Cine Chronicles of Wartime

The Hong Kong Film Archive presents a free screening of A Page of History (1941) and The Battle of Shanghai (1937). Both films are important documentary records of the histories of war and resistance in 20th-century China.

Lai Man-wai, a major pioneer of Hong Kong cinema, teamed up with friends to follow Dr Sun Yat-sen in the 1920s, traversing provinces for seven years and filming precious historical moments such as Sun's inspection trips to Guangdong and Beijing, as well as the Northern Expedition led by Chiang Kai-shek after Sun’s death. Some of those footage was edited into A Page of History. Some films he shot were preserved by his family. Unfortunately the film’s masters were lost in the war, and the current copy is an incomplete version.

The Battle of Shanghai records the famous eponymous conflict in 1937 when 800 Chinese soldiers fervently resisted the invading Japanese army by defending a warehouse until the very last moment. Shot by Lai and his team at the risk of death, the film is now an invaluable visual news document of Chinese modern history.

This screening programme is a special programme for National Security Education Day.

For details of other LCSD's Chinese history and culture programmes, please check out LCSD's new page:
https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/common/pdf/Chinese_History_Culture_Programmes_EN.pdf

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.