Sanmao Wanders on to the Silver Screen: Vagrant Children and the Social Reconstruction of Shanghai

On the eve of the liberation of Shanghai, Kunlun Films adapted Chang Le-p’ing’s comic book, The Wanderings of Sanmao into a movie entitled An Orphan on the Streets, to raise awareness for the issue of street children. Actor Wang Lung-chi’s onscreen interpretation of the character of Sanmao, along with the Sanmao manga serialized in newspapers and the Sanmao Art Show organized by the China Social Welfare Foundation, began to doodle an outline of postwar relief for underprivileged children in Shanghai. Discussions in the literary and art spheres revolved around helping to sketch in the missing details of what the film leaves out, such as details of where Sanmao came from and where he was going. Along with the rudimentary artistic style used to bring Sanmao to life, this put the final flourishes on the detailed portrait of the political climate of Shanghai before and after liberation.

Keywords: Shanghai Underprivileged Child Relief Children’s Films ; The Wanderings of Sanmao ; The War of Liberation ; Wang Lung-chi