KwanTeo Film Archive · Work
The Classic for Girls
女儿经The Classic for Girls is a 1934 drama produced by the Mingxing Film Company and jointly directed by nine filmmakers, including Zheng Zhengqiu, Chen Kengran, Zhang Shichuan and Li Pingqian. Starring Hu Die and Gao Zhanfei, it uses a reunion of former schoolmates to connect eight stories about women’s experiences in marriage, work and society.
About the Work
The Classic for Girls unfolds around a reunion after a long separation. The hostess, played by Hu Die, returns to Shanghai with her husband after ten years away and invites her former schoolmates to their home. As they recount their pasts, the film traces the lives of ten women, bringing together family relationships, difficulties at work and personal choices.
The film combines multiple stories and was made jointly by nine directors at the Mingxing Film Company, including Zheng Zhengqiu and Chen Kengran. Its screenwriters include Xia Yan, Zheng Zhengqiu, Hong Shen, A Ying, Zheng Boqi and Shen Xiling.
As an early Chinese sound film, The Classic for Girls explores how sound can contribute to storytelling. Songs and voice-over interact with the images, connecting the characters’ recollections and the film’s different episodes.