In some of the less prosperous cinemas in China, I hear, pictures ten to fifteen years old are still being exhibited, and it is no uncommon sight to see rustics on a visit to Shanghai look with incredulity from the film to the projecting room on seeing their first picture.
Indeed, the surprise occasioned among the more ignorant members of some audiences often gives rise to heated arguments whether the figures on the screen are real or not.
In cinemas frequented by the poorer classes the appearance of the hero at a critical moment or the defeat of the villain after a fight is greeted with thunderous clapping and cheers, while the activities of an unpopular character often evoke boos and catcalls. I seem to remember something similar in the days of my youth.
However, the Chinese are rapidly becoming "movieminded," and it is only a matter of time before the films spread to the far corners of the Republic, providing, as usual, entertainment for the masses and wealth for the fortunate few.
The Irish Times, March 31st, 1931