The sun., 1916-08-27

TUT quite years 3 there
N was hardly q motion picture
playhouse In all China with
It's $50, 900. 900 souls. To-day there are
more than 100 such theatres in the in
terror cities and in the treaty ports.
This Is only a handful as compared
with movies in the United States and
ether countries. but the growth. small
q It may seem. represents . really
remarkable development when one
considers the slow growth Of modern
civilization in the Far East.
The man who 10 responsible. moro
than any one ellie. for the introduce.
ton Of tho cinema in China 10 Benja.
min Brodsky: . Jew by descent. . Chi.
naman by habit and education. ana an
American hustler by choice. Behind
the statement that there are only 100
movie houses In all the vast territory
Of China, however. there lies . story
Of more than ordinary interest
Mr. Brodsky. who at one time had
almost . monopoly Of the motion pic.
ture business In China. originally con.
eelved the idea Of importing American
made Aims for the e~diication and
AMUSEMENT OF the natives. He VA
the Eastern representative Of a Aim
manufacturing company In San Fran.
cisco, through which he obtaned the
Far Eastern rights to operate. not only
In China, but In japan and the Phil.
ppine Islands.
But it didn't work. says Mr.. Brod-
SKY. The average Chinaman would
have nothing to do with American
aims. All tho best features in the
world could not tempt the native to
the movies for a single evening. They
dcnt understand the American story
and BESIDES that they were what might
~ called camera shy" That 10 they
oont know what q motion picture was
ana they were afraid OF It.
How was the difficulty to b over.
come? 1t took several years to do II.
instead OF importing American made
INNS Mr.. Brodsky got his own ma
c"'hes n began to take motion pic.
lures OF scenes In interior China.
.hese pictures were what II known
N our movie houses as topical re.
Jews Still the native was afraid.
M. Brodsky set up q rNmshackle the
sIe IN n OF the interior towns and
"ied 10 get the Chinese to come to see
MS pictures. They refused point blank.
ahen he hit on a plan to pay his audi.
.hce to his theatre. He announced
.nal all those who would be willing to
sN through an evenings performance
"V.Ia De paid SO much money In coin
o. the realm.
me nrst time this happened q hand
"' OF the more courageous Of the
Immunity. dazzled perhaps by the
thought OF the money, threw super.
su''oh 70 he winds and came to see
we snow, They got their money
saa went home more than salts.
Aeo' They spread the news Of the
"o.'es among their neighbors and the
~ night a somewhat larger crowd
ea,hered. These were also paid.
~ was necessary to keep this pro.
seuu'e In force for weeks. Then
""ai'y one evening Mr.. Brodsky got
pretty eood sized audience to see the
entertainment for nothing. He did not
pay mem cash. This kept on for some
une and at last some OF those China
me" VINO had originally been "bribed"
"a,tehd the show. feeling conscience
saNk'n at having accepted the money
inc privilege Of having an I'M
sYI"'ed good time. came to the theatre
~ pfoNered the money they had re-
u'Neu before In payment Of an ad.
mission fee.
otter 'hat the way became a little
s"s.'I' although the path Of the motion
r'u'e manufacturers was beset with
.n'ny troubles. In the end. however,
w''e was set up a regular standard
"''h"asion which varied from q
wv cents " "ir money to what would
.noInt to s.ho, This latter amount
'" PAID only by the wealthy or
".S''cratic class.
me original experiment proying 40
'''S'Hi Mr., Brodsky undertook to
N"hl" OF the natives interested in
"'""ine to manufacture pictures
M'oush tho formation Of a company.
-" treaty ports Of Hongkong and
.nahS'.al the movies had obtained
n"'ase mostly through the foreign
sp''"Von hut there WAS still a big
,..' u ms immense nation for spread
-, 'h' Industry elsewhere.
N"oD' three years ago there was
It"''I"' the China Cinema Company.
J. was operated by Mr.. Brodsky
N general manager and q consulting