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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 601

Laborer's Love

192222 minChina
ComedyRomance

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.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Chinese.
This copy runs
22:09
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Chinese. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Zhang Shichuan · Public domain

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 works

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 11, 2026.

Photograph credit

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

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