Abstract：This study analyzes the literary geography of Huallywood film scripts from 1913 to 1949. Specifically, by tracing and organizing where the scriptwriters were from, where they worked, the places they wrote about, and where their films were shown, this study delves into the profound relationship between Huallywood film scriptwriters, their works, and different regions of China. Regarding research innovation, previous studies have mostly relied on historical analysis, drama, or literary theory, so as to recreate the scriptwriting activities in Chinese film history. Existing studies often focus on specific historical periods or the life stories of individual screenwriters. Research on the migration of film professionals, including actors, directors, producers, and screenwriters, tends to emphasize cultural and political reasons for migration, with little attention to the literary geography of scriptwriting. It’s important to note that, the study of screenplay literature cannot be separated from specific scriptwriting settings, which exist within a dynamic and intersecting structure of time and space. Therefore, this study attempts to conduct a literary geography analysis of Huallywood film scripts by connecting individual screenwriters and independent scriptwriting settings, recreating a multidimensional time-space sequence of Huallywood film scripts. All these efforts intend to demonstrate an innovative research perspective.
The findings indicate that the development of Huallywood film scripts from 1913 to 1949 went through four historical stages: the foundation period of Huallywood film development (1913-1931), the establishment of left-wing cinema (1932-1937), the wartime cinema during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945), and the film creation period before the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1945-1949). The characteristics of these scripts witnessed a gradual shift, from criticizing reality, advocating for enlighten by education, and promoting progressive ideas to showcasing class conflicts and calling for counter-Japanese and anti-imperialist efforts. During this time, there existed two major waves of strategic migration. The first wave saw scriptwriters, including literati, writers, and dramatists from the Wu-Yue (including present-day Zhejiang, Shanghai, along with the southern portion of Jiangsu Province)/Jiangnan regions (areas south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River), moving to Shanghai. The second wave occurred after the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, where the Shanghai-based scriptwriters chose to leave Shanghai, moving north, west, or south.
The changes in film scriptwriting exerted a great impact on how different regions were portrayed in movies. By the late 1930s, there was a clear shift in the regional focus of film scripts, moving away from the Jiangnan area before 1937 to a broader representation of China. More importantly, this shift brought about new scriptwriting ideas. In terms of literary geography, this represented a restructuring of scriptwriting by external geographical factors, which gave rise to the creation of many new scriptwriting schools and gave Huallywood film scripts more room to grow and spread. In addition, it also made films more relatable to ordinary people. Besides, the movements of “entering Shanghai” and “leaving Shanghai” not only reflected the geographical relocation of scriptwriters but also influenced the regional narratives in the film scripts. Consequently, Shanghai’s status in Huallywood film scriptwriting transitioned from being the main center to a relatively marginal position.
