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Synopsis
A singer and a young musician find affection among the crowded rooms and precarious jobs of Shanghai. Their neighbours form an improvised community, but poverty leaves the women vulnerable to people with money and influence. Playful courtship gradually gives way to a struggle to keep that community together.
Cast
DirectorsYuan Muzhi
Behind the scenes
Yuan Muzhi makes songs, street noise and visual comedy central to his portrait of working people. Zhou Xuan’s performances connect popular music to the emotional life of characters who rarely control the conditions in which they work.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
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Availability checked on September 11, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Zhou Xuan — Unknown photographer, 1940; China.org.cn, via Wikimedia Commons. · Public domain — PD-China and PD-1996
