1956 Qingdao China

Fashu Jing (荆法书)
Born 1946
Qingdao, Shandong, China
Interviewed on February 7, 2026
by Michael Toben

What was the name of the first movie you ever saw?

The first time I saw a movie was in 1956, when I was ten years old. It was also my first time going from the countryside to the city. There was no electricity in the countryside; only the city had electricity, so it was simply impossible to have movies in the countryside. After I came to Qingdao, the first movie I saw was a mythological film, a Chinese myth.

What was it called? Was it just called “Myth”?

It was a mythological story film, like a fairy tale. It was a children’s film, since I was ten years old at the time.

Was it specifically a children’s film?

Yes, a children’s film. I wouldn’t have understood adult films anyway.

Back in 1956, there were many films, most of them about the Liberation War or the War of Resistance against Japan. Those were hard for me to understand at that time. But I remembered the mythological story film. It was called The Story of Qiu Weng Meeting an Immortal (秋翁遇仙记). You can still find it online. I searched for it myself. “Qiu” means autumn, and “Weng” means an old man.

Qiu Weng was an old man who loved growing flowers. He was kind, brave, and righteous. He cared deeply for his flowers, and the flowers cared for him too. One of the flowers was a Chinese peony. It transformed into a fairy, the Peony Fairy. Whenever he encountered bad people, the Peony Fairy would fight alongside him. The peony was moved by how much the old man loved and cared for flowers, and by his sense of justice.

They became very good friends. Whenever he was in trouble, the peony would transform into a fairy and come down to help him. It was very beautiful.

Who did you go with?

My classmates.

Where did you watch the movie?

At a movie theater. The theaters back then were pretty simple, but there were still a lot of people.

Did you walk there?

Yes, we walked. At that time there were very few cars, and even bicycles were rare.

Do you remember the name of the theater?

It was in Cangkou (沧口),  a neighbourhood in the Licang District [of Qingdao, Shandong, China], at a place called the Workers’ Club (工人俱乐部).

Was there someone who helped you find your seats?

Yes, the teacher.

Did the teacher take the whole class together?

Yes. The teacher led us in a line, and we went together. I was very young, only ten. After the movie ended, we went back to school.

Did they sell snacks or drinks? Did you have any favorite candy or snacks?

No, none at all. They didn’t sell snacks.

How long was the movie?

About one hour and twenty minutes.

What was the first foreign movie you saw?

Let me think. At that time, there were no foreign movies, only Chinese movies. Foreign movies came many years later. The first foreign movie I saw was when China had a close relationship with the Soviet Union. It was a Soviet story film called Lenin in 1918.

When did you watch it? After you started working?

Yes, much later. Very late. They were all black and white, no color. Those foreign films were imported.

Were they mostly war films?

Some were war films, but there were also story films. Since China and the Soviet Union had good relations, there were many Soviet films. There were also imported films from Europe and the Americas.

Japanese films came much later, around the early 1980s, after the Reform and Opening period. Around 1980 there were Japanese story films, like Sugata Sanshiro. When those were shown, the streets would be empty because everyone stayed home to watch. They were very well made. But in recent years, Japanese films have declined and are not as good.

Weren’t people opposed to Japan? Why still watch Japanese films?

At that time, there were also films from other socialist countries, like Albania and Cuba. There were films from Southeast Asia, Vietnam, and Korea too. Many of them were quite good.

Nowadays, you probably can’t find films like those anymore. Later on, many American films were imported as well. Some were mythological films, like King Kong. Yes, that was American. I don’t remember clearly, but some American films were quite good.

In recent years, there have been many more foreign films, including British and French films.

Note: This interview was conducted in Chinese and was translated to English. Fashu Jing is my girlfriend’s maternal grandfather.