{{short description|Chinese actor and producer}} {{family name hatnote|Lai|lang=Chinese}} {{Infobox person | name = Lai Pak-hoi | native_name = 黎北海 | native_name_lang = zh | birth_date = {{Birth date text|1889}} | death_date = {{Death year and age|1950|1889}} | years_active = 1909—1935 }} '''Lai Pak-hoi''' or '''Li Beihai''' ({{lang-zh|c=黎北海}}) (1889–1950) <ref name="ECF">{{Cite book | last1 = Zhang | first1 = Yingjin | last2 = Xiao | first2 = Zhiwei | title = Encyclopedia of Chinese Film | publisher = Taylor & Francis | year = 1998 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0000zhan/page/48 48] | url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0000zhan/page/48 | isbn = 978-0-415-15168-9 }}</ref> was a Chinese actor and producer based in Hong Kong, and an early pioneer of the Hong Kong film industry.
==Biography== Lai began his career as an actor, and was involved in one of the first films made in China, ''Stealing a Roast Duck'', a silent short directed by Liang Shaobo in 1909.<ref name="HR">{{Cite web |last = Chu |first = Karen |title = Timeline: Hong Kong cinema |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date = 23 March 2009 |url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/timeline-hong-kong-cinema-81162 |access-date = January 23, 2014}}</ref> The film was financed by the Asia Film Company, owned an American cinematographer and producer, Benjamin Brodsky, allegedly predating ''Zhuangzi Tests His Wife'', although this has been disputed, since no records of the film remain.<ref name="ECF2">{{Cite book | last1 = Zhang | first1 = Yingjin | last2 = Xiao | first2 = Zhiwei | title = Encyclopedia of Chinese Film | publisher = Taylor & Francis | year = 1998 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0000zhan/page/32 32] | url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0000zhan/page/32 | isbn = 978-0-415-15168-9 }}</ref> Lai was involved in the making of ''Zhuangzi Tests His Wife'', the first confirmed Hong Kong-produced film, acting as owner of the company that financed the film, the China-America Company. The China-America Company, or Hua Mei, was founded by Lai with his former colleague Brodsky and Lai's brother, Lai Man-Wai.<ref name="ECF2" />
Lai, along with his brothers Lai Man-wai and Lai Hoi-shan, founded the first Chinese-owned production company in China, the China Sun Motion Picture Company.<ref name="HR" /> The British colonial government rejected their plans to build the studio in Hong Kong, so they were forced to do so in neighboring Guangzhou in 1924.
In 1925, Lai directed ''Rouge'', the region's first feature-length film.<ref name="ECF3">{{Cite book | last1 = Zhang | first1 = Yingjin | last2 = Xiao | first2 = Zhiwei | title = Encyclopedia of Chinese Film | publisher = Taylor & Francis | year = 1998 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0000zhan/page/216 216] | url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0000zhan/page/216 | isbn = 978-0-415-15168-9 }}</ref> He also started the China Sound and Silent Movies Company, which released the first Cantonese talkie, ''Conscience'', in Hong Kong in 1933. ''Conscience'' was only a partial sound film however, a full sound film, ''An Idiot Disturbs the House'', was released the same year.<ref name="HR" />
Lai left the Hong Kong film industry in 1935, and died later in 1950.<ref name="ECF" />
==Legacy== Lai is commemorated with a star at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong.<ref name="AS">{{Cite web|title=Hong Kong Avenue of Stars |url=http://www.avenueofstars.com.hk/eng/avenue.asp |access-date=October 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109161418/http://www.avenueofstars.com.hk/eng/avenue.asp |archive-date=November 9, 2013 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=1 Lai Bak-Hoi at hkmdb.com]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lai, Pak-hoi}} Category:Hong Kong male actors Category:1889 births Category:1950 deaths Category:Hong Kong film producers Category:Chinese male silent film actors Category:Chinese silent film directors Category:Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong