Between Hong Kong and San Francisco: A Transnational Approach to Early Chinese Diasporic Cinema

In recent years the terms “Chinese-language film” or “Sinophone” are often used to refer to a pan-Chinese cinematic culture to reconcile the differences and conflicts in the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Chinese diaspora. Unlike the other three areas that are easily recognized by geo-political borders, Chinese diasporic cinema is of a more conceptual and de-territorialized nature and has been inadequately examined. As early as the mid-1930s, Chinese filmmakers had formed a cross-border, Pacific Rim network for cinematic and cultural exchanges among Chinese diasporic communities. Focusing on Esther Eng 伍錦霞 (1914–1970), a San Francisco-born Chinese female director who produced Cantonese-language films in both the US and Hong Kong from the mid-1930s to the late 1940s, this article revisits a piece of forgotten history of Chinese diasporic cinema. It argues that through Chinese diasporic films, particularly during the height of World War II patriotism, filmmakers like Esther Eng expressed their cultural belonging and fueled cultural intimacy between members of the Chinese diaspora. By observing the flows of talents, ideas, and resources within China and beyond, this article delves into the essence of diasporic film as a “contact zone” for Chinese descendants in and out of the country.