Introduction
Spanning decades, Shaw Brothers Studio is a massive Chinese film production company. A prolific studio that came to dominate Chinese media. Its roots reach back to the 1920s. With its founders, The Shaw Brothers, persevering through two simultaneous wars. To this day, Shaw Brothers Studio is richly influential in Chinese and international cinema.
Born to wealthy textile merchant Shaw Yuh Hsuen (1866–1921) and Wang Shun Xiang (1871–1939), the four brothers would endeavor to revolutionize the Chinese film industry. They include the eldest of ten, Runje. Followed by Runde, Runme, and finally Run Run. Using shrewd business practices along the way, their empire would grow, peaking in the 1970’s. This was despite fierce competition and the devastating Japanese invasion of World War II.
Runje Takes The Lead
The first incarnation of their cinematic legacy was founded by Runje Shaw. He created the Tianyi Film Company in 1925 in Shanghai. Runje employed his brothers, Runme and Runde, assigning them to administrative duties. Run Run was said to work as a screenwriter as well as a cinematographer. As a result, he would later surpass all his brothers as the heart and soul of Shaw Brothers Co.
Runje directed the studio’s first film, A Change of Heart. This would bring quick success and profits. At the time, films were still silent. The Jazz Singer was released in 1927, two years after the company was formed. Hence, Runje didn’t hesitate to jump on this technology. He collaborated with several American companies.
Tianyi Film Company was the first production company to bring sound-on-film talkies to China, spurring its competitors to do the same. The film A Singer’s Story was released in 1931. This after considerable investment importing of American sound equipment, and a year of production.
A Break From Politics
Runje’s studio didn’t make political films. As a result, this added to their popularity with audiences. He stuck to genre films that incorporated literary myths and swordplay. Tianyi Film Company is purported to have produced the first martial arts film in 1925. The film was called Swordswoman Li Feifei, and directed by Runje. This made his films wildly popular.
Also, it inspired competing studios to adopt genre storylines. Consequently, the result was a rich legacy of fantasy and swordplay films in Chinese culture. Further, it also reduced the opportunity for censorship. This was a problem faced by other studios. Runje’s purposeful focus on folklore and political neutrality prevented his films from being banned.
In Love With An Actress
In a cliché movie industry “romance”, Runje married an actress from his studio, Chen Yumei. She was a popular actress but fell in second place to actress Hu Die, also known as Butterfly Wu. This was proven when in 1933, The Star Daily held its first movie star poll for “Movie Queen”. Die won by a landslide.
The following year, it was rumored that Renje had purchased enough newspapers to rig the vote. Yumei did indeed win. Subsequently, they were married shortly after she was named the most popular movie starlet in China. The actress retired almost immediately after her marriage and resulting victory.
Clever Business Maneuvers
Staying ahead of the competition was crucial in the early years of business. Mingxing Film Company and Dazhonghua Baihe Film Company were heavy contenders. However, Hollywood distributors were also in the mix. They took an impressive slice of business with exclusive contracts and high-demand commodities.
Charlie Chaplin films were all the rage. Chinese film distributors paid dearly to screen them. American distribution accounted for 41% of the market until 1941. Runje considered this a challenge. Hence, he employed his brothers in a strategic move. While Runje maintained his central studio in Shanghai, he led his three brothers, Runde, Runme, and Run Run to open branches in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Singapore and the general Southeast Asian area were assigned to Runme and Run Run. The Hong Kong branch was under the supervision of Runde. This allowed his family to tap into the underdeveloped Southeast Asian market and diversify resources.
The Destruction Of Tianyi
This move saved the legacy of Tianyi Film Company in another way. In 1937, with a pending invasion from Japan, Runje wisely relocated the studio and equipment to the Hong Kong offices. Shortly thereafter, the Japanese destroyed the Shanghai studios as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War invasion. This was the official end of Tianyi Film Company and of Runje’s work in the film industry. He retired from the film industry after the Second World War.
Meanwhile In Southeast Asia
Runme and Run Run successfully established a strong business venture in Singapore and Southeast Asia. This was known as the Shaw Organization. It branched away from filming and focused on distribution. This form of revenue diversification during the Great Depression included theaters and amusement parks. Further, the Shaw Organization is credited with the first air-conditioned theaters in the region. In total, they opened 139 theaters and two amusement parks.
Sadly, the Japanese also invaded Southeast Asia. Run Run was rumored to have gone into hiding. Many of the company’s properties were damaged or destroyed. Run Run himself claims he buried over $4 million in money and gold. This was to avoid confiscation by the Japanese. It’s said he dug these riches up after the war, so he could continue business operations. Runme, in the meantime, was captured. He was employed to make Japanese propaganda films until after the war.
Post-War Renaissance
Two major forms of competition began to challenge the family businesses as the war subsided. New Chinese film studios began to spring up, and the demand for Hollywood films continued to dominate. Films like Gone With the Wind (1939) and Arabian Nights (1942), now older releases, still drew ticket sales in the mid-1940s. Change was needed to keep up with the new competition.
Runde Shaw took over Runje’s responsibilities in 1946 in the Hong Kong offices. The company was renamed Nanyang. It recovered quickly under Runde’s leadership and collaboration with other studios. By 1947 China reclaimed their own box offices from Hollywood. Nanyang became Shaw and Sons in 1952, making films for the Shaw Organization to screen in their theaters in Southeast Asia. As a result, this move allowed total control of their films within this market. This also kept the Americans from bogarting releases in the area.
Shaw Brothers Limited Is Born
Run Run moved his offices to Hong Kong in 1957. He subsequently created Shaw Brothers Limited. Runde was mostly interested in distribution. He left the filmmaking aspect of the business to his younger brother. Runde continued to work in the distribution and theater management branches until his retirement.
Run Run took a firm hold of the family business. He once again changed the name, this time to Shaw Brothers Ltd. Also, in a brilliant move, he bought a plot of land in Clearwater Bay and built Shaw Studios, also known as Movietown. The state-of-the-art studio spanned over forty-six acres. In addition, it was capable of producing up to forty movies per year. This was the largest privately owned studio at the time.
The Golden Age Of Chinese Cinema
During the 1960s and into the 1970s, some of the studio’s most iconic films were made. In 1962, the studio produced The Magnificent Concubine. This would win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. More generally popular films of this era include The One-Armed Swordsman (1967), The Mighty Peking Man (1977), and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978). The Shaw Studios made movies quickly, producing dozens of films per year. The studio is particularly known for popularizing Kung Fu action films.
Bruce Lee And The Pivot to Television
The Shaw Brothers Ltd remained the most influential Chinese studio until the 1980s. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Shaw Brothers Ltd began to feel intense competition. They turned down Bruce Lee as a potential star in 1970. A competing studio, Golden Harvest, was quick to snatch the rising talent into their ranks. Together they would make cinematic history. With this one move, the Shaw Brothers began to lose their position as the top dog in Chinese film production.
Run Run turned his attention to his other company, Television Broadcasts Limited. When the chairman passed away in 1980, Run Run ascended into the position. A large portion of The Shaw Brothers Studio was dedicated to television production. Incredible success was gained in this venture, eventually cornering 80% of the Hong Kong television market.
The Modern Shaw Studios
In 2000, Shaw Studios once again moved its headquarters to a new location. Tseun Kwan O was a major upgrade in comparison to the studio’s old facilities. The company continues to this day, making film and television productions. Run Run was the last of his siblings to pass away in 2014. At the incredible age of 106.
While the Shaw Brothers are most known for their films, it’s also of note that together, they donated billions to philanthropy. Despite immense challenges, the Shaw brothers offer us an amazing history of fantastic business management as well as charity, and some of the best Kung Fu films ever to grace the silver screen.
