Alessandro Sardi in Cina (1931-1932): dalla missione per la Società delle Nazioni alle Giornate di fuoco a Shangai

Between the end of 1931 and the first months of 1932, Alessandro Sardi, a relevant figure of the Italian fascist mileu and director of the cinematic propaganda institute ‘Istituto L.U.C.E.’, traveled to China as head of a mission sent by the League of Nations. The delegation’s task was to contact the Chinese authorities to promote the genre then referred to as ‘educational cinematography’. This paper aims to research Sardi’s mission to China, from his departure from Rome to his early return to Italy forced by the outbreak of the Battle of Shanghai (January 28–March 3, 1932). The latter was filmed by the camera operator Mario Craveri in the documentary 'Giornate di fuoco a Shangai'. The research provides details about the L.U.C.E. director biography and reflects on the echo that the delegation had on the formation of the Educational Cinematography Society of China (Zhongguo jiaoyu dianying xiehui 中国教育电影协会), the first state-linked institution devoted to propaganda and educational cinema, which to some extent emulated the Italian organization.