Set in 17th-century China, T’ang Shushuen’s groundbreaking debut feature—among the first Hong Kong independent films to garner international acclaim—traces the plight of a widow torn between her love for her daughter and the attentions of a younger suitor.

A pioneering work of Hong Kong cinema, T’ang Shushuen’s self-financed debut feature—produced and released when the broader Chinese film industry was almost completely dominated by men—was among the first independent films to break out and garner international acclaim. Set in 17th-century China, the film follows its titular protagonist (Lisa Lu, who won a Golden Horse Award in 1971 for her performance) as she finds her heart torn between her beloved daughter and the younger man who has awoken her dormant desires. An emotionally magisterial portrait of the plight of women in Chinese society, The Arch is a film of striking visual richness and distinctive rhythms, achieved by T’ang through two notable collaborations: it was shot by Subrata Mitra (best known for his work with Satyajit Ray and Merchant-Ivory), and edited by the great documentarian Les Blank.

The film was restored in 4K by M+, Hong Kong, in 2025, from a 35mm release print preserved at the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum, and Pacific Film Archive, and a 35mm release print preserved and scanned at the BFI National Archive. Conformation, restoration, and color grading were undertaken at Silver Salt Restoration.