Zhang Shichuan (1888 ~1950)
张石川（1889?1954)
Zhang Shichuan's birth name was Zhang Weitong, and he was born on January 1 of 1890 in the city of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. When he was 16, his father died, and the boy was sent to Shanghai to live with his unde who found him a job in a textile factory. He could speak English fluently at 17 because of his brightness and diligence. In 1913, the Asia Film Company was established by American in Shanghai and he was employed as their adviser and company Chief Operation Officer.
张石川，原名张伟通，1890年1月1日生于浙江宁波，中国电影事业的开拓者，中国最早期导演之一。
In the same year he directed the first Chinese feature film The Couple in the Hard Times, cooperaed with Zheng Zhengqiu. In 1916 he set up his own Huanxian Film Company and made the famous film, Victims of Opium uncovering opium poison.
16岁时，张石川父亲病逝，被送往上海与舅舅生活，并在纺织厂找到一份工作。由于他聪明好学，17岁就学得一口流利英语。 1913年23岁时受聘于美国人在上海创办的亚细亚影戏公司，担任公司顾问并主持公司制片业务。
In March, 1922, Zhang Shichuan joined with Zheng Zhengqiu, Zhou Jianyun, Zheng Zhegu and Ren Jinping to establish their own film studio, which they called Star and he occupied the general manager and director, where he directed the first long Chinese feature film, Orphan Rescues Grandfather in 1923 which was a great success. In 1925 he finished Lonely Orchid, which was the representative work of China's early silent films. Star Film Company produced over 200 films within 16 years where he finished directing the first Chinese swordsmen film, The Burning of Red Lotus Temple (18 serials) in 1928, which made Chinese sowordsmen films popular.
同年，与郑正秋合作拍摄中国第一部故事片《难夫难妻》。1916年，张石川自己成立幻仙影片公司，并拍摄了揭露鸦片毒害的著名影片《黑籍冤魂》。

In 1930 the first Chinese sound film Singing Girl Red Peony was successfully made by him. In February, 1932, the Communist Party of China (CPC) was founded, selected him as one of the executive committee member. Influenced by the leftist movement of film in the anti-Japanese movement, he directed the progressive films, Cosmetics Market, The New Year's Gift (Ya Sui Qian) , etc. In 1937 Star Film Company was ruined in the flames of war, he joined Guohua film Company With part of his remainders and directed Li Sanniang, Three Charming Smiles, A
1922年3月，与郑正秋、周剑云、郑鹧 鸪和任矜苹等人在上海建立明星影片公司， 任总经理兼导演。1923年，他在明星公司拍摄中国第一部长故事片《孤儿救祖记》， 获得巨大成功。1925年完成中国早期无声电影（默片）的代表作《空谷兰》。明星影片公司在近16年时间里拍摄了 200多部影 片，1928年导演中国第一部武侠片《火烧红莲寺》，并连续拍了 18集，由此掀起了中国武侠片热。
Dancing-girl's Fate, The Night, etc. In 1942, he became the head of the sub-studio of the General Chinese Union Film Production Stock Company and took charge of a directive post. And later after 1946, he directed two films in the Hong Kong China Film Company and finally the Shanghai Datong Film Company which were, An All-consuming Love and Women in Trouble Times, etc.
1930年，导演中国第一部有声片《歌女红牡丹》。1932年2月，中国电影文化协会在上海成立，他被选为执行委员。抗日救亡运动中，受左翼电影运 动影响,拍摄了《脂粉市场》、《压岁钱》等进步影片。1937年明星影片公司总厂毁于战火。他带着残存的部分机械和物资加人国华影片公司，拍摄了《李三娘》、《三笑》、《花溅泪》、《夜深沉》等影片。1942年，出任中华联合制片股份公司分厂厂长兼导演制片部长，导演《燕归来》、《芳草碧血》、《英雄美人》等影片。1946年后，为香港大中华影业公司和上海大同影业公司导演了《长相思》、《乱世的女性》等影 片。
As one of the Chinese film pioneers and the outstanding one of China's 1st generation directors, Zhang Shichuan directed 156 feature films, including both the long and short ones. From 1913 when he began to work at films at the age of 23 to the year 1953, he devoted all his energy and efforts to Chinese films. As a film entrepreneur, he originated Star Film Company which had preformed quite a lot of feats then in the Chinese film history. It was also the one which ran the longest in those days and became one of the largest Chinese production companies during the 1920s and 1930s in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
作为中国电影的开拓者和中国第一代导演中的佼佼者，从1913年23岁开始从事电影事业至1953年去世张石川一生共导演长短故事片156部，为中国电影事业献出了毕生的精力。作为一个电影事业家，他创办的“明星影片公司”赫赫有名，占据了中国电影史上的重要篇章，是当时中国营业时间最长，也是上海、香港二十世纪二、三十年代最大的电影公司之一。
Emerging along with Dazhonghua Baihe( 1925), and Tianyi Film Company (1925), Star had became the leading film studio in China by the early 1930s, the Lianhua Film Company (founded in 1929,.the combination of Huabei Film, Ltd. of Luo Mingyou, Xinmin Film Company of Li Minwei, Dazhonghua Baihe of Wu Xingzai and Shanghai Shadow Play Company of Duyu) as a close second.
虽然与大中华百合（1925）和天一影片公司（1925）同时起步，但明星影片公司成为二十世纪三十年代早期中国电影业最早出现的“霸主”，联华影业公司（1929），罗明佑的华北电影有限公司、黎民伟的民新影片公司、吴性栽的大中华百合影片公司、杜宇的上海影戏公司等电影机构合并而成）屈尊第二。
He also started the famous film magazine Monthly to strengthen film propaganda and opened the earliest Chinese film artistic training class, exerting himself to train and find the new. Zhang Shichuan was, therefore, genuinely the first director artist and the first film entrepreneur in Chinese film History.
他还创办了著名影刊《明星月刊》以加强电影宣传，开办了中国最早的电影演 艺训练班，着力培养和发现新人。因此，张石川在中国电影史上是名副其实的第一个导演艺术家和第一个电影企业家。