In the rich tapestry of Chinese cinema, the film ‘A Spring River Flows East’ stands out as a monumental classic. Directed by Cai Chusheng, this tragic movie captures the complex social realities spanning nearly a decade, focusing on the struggles of a single family during the years before and after the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
What many may not know is that this influential film was the first Chinese feature shot with a domestically developed camera. The 35mm electric sound camera, aptly named ‘Venus’, marked a significant turning point in China’s cinematic history.
Between 1946 and 1947, the Shanghai Venus Film Equipment Factory successfully trial-produced the ‘Venus’ camera, based on the prototype of an American model. This achievement broke the long-standing foreign monopoly and dependency on imported photographic equipment in China.
The birth of the ‘Venus’ camera not only empowered Chinese filmmakers with indigenous technology but also paved the way for independent research and development in the nation’s film industry. It symbolized a new era where China could tell its own stories through lenses crafted on its own soil.
Today, the original ‘Venus’ camera is proudly displayed at the China National Film Museum in Beijing, serving as a testament to the innovation and determination that propelled China’s path to technological independence in filmmaking.
