Films And Public Life In Shanghai From1920s To1930s

Foreign films which were introduced to shanghai in early times mainlyscreened in gardens, teahouses and restaurants. Hongkou cinema which was thefirst formal cinema in shanghai, had been establishmented in1908and attractedmany audiences. Between1920and1939, film industry developed rapidly and themember of cinemas increased as the spring bamboo shoots after rain. During thisperiod, cinema distribution formed a huge projection network which extendedfrom the Hongkou area to the central and western part of the InternationalSettlement, French Concession, Zhabei and Nanshi area. Most of the screenedfilms were foreign films, among which American films accounted for dominantposition, but China’s film industry developed slowly. As the member of cinemaswhich meet the needs of different consumer groups and films increased rapidly,watching flims became more and more popular among citizens and affected publiclife in many aspects. It not only played an important role in closing relationshipbetween relatives and friends, but also breaking the interpersonal barriers, andpromoting interaction among different strata. With the development of the filmindusty, many film newspapers and periodicals appeared in public view. Theyenriched reader’s life greatly by interesting movie reviews, film report, staranecdotes and varied star portraits and movie posts. Meanwhile, more and morecitizens worshipped film stars and the Starchaser boom became crazy. Besides,with the awakening of national consciousness, the national pride enhanced.Citizens were increasingly dissatisfied with films which insulted Chinese imageand conducted active struggles. In1930s, our national crisis deepened further,films became an important tool to arouse the fighting will of the masses. Thereason why the film could penetrate into and had a tremendous impact in citizenlife are not only because it associated with large consumer groups and modernconsumptive concept of Shanghai people, but also related to film’s uniqueattraction and vigorously promoting from film screenings and manufacturers.