In China, there are film enthusiasts and then there is Cui Yongyuan. Instantly recognisable to almost anyone with a television set in the Middle Kingdom, the CCTV presenter has spent the majority of his life – and a large part of his fortune – collecting some of the most amazing Chinese movie memorabilia on show anywhere in China. Forget the gargantuan China National Film Museum out by Caochangdi; if you really want to see posters, film reels, directors’ chairs and props from some of the most important eras for celluloid in China, you have to take a tour of his Film Legend Museum in Huairou.
Dispensing with a chronological approach, the items on show in this medium-sized attraction located in the depths of a residential compound appear to be laid out autobiographically. Upon entering, you see a series of calligraphic scripts that betray the immense guanxi that Cui holds in the film community. From legendary Chinese directors to good friends in the industry, all have donated generously to a man who has brought together what most would have considered long lost or forgotten from the country’s movie history between the 1920s and 1970s.
Giving the utmost respect to the Shanghai movie starlets of the ’30s, the first main room contains gems such as original shooting scripts, set photos and even an ink pen belonging to tragic star Zhou Xuan. For those seeking a personal connection to these often poorly remembered, classic films, seeing the objects that furnished the day-to-day lives of these greats is quite incredible.
Many are things that excited Cui as a child. ‘I used to have a dream where I had a shoe box full of cinema tickets and I could go as often as I liked,’ Cui explains as he gives Time Out a personal tour of his pride and joy. ‘Now I’m grown up and I have managed to realise my dream,’ he grins as he shows sheet upon sheet of vintage cinema tickets.
‘Passion’ seems like too tame a word as he points out an obscure 1920s poster for one of the only films to have been made in Harbin during this period. But it’s not just movie history that is illuminated during the tour. We move upstairs and Cui’s interest in the broader culture of film viewing becomes apparent as he points out a framed document and explains that it is a stamped fapiao from a village during the Cultural Revolution. For the price of 30RMB, it allowed the villagers to have a limited number of films screened each year.
Things take a turn for the morbid when Cui happily points out a table and chair set that once belonged to a little-known director from the 1950s. ‘This is the actual chair the director died in,’ he beams. With such a cornucopia of hard-to-find objects, just how did he track them all down? ‘I have a lot of friends,’ he explains. ‘And, during my research and interviews with directors, they have often given me presents, and I am really thankful for that.’
The most impressive thing about the museum is that the displays only represent the tip of the iceberg. Beyond the initial two storeys lies a storage facility with thousands of props, artefacts and posters that Cui just doesn’t have room to display. Furthermore, CCTV’s biggest film fan is also determined to retain an oral history of Chinese cinema. For years, he has been logging hundreds of thousands of interviews with directors, stars, cinematographers and anyone else you can think of who has had an impact on Chinese cinema. These interviews, most of which have never been broadcast, have all been saved digitally and transcribed to provide a database unlike any other in the world. As his team of workers continues to digitise and categorise all Cui’s hard work, he hopes that someday it will be available as a resource for students and inquisitive film fans alike.
Without question, the location of this treasure trove will make the tentative enthusiast wonder if it is worth the trip. However, at the end of our tour, as we sit down in Cui’s personal screening room at the museum’s centre, and he tells us about his collection of prints which number well into the thousands, we are glad we came. If you consider yourself a fan of Chinese movies, there is nothing more that Time Out can do but to implore you to make your way out to one of the most rewarding sites in Beijing.
Film Legend Museum Bamboo building, Legacy New Town, 422 Miaocheng Town, Huairou district (8855 1998). Groups are limited to 20 people but entrance is free. Open 2-5pm daily. Reservation required. 电影传奇馆, 怀柔庙城镇422号龙山新新小镇竹楼