At the dawn of the 1930s, the Chinese film industry had undergone a shakeout, with the number of Shanghai movie studios decreasing from a high of more than 100 in 1926 to just 26 in 1930. This was due to a combination of market saturation, the worldwide depression reaching Shanghai, and the normal economic pattern of survival of the fittest. The big two of Chinese cinema, the Mingxing (明星 "Star") and Tianyi (天一 "Heaven") studios, continued to prosper and dominate, but seemingly bucking the downward trend, a newcomer now appeared, a new competitor which soon turned the 1930s "big two" into its "big three."
The new studio was called Lianhua (联华), which literally translates as "United China," but used the English name "United Photoplay Service." It was the product of a merger of Luo Mingyou's Da Zhonghua Baihe studio with that of Li Minwei's Minxin studio. In addition to carrying over those two studios' talents, they also recruited some young filmmakers from other studios who were seeking more opportunities. The new studio's stated objective was to make progressive films which would entertain audiences while also advancing reformist ideas.
Lianhua commenced filming its first production in the fall of 1929, and perhaps indicative of the new studio's abundant funding resources, the entire cast and crew of the film went to Beijing for location filming. The title of this first production was《Spring Dream in the Old Capital》, about a family man who falls under the spell of a scheming golddigger who gradually takes over his life. He becomes a government official, then sinks steadily into a cesspool of corruption and degradation. The film was a critique of the decline of China's traditional image of officialdom, which exhalted honest, fair and principled governing. His success and new romance turns out to be a "spring dream," something illusory or transient, a "Fata Morgana."
The protagonist, teacher-turned-official Zhu Jiajie, was played by Wang Ruilin (1905-1956), a young stage actor making his first of what turned out to be only two film acting roles, in "Spring Dream" and its 1932 sequel. Wang's movie career was carried out almost entirely behind the camera, as a stage manager and assistant director, but mostly as a teacher, in charge of Lianhua's acting school. During World War II he worked on morale-raising propaganda films and directed patriotic stage plays. He continued producing, directing and teaching after the war, and in the 1950s went into politics at the provincial level. Ruan Lingyu had left the Mingxing studio after 1928 because of chief director Zhang Shichuan's decision to make Hu Die the studio's top diva, consigning Ruan to permanent status as no higher than number two female in a film, the unsympathetic girl who never gets the boy, and often comes to a bad end. She moved to the Da Zhonghua Baihe company, then came with the merger. It is a minor irony that her first role for Lianhua was another negative character, although the principal female one.
This week's featured star Lin Chuchu was already moving into the "dutiful wife and loving mother" typecasting that became her signature film image, as in "Spring Dream." During location filming the crew discovered Chen Yanyan, a starstruck teenage bystander, and although her one scene in this film was deleted, she went on to become one of Chinese cinema's top stars. Future matinee idol Jin Yan is also credited with being in this movie, although none of the written records say specifically what his role was.
Gudu Chunmeng (1930) 故都春梦 [Spring Dream in the Old Capital]
Lianhua. B&W. Silent. 10 reels. Producer: Luo Mingyou. Direction: Sun Yu. Screenplay: Zhu Shilin, Luo Mingyou. Cinematography: Huang Shaofen. Cast: Ruan Lingyu (Yanyan), Wang Ruilin (Zhu Jiajie), Lin Chuchu (Wang Huilan), Luo Huizhu (Hongyu, a prostitute), Cai Zhenzhen (Yinggu), Che Keke (Meigu), Liu Jiqun (Wu Changyuan), Tang Depei (Mao Zihou), Gao Weilian (Muyou). Also: Jin Yan, Chen Yanyan (scene deleted).
Followed by sequel: Xu Gudu Chunmeng (1932) 续故都春梦 [Another Spring Dream]
[left, a fateful meeting with a seductress. Click on any image to enlarge]
At a time when Henan province is under warlord control, village schoolteacher Zhu Jiajie's family falls into such dire economic straits he is forced to leave home and travel to the capital Beijing to find other work.
In the capital, he becomes acquainted with well-known singing girl Yanyan, who uses her political connections to get Zhu a cushy job with the Inland Revenue service, after which he marries Yanyan as his concubine. They move into a comfortable and well-furnished home, and he sends for his good and faithful first wife and their two daughters to move in with the new 
couple.
["If my friends could see me now!" right, plush new lodgings, complete with servants]
[left: but of course, the rest of my family has to join us]
Before long, elder daughter Yinggu becomes entranced with Yanyan, and often goes to see her perform. Her mother Huilan tries unsuccessfully to discourage the relationship. One night, Yanyan and Yinggu go out on the town, not returning until dawn, which leads the angry mother to scold her daughter and admonish Yanyan for leading her daughter astray. Instead of accepting her role in the household as subservient "second lady," Yanyan has a strong reaction to this, unleashing an abusive verbal assault on Huilan, who appeals to her husband, but Zhu Jiajie is so intimidated by Yanyan that he remains silent, not saying a word. Yanyan begins exploiting her power by becoming increasingly abusive to Huilan, to the point where the mother can bear it no longer. She packs up and prepares to leave with her daughters, but elder daughter Yinggu refuses to leave with her.
[right, mother and younger daughter begin the long trek back to the countryside]
Mother and younger daughter return to the village, where Huilan provides them a meager income through selling handicrafts. After they leave, Yanyan introduces Yinggu to a young man named Mao Zihou, saying he is her cousin.
[left, he reluctantly agrees to his elder daughter's betrothal to his concubine's "cousin"]
Actually, he is the nephew of Zhu Jiajie's political patron, the man who got the former teacher his cushy job, and is Yanyan's lover. Zhu is confused by all this and believes her lies, so he agrees to marrying his daughter to Mao Zihou. But before long, Zhu's political patron is exposed as corrupt, siphoning off public funds for himself and his friends. He and those politically close to him, including Zhu Jiajie, are arrested and jailed. At last the nephew raises enough money to repay what was embezzled, and the prisoners are released. Zhu Jiajie returns home to find that Yanyan has cleaned it out, taking everything of value and trashing the rest.
[right, back from jail, he dazedly surveys the ruins of his home] 
In addition, the politician's nephew has dumped Zhu's daughter Yinggu and run off with Yanyan, resulting in Yinggu having a breakdown and being institutionalized. Filled with remorse and realizing his time in the capital has all been a spring dream, Zhu Jiajie returns on a snowy day to his village and on his knees begs his wife's forgiveness. Huilan generously says he is blameless, that his transgressions were caused by a corrupt society. Husband and wife set up housekeeping again, and attempt to recover their past life.
[still reeling over what has happened to his life, he returns home to his remaining family]
