Film Colony of China Scattered Among Interior

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 132, 7 June 1938, Page 3

Film Colony of China Scattered Among Interior

HONG KONG—China’s ‘’Hollywood,” formerly situated in Shanghai, is now scattered, like the Chinese Government, in a number of key cities in the interior. A large majority of the actors, actresses, and extras” have also gone into the inland provinces but not only for their personal comfort and safety. For all of these refugee-actors are now sharing part of the anti-Japanese campaign for the Government on improvised stages in hospitals and camps instead of on the battlefields. The Chinese film colony was hard hit when fighting broke out in Shanghai last August. Most of the property belonging to the leading picture companies—tne Yih Hwu Star Motion Picture and the United Photoplay Service—were either destroyed by gunfire or arc now under Japanese military occupation. The players organized small troupes and lull lor the interior where tliey are putting on entertainments for the wounded soldiers and civilian refugees. I'he troupes have been moving ironi one place to another as hostilities continued to spread but they are still carrying on their work under extreme difficulties. One group is in Hung Kong where there is a small film colony. Some picti res, costing around 5,000 dollars Chinese currency, arc being produced and shown in Hong Kong and the South Sea Islands. Practically all of the pictures produced now have a patriotic theme. Doing His Part A cart was ambling along a coun- j try road one dark night. A large car ■ was approaching in the opposite direction. The driver of the car dipped his glaring headlights Io avoid dazzling tho carrier. ‘‘George,’ 4 said the carrier to his mate, “we must return the compliment. Just blow that offside candle out. ’ ’—Pearson’s. Discerning Kind A city girl, spending some time in i the country, spoke to the farmer about the troubled way in which the cattle regarded her. “Well,” said the farmer, ‘‘it must be on account of that red dress you arc wearing.” “Dear me! Of course 1 know it’s terribly out of style; but I had no idea a cow would notice it.”