129 years ago today, August 1, 1896 (June 22, 1896 in the lunar calendar), China showed a film for the first time. On December 28, 1895, the film was released in France, an important town of modern capitalist civilization. The next year, this latest Western technological achievement was introduced to China. According to "Shen Bao" records, on August 11, 1986 (the 22nd year of Guangxu), a French tourist screened a short film at the teahouse "You Yi Village" in Xuyuan, Shanghai. This was the first time the film was screened in China. As in foreign screenings, the film was screened interspersed with entertainment programs such as "tricks" and "fireworks"; the screening location also bears some similarities to the world's first film screening-in a cafe in Paris. 1897-1898 In 1999, several businessmen from the United States, Russia, Italy and Portugal successively screened commercial films at Tianhua Tea Garden, Qiyuan, Tongqing Tea Garden, Shengping Tea House, and Running Ice Rink, making films gradually popular in this eastern metropolis. A few years later, the movie finally reached the imperial city of Beijing. In 1902, a foreigner began to rent "Fushou Hall" at the Qianmen Polishing Factory to show films, allowing people at the foot of Huangchenggen to also appreciate the style of films. The original name of the film in China was called "Activity Shadow Drama" or "Electric Shadow Drama." The films screened in China at that time also came from abroad, and the content was all documentary short films and funny short films, such as "The Russian Emperor's Tour of Paris","Madrid Markets","The Spaniards Dance","Sword Bet Win","Black People Eat Watermelon", etc. A report in Shanghai's Game News at the time described these early films as follows: "... In the United States, electric light movie dramas are made with the same shadow lights, but the wonderful illusions are all beyond our expectations... After the guests have gathered, the lights are stopped and the performance begins; in a flash, a shadow appears, and two Western women dance in a dancing posture, with fluffy yellow hair and a naive look. In another shadow, two Westerners played a corner play. Another picture of two Russian princesses dancing together... At this point, the audience almost suspected that they would enter it, their eyebrows were flying and their colors were dancing. Suddenly, the light lit up and everything went out." China showed their own movies in Beijing in 1903. China businessman Lin Zhusan returned home from Europe and the United States, took a projector and films to show films at the Lotte Tea Garden of the Polishing Factory. This was the beginning of the screening of films by China from abroad. Since then, films have been screened one after another at the Dazhalan Daganlou Theater outside Qianmen in Beijing, the Civilized Tea Garden in Xidan Market, the Jixiang Theater in Dong 'an Market, and the Harmony Theater in Xicheng Xinfeng Market. Since then, the film has also been introduced to the royal palace. According to reports, in 1904, on the occasion of the 70th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi, the British Minister to China presented a projector and several film sets to show films for Cixi. But after only three books were released, the generator failed, causing an explosion. Cixi believed that this was an ominous sign and banned movies in the palace. The following year, Minister Duan Fang came back from abroad and stole a projector back and screened it during a banquet for Zaize. As a result, the projector exploded again halfway, killing the interpreter and others at the scene. "Court cinema" ended here. Around 1905, movies became popular in Beijing. At that time, the Daguanlou Theater had movies showing every night and was packed. At this point, it can be said that film, an art and entertainment form, has finally settled in China.