''Zhuangzi Tests His Wife'' ( zh, t=莊子試妻, p=Zhuangzi shi qi) is a 1913
Hong Kong drama film directed by
Li Minwei
Lai Man-wai (; September 25, 1893 – October 26, 1953), also romanised as Lay Min-wei or M.W. Ray, considered the "Father of Hong Kong Cinema", was the director of the first Hong Kong film '' Zhuangzi Tests His Wife'' in 1913. In the film, Lai ...
. 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 The Asia Film Company was the first film production company in China.
History
The Asia Film Company was established in Shanghai in 1909 by Russian born Jewish American businessman Benjamin Brosky (1877-1960), and was the first company to produce d ...
in Shanghai, and Li Minwei. The film was never screened in Hong Kong. Brosky brought the film to the United States,
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. It is based on the
zidishu play "The Butterfly Dream" written by Chunshuzhai.
Cast
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.
*
Li Beihai ... Zhuangzi
*
Li Minwei
Lai Man-wai (; September 25, 1893 – October 26, 1953), also romanised as Lay Min-wei or M.W. Ray, considered the "Father of Hong Kong Cinema", was the director of the first Hong Kong film '' Zhuangzi Tests His Wife'' in 1913. In the film, Lai ...
... Zhuangzi's wife
* Yan Shanshan ... Servant Girl
Background
Fourth century BCE Zhuangzi (or Zhuang Zhou), one of the two defining figures of Chinese
Taoism
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
, 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
In other media
{{Unreferenced section, date=August 2022
Operatic versions of ''Zhuangzi Tests His Wife'' have been performed on stage by the
Peking Opera
Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...
and others.

Most operatic versions end with Zhuangzi burying his wife after she commits
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
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
*
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese-language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former Crown colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of ar ...
*
List of Hong Kong films
This is a list of films produced in Hong Kong ordered by decade and year of release in separate pages. For film set in Hong Kong and produced elsewhere see ''List of films set in Hong Kong''.
1909–1949
* List of Hong Kong films before 1950
...
References
External links
Zhuangzi Tests His Wifeat
Internet Movie Database
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
Chinese silent films
Hong Kong black-and-white films
1913 films
1913 drama films
Chinese black-and-white films
Chinese drama films
Films set in the Warring States period
Silent drama films