by Hal Erickson
synopsis
China Speaks is a 60-minute hodgepodge of travelogue and newsreel clips, some of them supplied by the Y.W.C.A.! Many of the scenes are minus narration, leaving the audience at a loss as to what is going on. By way of explanation, a closing title clears up several of the film's "mysteries," concluding with the statement "Thus China Speaks." The film ends with an address by Chinese general Sun, who is alluded to throughout the picture but is not shown until the terminal footage. Critics were none too impressed by this pastiche, complaining that even the best vignettes where murkily photographed and grainily processed.
