Zhang Shichuan

Zhang Shichuan (; 1889–1953 or 1890–1954 ), also credited as S. C. Chang, was a Chinese entrepreneur, film director, and film producer, who is considered a founding father of Chinese cinema. He and Zheng Zhengqiu made the first Chinese feature film, The Difficult Couple, in 1913, and cofounded the Mingxing (Star) Film Company in 1922, which became the largest film production company in China under Zhang's leadership.

Zhang directed about 150 films in his career, including Laborer's Love (1922), the earliest complete Chinese film that has survived; Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923), one of the first Chinese box-office hits; The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928), the first martial arts film; and Sing-Song Girl Red Peony (1931), China's first sound film.

After the destruction of Mingxing's studio by Japanese bombing during the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, Zhang Shichuan made films for the China United Film Production Company (Zhonglian) in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, which led to accusations of treason after the surrender of Japan in 1945. He never recovered from the humiliation, and died in 1953 or 1954.

Early life Zhang Shichuan was born Zhang Weitong (张伟通) in Beilun, Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Shichuan was his courtesy name, originally written with the different characters . His father Zhang Heju (张和巨) was a small merchant dealing with silkworms. His father died when Zhang was 16 years old, and he had to quit school and move to Shanghai to live with his maternal uncle Jing Runsan (经润三), a successful comprador. In Shanghai, he worked at the American-owned Huayang Company by day and studied English at night.

Early ventures In 1913, Yashell and Suffert, two Americans in Shanghai who had acquired the Asia Film Company, asked Zhang to be their consultant. The company's earliest films, such as The King of Comedy Visits Shanghai (1922), were mainly entertainment-oriented, but Zhang also directed Zheng's moralistic films such as Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923), which was a box-office success. Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923), one of the first Chinese box-office hits; The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928), the earliest martial arts film which started an enormously popular genre;

Selected filmography As director

Thieves on Trial (1913) A Funny Love Affair (1913) The Difficult Couple (1913) Bride Meets Ghost (1913) Victims of Opium (1916) Laborer's Love (1922) Zhang Xinsheng (1922) The King of Comedy Visits Shanghai (1922) An Orphan Rescues His Grandfather (1923) The Poor Children (1924) Love and Vanity (1924) The Death of Yuli (1924) A Sincerely Pitiful Girl (1925) A Lesser Friend (1925) The Last Conscience (1925) The Unknown Hero (1926) A Shanghai Woman (1926) Lonely Orchid (1926) (2 parts) He Wants to Have a Baby (1926) A Good Guy (1926) Ma Yongzhen From Shandong (1927) The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928–31) (16 parts) The Young Mistress' Fan (1928) White Cloud Pagoda (1928) The Revengeful Man (1928) (2 parts) The Luoyang Bridge (1928) Love Story on Classmates (1928) Divorce (1928) Dad Loves Mom (1929) Sing-Song Girl Red Peony (1931) Cosmetics of Market (1933) Bible for Girls (1934) Red Begonia (1936) Dr. Li and Miss Tang (1939) The West Chamber (1940)