A Study Of Mobile Film Screening In Shaanxi Region (1910-1937)

The earliest recorded film projection activity in Shaanxi province was in 1910.Compared to other cities such as Shanghai,film projection activities first appeared later in Shaanxi,and for more than two decades,before the emergence of fixed cinemas,film projection was mostly conducted in the form of "mobile" cinemas in Shaanxi.This chapter looks back at the development of mobile film projection in Shaanxi during the Republic of China(1910-1937),from small to large,from Xi’an to the entire Shaanxi province,and explores the trajectory of early mobile film projection,from the early years of the Republic of China to the 1930 s when it became a large-scale development.Through the form of "mobile projection",we examine the projection space and target audience as well as the projection and dissemination strategies,trying to explore the regional specificity and complexity of mobile film projection in Shaanxi during the Republican period,and how film,as a public cultural product medium,interacted with public space in the form of mobile projection,differing from other forms of art but influencing urbanization.The above vision is mainly based on a problem-oriented approach.This paper is divided into four parts,mainly in the form of problem-oriented discussion.The first part presents a general historical picture of film projection in Shaanxi,with a particular change of administrative divisions in Shaanxi Province in the context of the early Republic of China,and defines the "urban" Xi’an and other "rural" areas.The second part focuses on the mobile projection channels,i.e.,the dissemination methods,firstly,we explore the scattered mobile projection before the 1930 s,and analyze its gradual transition to the1930 s,which mainly shows the interweaving of government-run film projection and socially organized projection activities,on the one hand,from a certain degree of fixed projection organizations,such as youth associations,civil education centers,and traveling teaching groups,to mobile projection activities.On the other hand,it unfolds from government-run film projection activities,such as itinerant teaching missions and popular education halls.The third part examines the screening mechanism of mobile films,including screening strategies,spatial patterns,and screening contents and audiences.The fourth part addresses the communication impact of mobile screening,exploring the impact of film screening as a cultural practice that interacts and grinds in line with local accommodation and social reality,its impact on public cultural life,its participation in the transformation of Xi’an’s urban spatial function,and the power relations beyond screening to analyze its expression in political discourse.