Laborer's Love

Laborer's Love (Chinese: 劳工之爱情; pinyin: Laogong zhi aiqing) is a 1922 silent short film produced in China during the Republican Era. The film premiered on 5 October 1922 at the Olympic Theater in Shanghai.[2] It is also known as Romance of a Fruit Peddler or Romance of a Fruit Pedlar (Chinese: 掷果缘; pinyin: Zhi guo yuan). It constitutes the earliest complete film from China's early cinematic history that survives today.[3] The film was also one of the earliest productions of the soon-to-be prolific Mingxing Film Company and was directed and written by Mingxing co-founders Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengqiu.

Laborer's Love
(aka Romance of a Fruit Peddler)
Directed byZhang Shichuan
Written byZheng Zhengqiu
StarringZheng Zhegu
Zheng Zhengqiu
Yu Ying
CinematographyZhang Weitao
Production
company
Release date
8 March
  • 1922 (1922)
[1]
Running time
22 minutes and 10 seconds
CountryChina
LanguageSilent film
Written Chinese and English inter titles

Notably, the film has both Chinese and English intertitles, indicating that at this early point in Shanghai cinema history, films were tailored to both Chinese and Western audiences.[4] A subtitled version of the film, which represents differences between the Chinese and English text of the intertitles, is available on YouTube.[5][6]

Director
  • Zhang Shichuan (1889-1953 or 1890-1954)
  • A founding father of Chinese Cinema
  • Directed about 150 films in his career

Cast
  • Zheng Zhegu as the Carpenter Zheng/the fruit peddler
  • Zheng Zhengqiu as Doctor Zhu
  • Yu Ying as Miss Zhu (The daughter of Doctor Zhu)

Plot

As the film begins, Carpenter Zheng has just come back to Shanghai after living in Nanyang in Southeast Asia. Upon his return, he decides to change professions, becoming a fruit vendor. His business attracts a lot of attention from neighborhood children and Carpenter Zheng is kept busy by his work, in contrast to the struggling medical clinic across the street. The clinic is run by Doctor Zhu and his daughter Miss Zhu, and a romantic attraction quickly develops between the young woman and Zheng. The couple communicates with each other by connecting the fruit-stand to the medical clinic via a string, along which they transport baskets filled with objects back and forth to each other,which also known as fruit throwing connection(zhiguo yuan Chinese：掷果缘） . Later, Miss Zhu visits Zheng's fruit stand and he helps her to get rid of a gang member who has been harassing her. Eventually, Miss Zhu and Zheng fall in love, but Doctor Zhu opposes the relationship because of Zheng's lower socioeconomic status. However, in the face of his own financial hardships, Doctor Zhu agrees to let Zheng marry his daughter if the younger man can help to revive his falling medical business. Zheng is dismayed, believing this to be an impossible task, but soon he comes up with the idea to modify the staircase of a gambling club near the doctor's office. He alters the staircase so that he can transform it into a sliding ramp at will; after this, he merely has to wait for unsuspecting customers to leave the club and promptly slide to the bottom of the staircase, injuring themselves at the bottom. He repeats this numerous times, creating a huge new client base for Doctor Zhu to the point where the old man can barely keep up with the demand, requiring Zheng to step in and provide his services as well. With the medical clinic prospering once again, Doctor Zhu gladly approves the marriage between Miss Zhu and Zheng.

Title

As the earliest surviving film from the last century in China - "Romance of a Fruit Peddler", also known as "Laborer's Love", although it is a silent film, it would still be interesting to watch it now. In Chinese, "Romance of a Fruit Peddler" means gain a relationship by throwing fruits. One would not understand the meaning of throwing fruit until one watched the film. "Romance of a Fruit Peddler" or《掷果缘》is not the wrong name, but Carpenter Zheng, who is turning to the fruit business, falls in love with the daughter of Doctor Zhu. Carpenter Zheng uses a rope that connects with a basket to throw the fruit to Miss Zhu to express his love, which is to throw fruit. [7]

Film Background

Since this film was made in 1922, it was influenced by the cinema and social movements of Modern China, including an American comedian by the name of Harold Lloyd who was well known for his silent comedy films.[8] Doctor Zhu wears glasses in a similar style to the ones characteristically worn by Harold Lloyd, and one scene has Carpenter Zheng come into possession of the glasses and try them on in a shot that imitates the iconic image of this popular actor.[9] This results in a blurry point-of-view shot that emphasizes the difference in perspective between the two characters, with Carpenter Zheng representing modern social views and Doctor Zhu representing traditional ones. The film's romantic narrative provides further commentary on how traditional Chinese values were changing in the shift to the modern era, from its depiction of increasing social mobility to the negotiation of marriage and family through feudal and patriarchal codes.[10]

Along with referencing Harold Lloyd, the film incorporates the surprise slide staircase, which was a gag popularized by American silent comedian Buster Keaton in his film The Haunted House. This appears in the film when Carpenter Zheng modifies the staircase to a night club into a slide that he can activate at will.

In 2007, Australian ensemble Blue Grassy Knoll wrote a new score for Labourer's Love, and performed it live in Shanghai and Beijing as part of the Australian Theatre Festival.[11]

Social Influence
  • Laborer's Love was influenced by the May Fourth Movement which began in 1919. In the film, the carpenter asks Miss Zhu "Will you marry me?". The scenes were incompatible with the traditional concept in China at that time.[12] In light of these social changes, filmmakers sought to pay respect to traditional Chinese moral values, especially arranged marriage, while also advocating the current ideas about free love between two young people without any consequences.
  • After the star film industry, the commercial pass event, the movie theatre department, the Shanghai film and television company, and Hong Kong Guangya company have modeled this kind of short comedy film and successfully released a large number of such films. In the early and middle period of the 1920s, China produced a large number of short comedy films, The Labourer's love became the representative of early Chinese films.

Culture Reference

One of the alternative titles of the film, Zhiguoyuan, meaning "fruit-throwing love connection", is a reference to an old Chinese folktale, showing how the film balances old traditions with new innovations in social norms. The film's narrative adapts this traditional motif in the lovers' use of a string to send objects back and forth to each other in a distinctly modern love story.[13]

What is unique about Laborer's Love is that it does not contain the demeanour that is common in early Chinese slapstick comedies, and even uses a connecting device between Zheng and Zhu to make men and women more equal. Compared with previous comedies in China's male-dominated society, it is rare for Chinese love stories in this period to apply this kind of "friendly" drama to the love between a man and a woman.Moreover, The friut basket which was carpentered by the vendor contains two functions: one is that it is used as a connection device for the doctor's daughter and the carpenter/vendor to communicate love with each other; the other is that the basket then serve its comedic function as a mischievous device to fool the doctor.[14]

The film contains further references to traditional Chinese culture, such as the scene where the carpenter breaks open a watermelon. This is a reference to an old Chinese idiom called 破瓜之年（pò guā zhī nián),[15] meaning that the girl is at an age where she is "ripe", or mature enough to marry and bear children. This relates to the film because Miss Zhu is at an age where she is ready for marriage, implied when the carpenter is seen breaking a watermelon in two.

Furthermore, the property"staircase" raises a conflicting conversation regarding to the moral principles, the carpenter's actions are considered as immoral; however,as an element of comedy, it is normal to see these actions towards those who are considered as bad in the society as a form of "moral justification".[16]

what's more, the thick pair of glasses is at once a status symbol of his professional respectability and paternal authority and a sign of his laughable pedantry and senility. it implicitly reflects that the modern cultural aims to abandon the old “pedantry and senility”in China.[17]

Influence From Western Films

While Laborer's Love is now canonized as the earliest surviving Chinese film, short comedy films were in fact looked down upon by 1920s Chinese audiences and did not do well at the box office, meaning that the film is not an accurate representation of the film culture at this point in Chinese history.[18] In the 1920s, 90% of the films released in China were American films, which greatly influenced both Chinese filmmakers and the Chinese film market. Many of the jokes and visual themes in the work were inspired by American silent film comedians Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, which also shows the global character of the film. But the local Chinese film is not only influenced by the Western film market. In fact, the studio that created it had its roots in part in the United States,[19] and its English title suggests that Chinese films also exist in the culture of English-speaking audiences.

In early 20th century Shanghai, Western influence became more prevalent, and this film represents this mixing of culture as Western and Eastern skills and technologies collided.[20] This film shows how China was becoming more open to foreign technologies that are displayed on-screen, such as the alarm clock, table lamp, Western-style furniture and the appearance of the night club.

Laborer's Love came into being during the transition period from short films to long films. According to statistical information,[21] there were nearly 30 short films made in China in the span of 1918 to 1928. The subjects of these short films were primarily marketable slapstick dramas with exaggerated actions and simple plots, while still retaining the traditional mode of civilized drama.

The Chinese-English bilingual intertitles

First of all, the Chinese film industry did not start from filming itself, but from the screening of foreign films. Hence, Chinese filmmakers were inevitably influenced by foreign films. Secondly,Laborer's Love was intended for the international market, the film is not only a national film but also an international film, it targeted both Southeast Asian market and English-speaking world.[22]there were a large number of foreign audiences in the concession area, and English subtitles were indented to foreign audiences. As a tool to help the audience understand the film. subtitles can enable foreign audiences and Chinese audiences to obtain the same aesthetic experience and cultural identity when watching movies. For example, at the beginning of the film, it has the subtitles to explain the storyline; 粤人郑木匠，改业水果，与祝医女结掷果缘，乃求婚于祝医，祝云：“能使我医业兴隆者，当以女妻之，木匠果设妙计，得如祝愿，有情人遂成了眷属。(A doctor in needy circumstances， whose daughter is much admired by a fruit shop proprietor （ formerly a carpenter ） who sticks to the tools of his trade).

However, Chinese culture is profound and some vocabulary has multiple meanings. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to find a corresponding vocabulary for translation in English. Therefore, the translator of "Laborer's Love" used the method of "demolition" in the face of such vocabulary. For instance, the Chinese subtitles were "老伯伯！这是我孝敬你的。" but in English, it was "respected sir， I am not asking you to buy, please accept a humble gift." The point of transmission and the difficulty of translation is the word "孝敬". The word "孝敬" has two meanings here. One is to show the relationship of honor and the other is to give a gift. Then the English interpretation of the word should be "give a present use as a token of respect for one’s elders or superior". Obviously, the translator cannot find a word in English that can contain these two meanings. Therefore, in the English translation, the translator uses "respected" and "humble" to show a status of humility and uses "not asking you to buy" and "gift" to reflect the meaning of giving gifts. Although the translation here does not reach lexical equivalence and syntactic equivalence, it is very "satisfied". The two meanings contained in "孝敬" itself are vividly displayed. The western audience can basically get the same aesthetic experience as the Chinese audience when watching movies.

Due to the large cultural differences between the Western and Eastern (mostly China), the ability of subtitle translators is limited. Many lines of "Love of Labor" seem ordinary to our own audience, but they all have cultural connotations. In the process of translation, even if a variety of translation methods such as “demolition” are adopted, the lack of cultural information is inevitable. For example, in the Chinese language it was “（病人）：不是！我有一只乾隆窑的古瓶，请先生…… （祝医）：我也有一只康熙窑的笔筒，请你买了去吧！”，but in English it was "(Patient): …swelling is a nice Chien Loong vase. I will sell it cheap. (Doctor Zhu): I also have an antique ink spill for sale." The importance of the translation here are the words 乾隆，康熙，and 古瓶. "乾隆" and "康熙" are both the emperor from the Qing Dynasty, and the word "古瓶" means the old vase that the emperor own. Facing the liar holding the so-called "Antiquity" of the Chien Loong period to sell to Doctor Zhu, Doctor Zhu uses the same method of the liar to send him away - point out that he has more valuable antiquity (Kangxi's 康熙 pen container) than the liar. But unfortunately, in English subtitles, this is not reflected. In English subtitles, the translator translated the "乾隆窑" into “Chien Loong”, which is very accurate. However, the translation of "康熙窑" into "antique" has weakened the contrast that Chinese characters have between the generation, and weakened the comedy color of wishing Doctor Zhu to treat the liar the same way as the liar did. The word "康熙" could be translated into "Kangxi," but if translated into "Chien Loong's grandfather", it is more able to show the contrast of the generations. The for Western audiences, even if they don't know who are Chien Loong and Kangxi, they can still understand the meaning of comparing these two emperors. Thereby, the Western audience can reach and understand the extent to which the Chinese audience understood and appreciated the film. [23]

The creativity standard of early Chinese films

In the shooting of "Laborer's Love," is still limited to a limited number of scenes, limited space, but it is not simply a form of imitating stage play. Although it has limited scenes and limited space, but it is not simply a form of imitating stage play. Such as the point of view shot of Carpenter Zheng wearing a pair of glasses, the close-up of picking up the clock, and the bitterness of the special effect matte shot that appeared in the upper left corner when he was sitting on the bed and dreaming on the beloved girl; all of these techniques have a lot of the filming component. It can be seen that the early stage of Chinese film has already had a very high standard of creativity. [24]The laborer’s Love also create a new form of a love connection between female and male which is different from traditional Chinese love stories. Moreover,the "friendly" play it used does not contain the gender discrimination and misogynistic elements lighten the gender discrimination in the movie. But they still obey the part of Chinese tradition such as asking the agreement of Miss Zhu’s father.[25]

Production

Editing
  • In terms of technology, the use of various special effects in the film was gradually mature and added narrative and comedy effects to the film.[26]

Special effects: Superimposition, undercranking, out-of-focus shots Gags in Laborer's Love makes use of trick photography, such as superimposition, out-of-focus shot, and a fast-motion sequence.[27] There are several undercranking scenes used in the film, which can enhance the rhythm of the film through fast play. In particular, the fast-motion sequence of injured bodies being treated perfunctorily at the doctor's clinic at the end created a humorous effect.

Further Readings
  • Xinyu Dong, "The Laborer at Play: Laborer's Love, the Operational Aesthetic, and the Comedy of Inventions." Modern Chinese Literature and Culture, vol. 20, no. 2 (Fall 2008), pp. 1-39.
  • Christopher Rea, Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949, chapter 1: Laborer's Love (1922). Columbia University Press, 2021.
  • Zhang Zhen, An Amorous History of the Silver Screen: Shanghai Cinema, 1896-1937. University of Chicago Press, 2005.

Notes
  1. "China-Underground Movie Database". China-Underground. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  2. Huang, Zhiwei. Old Shanghai Movies (In Chinese). Shanghai: Wen Hui Press, 1998, p.5. ISBN 9787805315416
  3. "A Brief History of Chinese Film". Ohio State University. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
  4. Martin Geiselmann (2006). "Chinese Film History - A Short Introduction" (PDF). The University of Vienna- Sinologie Program. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  5. https://chinesefilmclassics.sites.olt.ubc.ca/films/laborers-love-1922/
  6. Chinese Film Classics: Laborer's Love (1922): https://chinesefilmclassics.sites.olt.ubc.ca/course/module-1-laborers-love-1922/
  7. "掷果缘". 豆瓣 (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. "LABORER'S LOVE". UCLA Confucius Institute. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  9. "Harold Clayton Lloyd (1893-1971) - HaroldLloyd.com". haroldlloyd.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  10. Zhen, Zhang (2005). An Amorous History of the Silver Screen: Shanghai Cinema, 1896-1937. University of Chicago Press. p. 109.
  11. Dwyer, Michael. "Silent Films, Reel Music". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  12. "评论：《劳工之爱情》艺术经验集大成者_影音娱乐_新浪网". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  13. Zhang, Zhen (2005). An Amorous History of the Silver Screen: Shanghai Cinema, 1896-1937. University of Chicago Press. p. 110.
  14. Dong, Xinyu (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. 20 (2): 1–39. JSTOR 41482533.
  15. Li, QuDian. "破瓜之年是形容女子什么时候？为什么叫"破瓜"？". qulishi.com. qulishi. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  16. Dong, Xinyu (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. 20 (2): 1–39. JSTOR 41482533.
  17. Dong, Xinyu (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. 20 (2): 1–39. JSTOR 41482533.
  18. Zhang, Zhen (2005). An Amorous History of the Silver Screen: Shanghai Cinema, 1896-1937. University of Chicago Press. pp. 90–91.
  19. Xinyu, Dong (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. JSTOR. 20 (2): 1–39. JSTOR 41482533.
  20. Xinyu, Dong (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. JSTOR. 20 (2): 1–39. JSTOR 41482533.
  21. Xinyu, Dong (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. JSTOR. 20 (2): 1–39. JSTOR 41482533.
  22. Xinyu Dong (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. JSTOR. 20 (2): 16. JSTOR 41482533.
  23. "论电影《劳工之爱情》字幕翻译的得失". m.xzbu.com. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  24. "从《劳工之爱情》窥探中国早期电影的创作水准". 豆瓣 (in Chinese). Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  25. Xinyu Dong (2008). "The Laborer at Play: "Laborer's Love", the Operational Aesthetic, and The Comedy of Inventions". Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. JSTOR. 20 (2): 1–39. JSTOR 41482533.
  26. "之一：《劳工之爱情》——艺术和商业相结合的电影探索_上瑜_新浪博客". blog.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  27. Mu, Yang. "从《劳工之爱情》窥探中国早期电影的创作水准". 豆瓣电影. Retrieved 24 October 2018.


  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20050525111600/http://www.cfa.gov.cn/gcdybgsp.htm
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