Back to the collection

OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 627

The Market of Beauty

193383 minChina

Synopsis

After her family suddenly loses its breadwinner, Li Cuifen takes a job in a department store. A transfer to the cosmetics counter exposes her to harassment from a supervisor, jealous colleagues and the attentions of a wealthy young man. She hopes her work will bring security, but finds that the exploitation of women's appearance is as pervasive in the store as the trading of goods.

Watch the film ↓

Video edition: YouTube
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Chinese.
This copy runs: 83:16
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

YouTube may apply your personal preferences. If needed, select your language under CC / Settings. YouTube controls playback availability, which may vary by region.

Cast

Hu Die

Wang Xianzhai

Gong Jianong

Hu Ping

DirectorsZhang Shichuan

Historical context

Hu Die stars in a film written by Xia Yan. The department store's windows and counters represent modern consumer life, but also the abuse of power faced by women seeking financial independence. The title's irony therefore extends beyond the sale of cosmetics.

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 · CNRS Wikimedia Commons · copyright reference China · Copyright Law, Article 23 US Copyright Office · foreign works Internet Archive · film copy Wikimedia 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.

Hu Die — Unknown photographer, 1930s; scan supplied in the 2009 Festival du Cinéma Chinois de Paris press dossier, via Wikimedia Commons. · Public domain — PD-China and PD-1996

Audience rating

Loading ratings…