Former Residence of Cai Chusheng

Former Residence of Cai Chusheng

The former residence of Cai Chusheng is a cultural tourism attraction and a patriotic education base.

Cai Chusheng (1906–1968) was from Jixing Village, Tongyang Town, Chaoyang District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province. He was a renowned Chinese film artist, hailed as the “pioneer of progressive Chinese cinema” and the “founder of realistic Chinese film.” After the liberation, he held positions such as Director of the Art Committee of the Film Bureau under the Ministry of Culture, Deputy Director of the Film Bureau, Chairman of the China Film Association, and Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He was also elected as a deputy to the First, Second, and Third National People’s Congresses.

The former residence of Cai Chusheng is located in Jixing Village, Tongyang Town, Chaoyang District, Shantou City, Guangdong Province, approximately 24 kilometers from the urban area of Chaoyang. It is a cultural relics protection unit of Shantou City, as well as a patriotic education base of both Shantou City and Chaoyang District for youth. The residence includes a “Four-Point Gold” traditional house, a “Cuobao” (attached wing), and an open front courtyard, all of which are traditional residential buildings from the early 20th century in the Chaoshan style. The residence covers an area of about 1,000 square meters, with a built-up area of 460 square meters.

Mr. Cai Chusheng was born on January 12, 1906, in Shanghai. At the age of 6, he returned with his elders to his hometown, Jixing Village in Chaoyang, where he attended a private school and did farm work. At the age of 12, he became an apprentice at a grocery store in Shantou and continued to study culture on his own. In 1925, influenced by the May Thirtieth Movement, the 19-year-old joined activities of the Shantou Shop Workers’ Union and organized the “Progressive White Drama Society.” In 1927, he left his war-torn hometown and went to Shanghai in pursuit of his longed-for dream of filmmaking. Later, with the help of renowned screenwriter and director Zheng Zhengqiu, among others, he stepped onto the stage of film creation. Mr. Cai Chusheng pursued a path of artistic creation rooted in realism and the nationalization of cinema. Most of the films he wrote and directed deeply revealed the social contradictions of modern China, denounced the corruption of society and the ruling class in old China, gave voice to the people, and called for the arrival of liberation and dawn. Throughout his life, he was involved in the creation of 27 films, directing 10 of them. His major representative works are Song of the Fishermen and The Spring River Flows East. Song of the Fishermen won the “Honorary Award” at the 1935 Moscow International Film Festival, marking the first time a Chinese film gained international acclaim. Mr. Cai Chusheng was once called “China’s most outstanding film director” by the world-famous film historian Georges Sadoul, and was listed as the only Chinese director among the world’s 200 greatest film artists. In December 1995, he was also awarded the “Chinese Film Century Award – Director Award,” established to commemorate the 100th anniversary of world cinema and the 90th anniversary of Chinese cinema.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema (1905) and the 100th birthday of Cai Chusheng (January 12, 1906), with the attention and support of the provincial and Shantou municipal Party committees, as well as the provincial and municipal propaganda and cultural departments, Chaoyang District renovated the former residence of Cai Chusheng and opened it to the public. Comrade Cai Dongshi, former Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, personally inscribed the plaque for the former residence. The Publicity Department of the Chaoyang District Committee, the District Culture Bureau, and the Tongyang Town Committee specially organized an exhibition at the residence titled “Cai Chusheng’s Artistic Life and Patriotic Sentiment,” showcasing his artistic journey and love for the country through detailed historical photos, materials, and concise texts. They also displayed a complete set of 1920s rural Chaoshan household items used by him during his lifetime, including his desk, washstand, wardrobe, and the Four Treasures of the Study. The door lintel bears calligraphy personally inscribed by the young Cai Chusheng, reading “Equality,” “Fraternity,” “Freedom,” and “Progress.” These elements educate visitors and enhance their sense of patriotism and love for their hometown.

Since its opening to the public on January 15, 2006, the former residence of Cai Chusheng has frequently been visited by Party and government leaders at all levels, friends from the literary and art circles, local dignitaries, villagers, and primary and secondary school students. To date, the total number of visitors has exceeded 100,000.