Zhuangzi Tests His Wife

Zhuangzi Tests His Wife (1913)

莊子試妻

Philosopher-eccentric Chuang Tsi comes across a woman fanning the newly built grave of her dead husband because she desires to marry again. On returning home, Chuang Tsi decides to put his wife to the test - he fakes his own death; the wife is grief-stricken and goes into mourning. While funeral arrangement are in progress, a handsome young man come to call on Chuang Tsi. Later, there is talk of marriage between Chuang Tsi wife and the man. However, the young man falls ill; his servant says that taking the human brain is the only medicine to cure him.

Date of release
1913-01-01
TMDB
5.5 / 10 (2)
Runtime
1h 30m
Genres
Drama
Director
Beihai Li

Casting

Interesting facts

Zhuangzi Tests His Wife is a 1913 Hong Kong drama film directed by Lai Man-Wai. 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 Brodsky, who had sold his Asia Film Company in Shanghai, and Lai Pak-hoi, Man-Wai's brother. The film was never screened in Hong Kong. Brodsky brought the film to the United States, and it became the first Hong Kong-produced fiction film to be shown in the United States. It is based on the zidishu play "The Butterfly Dream" written by Chunshuzhai. No known prints of the film still exist.

Background

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.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

Recommended