Abstract

This talk focuses on the newly discovered 1905 military film The Grand Autumn Maneuvers of the Beiyang New Army—commissioned by the Qing court and screened before imperial, governmental, and military audiences—as the earliest documented film ever made in China. Produced in October 1905 by the Beiyang Army’s official apparatus and exhibited across court, official, and military venues in Beijing and beyond, the film generated notable domestic and international attention through its transmedial dissemination. Drawing on newly unearthed archival sources, this talk repositions Dianying Qiucao at the origin point of Chinese cinema, revealing a forgotten media frontier where Guangxu-era Chinese military modernization, visual technology, and state images converged.

Speaker Bio

Nicolas Lin Li is a Harvard FAS CAMLab Visiting Student and Ph.D. candidate in Art Theory and Art History, Peking University. His research interests include Chinese film history, media theory, screen studies, and AI and digital humanities.

Event Information

• Free and open to the public
• May 9th (Friday)
• 12:00 – 13:30 PM ET
• CAMLab Cave, Lower Level 485 Broadway, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138

Please note

Advanced RSVP required.
The event will be conducted in Chinese.