17 Facts About Cai Chusheng

Cai Chusheng was a Chinese film director of the pre-Communist era, and was the first Chinese director to win an international film award at the Moscow International Film Festival.

Best known for his progressive output in the 1930s, Cai Chusheng was later severely persecuted and died during the Cultural Revolution.

Cai Chusheng's ashes are kept at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing.

Cai Chusheng only had four years of formal education, and was home-schooled after he had spoken up for his class about the misbehavior of a teacher.

Cai Chusheng initially worked in low-level positions in several small studios during the 1920s, before eventually joining Mingxing Film Company as a director's assistant to Zheng Zhengqiu, another Chaoyang-native.

Cai Chusheng later joined the Lianhua Film Company where he directed a handful of mainstream popular films including Spring in the South and Pink Dream.

Cai Chusheng was a pioneer in making films in local dialects, and the first to make movies in Cantonese.

When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, Cai Chusheng fled to Chongqing, China's wartime capital, where he joined the government-run Nationalist Central Film Studio.

Cai Chusheng was actively involved in promoting Chinese film industry and formed an organization to monitor the quality of movies and to recognize talented artists in the industry.

Cai Chusheng did make one major post-1949 film, Waves on the Southern Shore.

Cai Chusheng was forced to self-criticize and admit his mistakes in writing.

Cai Chusheng's ashes are now placed at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.

The house where Cai Chusheng spent his youth is a museum which is designated by the Chinese government as a certified historical attraction.

Cai Chusheng is honored from time to time at major events like the World Expo 2010 and film festivals.

In Stanley Kwan's 1991 biopic of Ruan Lingyu, Center Stage, Cai Chusheng is portrayed by Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka Fai.

Cai Chusheng condemned the press, which had sparked a ripple effect to raise awareness for responsible conduct in the media.

Cai Chusheng was very active in promoting the social status and literacy of women: when he had time available, he would teach classes to Chinese women to improve their literacy.