Sixty-one years after being labelled 'reactionary propaganda' by Mao Zedong , 'the first banned film of New China' went back on the market in DVD format on March 15.
Directed by Sun Yu and produced by Kunlun Film Studio in 1950, The Life of Wu Xun is based on the true story of a beggar who spent decades collecting, lending and saving money until he was eventually able to found three free schools for poor children in Shandong province.
The six-decade delay in the re-release of the 197-minute black-and-white classic has triggered online curiosity and sparked widespread discussion about its implications, giving momentum to a critical re-evaluation of Mao's purging of intellectuals to establish his absolute authority over Chinese culture and thinking.
Dai Qingfang, manager of audio-visual products at Guangdong Senses Culture Communication, said it had released the two-disc DVD to meet demand from customers and film collectors, usually in their 40s or 50s.
'We only produced about 500 [copies] at the request of our long-term customers,' she said. 'We weren't expecting so much attention.'
Dai said she had never expected the 99 yuan (HK$122) DVD to sell out on some websites or to receive hundreds of reviews on Douban.com, a social network site for sharing information on movies, music and books.