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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 601

Laborer's Love

192222 minChina
ComedyRomance
Video edition
YouTube
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Chinese.
This copy runs
22:09
Subtitles
Subtitles embedded in the picture

Languages and subtitles

Subtitles embedded in the picture

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Synopsis

A fruit seller falls for the daughter of the doctor across the street. Her father wants a son-in-law who can help his struggling practice, so the resourceful suitor puts his carpentry skills to an unexpected use. A staircase, a noisy gambling club and a succession of physical gags turn courtship into a mischievous business proposition.

Cast

DirectorsZhang Shichuan

Historical context

The earliest known complete surviving Chinese film offers a rare view of the Mingxing studio at its beginnings. Its Chinese and English intertitles show that Shanghai filmmakers were already addressing audiences beyond a single language.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Virtual Shanghai · CNRSWikipediaChinese Film ClassicsWikimedia Commons · copyright referenceChina · Copyright Law, Article 23US Copyright Office · foreign worksWikimedia Commons · film copy

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.

Availability checked on September 11, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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