After World War II, Hong Kong was not only the production base for motion pictures in Cantonese and Mandarin, it also experienced a boom of Amoy- and Chaozhou-dialect film-making. In 1955, Fanny Ha founded the Tuojiang Film Company, ushering in a new trend with Hong Kong's first ever Chaozhou-dialect film, The Story of Wang Jinlong. Its success became the driving force for many film workers who ventured into the business one after another.

Later in the 1960s, Chaozhou-dialect features burst onto the scene in the form of opera films, amounting to as many as 160 titles in just a matter of years. Films shot in this dialect were primarily targeted for Chaozhouese populations in Southeast Asian regions such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, whereas Hong Kong also constituted a considerable market. In recent years, however, this page of Hong Kong film history has gradually faded into oblivion.

Further to The Amoy-dialect Films of Hong Kong published in 2012, this volume carries essays by film scholars and aficionados who explore the sociopolitical factors behind the rise of Chaozhou cinema and its subsequent development. There are also discourses on the artistic character of this dialect cinema, and on its links with traditional theatre. The oral history section features interviews with some movers and shakers in the industry, namely Xia Fan, the pioneer of Chaozhou film, famed actors Chen Chuhui, Cheung Ying-yin, Chen Wenchang, Chen Lili, together with director Law Chi. Also included are a filmography of Hong Kong-made Chaozhou-dialect productions compiled from a wealth of literature and audiovisual materials, as well as profiles of major filmmakers.

276 pages in total. Published in September 2013. Priced at HK$180. (Edited by May Ng)

ISBN 978-962-8050-66-6

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