China’s first sound film was produced on wax discs.
The Star Company decided to make a sound film, but due to technical limitations, with the assistance of the French EMI record company, the wax plate sound film "The Songbird Red Peony" was completed.
This epoch-making film in the history of Chinese films was written by Hong Shen, directed by Zhang Shichuan, photographed by Dong Keyi, and starred by Hu Die, Wang Jiting and Gong Jianong.
The production of "Song Girl Red Peony" was completed in January 1931 and was released at the Shanghai Shin Kong Grand Theater on March 15. The film uses Mandarin dialogues and is interspersed with four Peking Opera clips, making it a sensation. Nanyang film producers purchased the rights to screen the film in the Philippines and Indonesia at a price that was more than ten times higher than that of silent films, making the movie star's body (voice) worth a hundred times as much.