A family of middle-class Chinese struggles to survive, following the ancient traditions governing daily life and human relations. The children enjoy traditional games and amusements and pay ritual respect to their elders, while their parents work to keep the family healthy and secure in war-ravaged Peiping. Photographed at the very moment Red armies were besieging the city, this film is an invaluable document of traditional Chinese life before it was destroyed by the Communists. Directed by William James (1964 IFF catalog). The story of the everyday life of a middle-class family in Peiping, China. Reference is made to the many walls in China that symbolize her isolation from the world outside and are now breaking down. The film moves behind the walls that shelter the home of Dr. Wu, a biologist, and his wife and seven children. We see the children at their games in the walled garden and their education at the hands of Mrs. Wu. The inflation has so affected the food budget that Dr. Wu feels it important to conserve his children’s energy by limiting their activity as much as possible, and classes are therefore held at home. The family relationships are shown, including the traditional Chinese reverence for age. (1950 NYU Film Library catalog)

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