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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 627

The Market of Beauty

193383 minChina
Drama

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.

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Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: Chinese.
This copy runs
82:48
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

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 · CNRSWikimedia Commons · copyright referenceChina · Copyright Law, Article 23US Copyright Office · foreign worksInternet Archive · film copy

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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