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1913 Hong Kong film
Zhuangzi Tests His Wife
(
Chinese
:
莊子試妻
;
pinyin
:
Zhuangzi shi qi
) is a 1913
Hong Kong drama film
directed by
Li Minwei
. It is the earliest feature film of
Hong Kong cinema
, and the only film made by the Huamei (Chinese-American) Studio, which was co-founded by Benjamin Brosky, who had sold his
Asia Film Company
in Shanghai, and Li Minwei. The film was never screened in Hong Kong. Brosky brought the film to the United States,
[1]
and it became the first Chinese film to be shown abroad when it was exhibited in the Chinese communities of
Los Angeles
and
San Francisco
.
[
citation needed
]
It is based on the
zidishu
play "The Butterfly Dream" written by Chunshuzhai.
[2]
Cast
[
edit
]
Li Minwei stars as the wife of Zhuangzi, and Li Minwei's wife Yan Shanshan (1896-1951) became the first Chinese film actress, playing a servant girl.
[3]
Background
[
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]
Fourth century BCE Zhuangzi (or Zhuang Zhou), one of the two defining figures of Chinese
Taoism
, based his philosophy on all things changing, and the perception of truth depending on the context under which it exists. Throughout history, his teachings have been particularly favored by Chinese scholars and artists, many of whom were inspired by Zhuangzi's philosophy.
Plot
[
edit
]
![[icon]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png) | This section
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.
(
August 2022
)
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In other media
[
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]
Operatic versions of
Zhuangzi Tests His Wife
have been performed on stage by the
Peking Opera
and others.
Zhuangzi
Most operatic versions end with Zhuangzi burying his wife after she commits
suicide
for being disloyal to her husband. But this version tackles the story from a different angle. While Tian Shi still ultimately kills herself, Zhuangzi turns her and himself into butterflies and then, eventually, into dust.
See also
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]
References
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]
External links
[
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]