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945).
"Chun Can Meng Duan" 《春残梦断》[Anna] (HK-C). Russian novel "Anna Karenina" by by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
"Fuhuo" 《复活》[Resurrection] [HK-C]. Russian novel, "Voskresenie" [Resurrection] by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
"Caihuanü"《茶花女》[Camillia] (HK-M]. D: Zhang Shangkun (张善琨), Evan Yang (杨易文) [Mandarin: Yang Yiwen]. French novel, "La Dame Aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas, fils (1824-1895).
"Daisi Guniang" 《黛丝姑娘》[Tess] (HK-C). D: Jiang Weiguang (蒋伟光). English novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928).
1956
"Yu Ye Hua"《雨夜花》[Night Rain Blossom] (TW-Min Nan dialect). D: Shaw Luo Hui( 邵罗辉). Japanese novel "Aizen Katsura" (爱染桂) [The Tree of Love] by Kawaguchi Matsutarô (1899-1985).
"Biao Cuo Qing"《表错情》[Laughable Mistakes] (HK-C). D: Liu Fang (刘芳). Shakespeare's "A Comedy of Errors."
"Fu Lan Jiejie"《馥兰姐姐》[Mother Dearest] (TW). D: Mo Kang-shi. American novel "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888).
"Mei Gu"《梅姑》[The Orphan Girl] (HK-M). D: Yan Jun (严俊). English novel "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855).
"Hua Luo You Feng Jun"《花落又逢君》[Till We Meet Again] (HK-M). D: Tao Qin (陶秦). French novel, "La Dame Aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas, fils (1824-1895).
"Xing Hua Xi zhi Lian"《杏花溪之恋》[The Result of Vanity] (HK-M). D: Wang Yin (王引). American novel "Forever Amber" by Kathleen Winsor (1919-2003).
"Jiao Jiao Nü"《娇娇女》[Precious Daughter] (HK-C). D: Wong Toi (黄岱) [Mandarin: Huang Dai]. French play "La Comédie de celui qui épousa une femme muette" (The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife) by Anatole France (1844-1924).
"Qi Ren Qi Yu"《奇人奇遇》[Adventures of a Fabulous Man aka A Stranger's Strange Encounters] (HK-C). D: Ng Wui (吴回) [Mandarin: Wu Hui]. Russian play "Revizor" [The Inspector General] by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852).
1957
"Qing Chang Ru Zhanchang"《情场如战场》[Battle of Love] (HK-M). D: Griffin Yue Feng (岳枫). American play "The Tender Trap," by Max Shulman (1919-1988) and Robert Paul Smith (1915-1977).
"Hun Gui Li Hen Tian" 《魂归离恨天》[Love Lingers On] (HK-C). D: Kea Tso (左几) [Mandarin: Zuo Ji]. English novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë (1818-1848).
"Xiao Furen"《小妇人》[Four Daughters] (HK-C). D: Ng Wui (吴回) [Mandarin: Wu Hui]. American novel "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888).
"Wang Hun Gu"《亡魂谷》[Valley of Lost Souls] (HK-M). D: Yan Jun (严俊). American novel "Duel in the Sun" by Niven Busch (1903-1991) and the 1946 American screen adaptation of the same title.
"Yue Luo Wu Ti Shuang Mantian"《月落乌啼霜满天》[The Frosty Night] (HK-M). D: Yan Jun (严俊). Russian play "Na dne" [The Lower Depths] by Maxim Gorky (1868-1936).
1958
"Tade Yisheng"《她的一生》[The Story of Her Life] (HK-C). D: Lee Sun-fung (李晨风) [Mandarin: Li Chenfeng]. French novel "Une Vie" by Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893).
"Yiye Fengliu"《一夜风流》[The Unforgettable Night] (HK-M). D: Bu Wancang (卜万苍). Russian novel, "Voskresenie" [Resurrection] by Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910).
"Qing Dou Chukai"《情窦初开》[First Love] (HK-M). D: Ren Yizhi (任意之) and Chen Jingbo (陈静波). Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."
"Shengsi Lian" 《生死恋》[Love in Life and Death] (TW-Taiwanese dialect). D: Bai Ke (白克). French novel, "La Dame Aux Camélias" by Alexandre Dumas, fils (1824-1895).
"Muzi Lei"《母子泪》[Mother's Tears] (TW-Taiwanese dialect). D: Zong You (宗由). Japanese novel "Yureito" [Ghost Tower] by Kuroiwa Ruikō (黒岩涙香) (1862-1920), which was an adaptation of the English mystery novel "A Woman in Grey" by Alice Muriel Williamson (1869-1933).
1959
"Yu Bu Sa Hua Hua Bu Hong"《雨不洒花花不红》[Red Turn the Flowers When Down Come the Showers] (HK-M). D: Tu Kuang-chi (屠光启) and Tian Zeer (田泽二). English novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928).
"Boli Xie"《玻璃鞋》[Glass Slippers] (HK-C). D: Luk Bong (陆邦) [Mandarin: Lu Bang]. French short story "Cendrillon" [Cinderella] by Charles Perrault (1628-1703).
1960
"Xiang Gui Chun Qing"《香闺春情》[Romance in the Boudoir] (HK-M). D: Fei Luyi (费鲁伊). French novel "Jean-Christophe" by Romain Rolland (1866-1944).
"Chun Chao"《春潮》[Torrents of Spring] (HK-M). D: Tao Qin (陶秦). Russian novel "Veshnie Vody" (Torrents of Spring) by Ivan Turgenev，1818-1883).
"Cimu Xin"《慈母心》[Heart of a Loving Mother aka Salvation Through Motherhood] (HK-C). D: Tso Kea (左几). Norwegian play "Gengangere" (Ghosts) by Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906).
"Cuo Lian"《错恋》[Mistaken Love] (TW). D: Li Boqiu (李搏秋). Japanese novel "Gan no Sekinin" (Responsibility of Tears) by Takeda Toshihiko (竹田敏彦)(1891-1961).
"Yi Geming de Mingyi"《以革命的名义》[In the Name of Revolution] (PRC). D: Li Enjie (李恩杰), Shi Daqian (史大千). Soviet stage play "Lenin and the Second Generation." I have been unable to identify either the Russian title or the playwright, whose name has been transliterated into Chinese as "Mi Shateluofu"(米· 沙特洛夫).
1961
"Yi Ye Nan Wang"《一夜难忘》[A Night to Remember] (HK-M). D: D: Lee Sun-fung (李晨风) [Mandarin: Li Chenfeng]. English novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928).
"Ai de Jiaoyu"《爱的教育》[Education of Love] (HK-M). D: Robert Chung (钟启文) [Mandarin: Zhong Qiwen]. Italian novel "Cuore" (Heart) by Edmondo De Amicis (1846-1908).
1962
"You Kou Nan Yan"《有口难言》[Unspeakable Truths] (HK-M). D: Yan Yizhe (晏以哲). French play " La Comédie de celui qui épousa une femme muette" (The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife) by Anatole France (1844-1924).
1963
"Sishi Da Dao"《40 大盗》[40 Thieves] (TW). D: Hong Xinde (洪信德). Arabian folk tale "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves."
"Yiqian Ling Yi Ye"《一千零一夜 》[1001 Nights] (TW, Taiwanese opera film). D: Hong Xinde (洪信德). Arabian folk tale collection of the same title.
1964
"Jinse Ye Cha"《金色夜叉》[Golden Demon] (TW?). D: Lin Fude (林福地). Japanese novel "Konjiki Yasha" (Golden Demon) by Ozaki Kōyō (尾崎红叶) (1869?-1903)
"Li Shanzi"《李善子》[Li Shanzi] (PRC-unreleased). D: Zheng Junli (郑君里). (North) Korean stage play《红色宣传员》(Red Propagandist) by 赵白岭 (?).
1965
"Dushi Kuangxiangqu"《都市狂想曲》[Metropolitan Rhapsody] (HK-M). D: Wu Chia-hsiang (吴家骧) [Pinyin: Wu Jiaxiang]. Russian play "Revizor" [The Inspector General] by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852).
"Diyu Xinniang"《地狱新娘》[Bride in Hell] (TW-Taiwanese]. D: Hsin Chi (辛奇) [Mandarin: Xin Qi]. English novel "Bride of Pendorric" by Victoria Holt, pseudonym of Eleanor Hibbert (1906-1993).
1966
"Lianaiqing Bao Zhan"《恋爱情报站》[Love Information Station] (TW-M). D: Li Xijin (李锡津). Japanese novel Hyōten《冰点》[Freezing Point] by Miura Ayako (三浦綾子) (1922-1999).
"Yan Huo"《艳火》[Colorful Fire] (Taiwan-M). D: Luo Wenzhong (罗文忠). Japanese novel《男之罪孽》[The Sins of Man]. I have not been able to identify the author.
"Ling Xia Sandian"《零下三点》[Three Below Zero] (TW-M). D: Joseph Kuo (郭南宏) [Guo Nanhong] and Chin Hsi (金溪) [Jin Xi]. Source: Japanese novel Hyōten《冰点》[Freezing Point] by Miura Ayako (三浦綾子) (1922-1999).
1967
"Nüren, Nüren"《女人 女人》[Woman, Woman] (TW-M). D: Wu Chia-hsiang (吴家骧) [Wu Jiaxiang]. Based on the Russian play "Groza" (Thunderstorm) by Aleksandr Ostrovsky (1823-1886).
1970
"Xun Mu Sanqian Li"《寻母三千里》[Three Thousand Leagues in Search of Mother] (TW-M). D: Kao Jen-ho (高仁河) [Gao Renhe]. Based on a story in the Italian novel Cuore (Heart) by Edmondo De Amicis (1846-1908).
"Zuotian, Jintian, Mingtian"《昨天今天明天》[Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow] (HK-M). D: Patrick Lung (龙刚) [Mandarin: Long Gang]. French novel "The Plague" by Albert Camus (1913-1960).
1976
"Yibang Rou"《一磅肉》[A Pound of Flesh] (HK-M). D: Hu Xiaofeng (胡小峰). English play "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare.
1980
"Jiaru Wo Shi Zhende"《假如我是真的》 [If I Were for Real] (TW-M). D: Wang T'ung (王童). Mainland China stage production of the same title, which was itself based on the Russian play "Revizor" [The Inspector General] by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852).
1983
"Nanjing de Jidu"《南京的基督》[The Christ of Nanjing] (TW-M). D: Wong Guk-Gam (王菊金) [Wang Jujin] - Japanese novel of the same title (南京の基督 Nankin no Kirisuto) by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (芥川 龍之介) (1892-1927).
1992
"Xuese Qingchen"《血色清晨》[Bloody Morning] (PRC). D: Li Shaohong (李少红). Colombian novel Crónica de una muerte anunciada (Chronicle of a Death Foretold) by Gabriel Garcia Márquez (1927- ). [Chinese sources differ on the date of first release of this film in China, with some listing it as a 1990 release, while others say 1992.]
1993
"Zhapian Fan"《诈骗犯》[The Swindler] (PRC). D: Shen Yaoting (沈耀庭). Japanese novel《敦厚の诈骗犯》[The Honest Swindler] by Nishimura Kyotaro (西村京太郎) (1930- ).
1995
"Nanjing de Jidu"《南京的基督》[The Christ of Nanjing] (HK-C and Japanese). D: Tony Au (区丁平) [Mandarin: Ou Dingping]. Japanese novel of the same title (南京の基督 Nankin no Kirisuto) by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (芥川 龍之介) (1892-1927).
2004
"Yige Mosheng Nüren de Laixin"《一个陌生女人的来信》[Letter from an Unknown Woman] (PRC). D: Xu Jinglei (徐静蕾). Austrian novel “Brief einer Unbekannten” by Stefan Zweig (1881-1942).
2006
"Ye Yan"《夜宴》[The Banquet aka Legend of the Black Scorpion] (PRC). D: Feng Xiaogang (冯小刚). English play, Shakespeare's "Hamlet."
"Ximalaya Wangzi"《喜玛拉雅王子》[Prince of the Himalayas] (PRC-Tibetan). D: Sherwood Hu (胡雪桦) [Hu Xuehua]. English play, Shakespeare's "Hamlet."
