KwanTeo Film Archive · Creator
Chen Tian
陈天Chen Tian was a filmmaker from Chaoyang, Guangdong. He brought a Shanghai Huaju Film Company crew to Shantou in 1926 to begin three films, and directed Dai Yun, adapted from a stage piece by Cai Chusheng.
About the Creator
Chen Tian was already working in Shanghai cinema when he directed Zhen Ai in 1925. The following year, he brought a Huaju Film Company crew to Shantou to begin Bai Furong, Qing Nu and Ye Mingzhu. He also helped Cai Chusheng adapt his comic stage piece Dai Yun and directed the film, which was shot in 1926 and released in 1927. His later credits include Shandong Xiangma in 1927 and several films directed in 1928.
In 1929 he directed 《海滨豪杰》 and 《浪漫女英雄》; in 1933 he directed the military-themed 《孤军》, shot between Lingyan Mountain and Tianping Mountain in Suzhou.
In 1937 he directed 《金屋藏娇》 for Hong Kong Daguan Film Company and 《锦绣河山》, and acted in 《天之骄女》; in 1938 he directed 《桃色间谍》; in 1951 he directed 《桃花运》, his last work.
An exhibition at the Shantou Museum of Revolutionary History preserves posters for Bai Furong and Ye Mingzhu, alongside its account of the three films the Huaju crew began in the city in 1926.