The Young Mistress Fan

Lady Windermeres Fan Oscar Wildes play on moral values is adapted for a setting in Shanghai Young wife Meilin mistakenly believes her husband is having an affair with a social butterfly and decides to leave for a suitor Her reputation about to be ruined because of a misplaced fan is saved by the social butterfly who turns out to be Unlike typical Chinese scripts on parental love the understated familial love in the original play is aligned with Lis preference for the undramatic Motherly love is portrayed indirectly while emotions run strong yet subdued in the film Poking fun at social culture of the times this is Lis earliest extant feature film in a modern setting and a showcase of his modernistic and crisp directorial approach