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