16 | Tuesday, November 3, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE

Building bridge

New film about Chinese soldiers fighting in the Korean conflict tops China’s box­office charts, Xu Fan reports. n this season of patriotism in Based on the film’s popularity, Sha China — commemorating a predicts that such “national­level war fought seven decades ago movies” — referring to its scale and — a slew of films and TV dra­ the support from China’s movie Imas have been released, also indi­ authorities — might rise as a pivotal cating better production techniques genre of Chinese cinema in the next and storytelling skills. few years, following previous hits Topping the country’s box­office such as the My People franchise and charts, The Sacrifice, earlier titled the Founding trilogy to consecutive­ Jin Gang Chuan, has become the ly ride the momentum. most talked­about film marking Further similar projects are the 70th anniversary of Chinese underway. Bona Film Group, one of People’s Volunteers in the War to the country’s largest privately Resist US Aggression and Aid owned studios excelling in produc­ Korea (1950­53). ing revolutionary films, recently Many industry insiders say the announced that it would relaunch production process was a “miracle” shooting for Changjin Hu (Chosin like the story that the film is based Reservoir), which was scheduled to on: the real event of Chinese soldiers Directors and cast members of Changjin Hu attend a recent event in begin filming in early February in building a bridge under intense Beijing. The upcoming film is about Chinese People’s Volunteers in Dandong but had to be postponed bombing by US­led forces in order the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950­53). due to the pandemic. to transport tens of thousands of PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY As a cinematic rendering of one of Chinese troops to the front lines the most brutal periods of the 1950­ during the Battle of Kumsong — the 53 war, the film recounts the story of last battle before an armistice was says his team adopted virtual pho­ recovery from the COVID­19 hiatus. a squadron of the Chinese People’s signed to stop the Korean conflict. tography and motion­capture tech­ Among mixed reviews online, Volunteers fearlessly facing foreign The film’s co­directors Guan Hu, niques to visualize the battle scenes most criticism was directed at the soldiers in cold winter during the Guo Fan and Lu Yang — all seasoned on computer, making the actual film’s three­perspective narrative. Battle of Chosin Reservoir. in steering spectacular cinematic on­set shoot in Dandong easier. With a comparison to Christopher Lasting between Nov 27 and Dec productions exemplified by their Aside from racing against time, the Nolan’s Dunkirk, which is told from 24, 1950, the Chinese army success­ respective directorial efforts The crew had to cope with their own per­ the perspectives of troops on land, fully split elite US troops under Eight Hundred, The Wandering sistent enemy bombardment — the in air and sea, most Chinese neti­ siege, annihilating around 13,000 Earth and Brotherhood of Blades — changeable weather — while filming zens say The Sacrifice “repeats enemy soldiers, making the battle a started shooting in early August, in Dandong, the border city along the scenes in a cumbersome way”. turning point to lay the foundation along with around 5,000 crew mem­ Yalu River facing the Korean Penin­ But actor Zhang Yi, who portrays for the armistice negotiations. bers, including around 2,600 spe­ sula, which was chosen as the filming an anti­aircraft gunner, has become Affected by the pandemic, the cial­effects artists, all working set for its landscape’s resemblance to the top highlight for his perform­ film’s directorial chair has been around the clock. that of Democratic People’s Republic ance, vividly displaying the charac­ handed from Hong Kong filmmaker Usually, a war film takes years to of Korea. ter’s transformation from a Andrew Lau to three prestigious make. Guan’s last film, The Eight In September, a typhoon had rav­ somewhat cowardly, hesitant figure directors — Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark Hundred, was in production for aged the city, bringing in floods. The to a fearless hero. and Dante Lam — as Lau is direct­ nearly a year after he had prepared crew’s vehicles, loaded with props Most insiders and industry ing another big film for Bona, one for the project for 10 years. and costumes and parked on a flat­ watchers believe the Chinese film — reflecting Chinese doctors’ dedica­ However, The Sacrifice took very tened cornfield covering 200,000 despite some shortcomings — tion to fighting the pandemic. little time. Liang Jing, the film’s pro­ square meters, were affected by the shows that the industrialization of Besides, scriptwriter Chen Yu’s ducer and Guan’s wife, says Guan water. Most portable toilets were Chinese films is being accelerated, film Zuileng de Qiang (The Chilliest drafted a 400­word synopsis in a submerged by an overflowing river helping the domestic industry to Shot), based on the true story of a short time, deciding the film would that was used to represent the Kum­ mature. legendary sniper during the War to unfold from three perspectives — gang River. With a width of 60 Sha Dan, a researcher at the China Resist US Aggression and Aid the Chinese troops, a US fighter meters and depth of 4 meters, it’s a Film Archive, says the commercial Korea, is reportedly being directed pilot and several anti­aircraft gun­ tremendous torrent where swim­ success of The Sacrifice shows that by Zhang Yimou, the first Chinese ners. Such a plan made filming ming is difficult. such films — a traditional genre auteur to win a Golden Bear at the more efficient with the three direct­ During the hardest days of flood­ retelling of New China’s revolution­ Berlin International Film Festival, ors simultaneously working on their ing, which lasted for 10 days, the ary past — “have notched up a break­ according to the newspaper Xi’an respective parts. crew had to suspend shooting, through”. Daily. When Guan and Lu were shooting arranging for actors to rehearse “The film adopts a modern cine­ Rao Shuguang, president of the battle scenes in the wild in Dandong, their scenes in hotels, with chairs or ma narrative technique, assembling China Film Critics Association, says Northeast China’s Liaoning prov­ tables used as “weapons” to help some of the country’s best filmmak­ these films symbolize the Chinese ince, Guo was spending most of his their imagination, recalls Liang. ers within a short time. With the spirit to safeguard the nation and time on the outskirts of Beijing work­ With the final post­production production procedure (repairing will evoke widespread thought ing on the visual effects. procedure concluding just two days the prop bridge several times during about the relationship between war Above: Actors practice how to use an anti­aircraft gun before the Guo, a state­of­the­art technology before its release on Oct 23, the film the typhoon) reminiscent of the real and peace. shooting of The Sacrifice. Top and far above: Scenes from The Sac­ enthusiast, entered the directorial mobilized the industry’s top talent war story, it strikes a chord with rifice, portraying Chinese war heroes who took part in a brutal A­list in China with the sci­fi block­ and resources, making it the latest audiences, especially the young­ Contact the writer at battle. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY buster The Wandering Earth. He example of Chinese cinema’s fast sters,” Sha explains. [email protected] Children’s book fair on schedule

By ZHANG KUN in Shanghai opportunities have been a vital part “We will coordinate with these The fair will take up a total exhibi­ [email protected] of the fair,” Xu says. absent participants through a series tion space of 25,000 square meters. The main target has been to of online events,” says Xu, adding It’s divided into two sections: the The 2020 China Shanghai Inter­ involve more international exhibit­ that he believes the combination of copyrights and trading zone will national Children’s Book Fair will ors and improve the fair to help it on­site exhibition and online com­ open exclusively for professional take place at the Shanghai World grow into one of the most important munication, as a business model, visitors, while the public and service Expo Exhibition and Convention showcases of children’s books glo­ will be the new normal in the post­ zone will be open to all. Center between Nov 13 and 15. Since bally, he adds. pandemic era. A special exhibition, titled Chil­ 2013, the annual event has grown to However, the COVID­19 pandem­ By presenting events online, the dren Plus Toddlers’ Books, will be become the largest showcase of ic has forced majority of the book fair will be able to reach more peo­ held during the fair, in partnership books for young readers in the Asia­ fairs all over the world to move ple and increase its influence and with the Bologna Children’s Book Pacific region. online, postpone or cancel this year. coverage. There used to be overseas Fair, displaying around 140 books As the second large­scale book Xu says China has contained the exhibitors, especially small pub­ from different countries for chil­ event in the city this year, following pandemic, and social life and eco­ lishers and institutions working dren — from infants up to age 3. the Shanghai Book Fair in August, nomic operations have largely with less­used language, who could This year marks the 100th anni­ Since 2013, the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair has the children’s book fair will adopt a returned to normal. not attend the book fair because of versary of the birth of Italian writer grown into the largest showcase of books for young readers in the new exhibition model combining “In Shanghai, for example, a distance and cost issues, he adds. Gianni Rodari, whose The Tale of Asia­Pacific region. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY online and offline activities. It is an series of large­scale exhibitions “The online book fair can largely the Little Onion has enjoyed wide international book fair in which have taken place in the past few solve such problems.” popularity with Chinese readers many overseas publishers partici­ months, so we decided to present More than 350 publishers and for decades. An art exhibition, Ital­ education, such as the 2020 Greena­ A number of competitions will pate, Xu Jiong, head of the munici­ the children’s book fair as planned,” cultural institutions from 21 coun­ ian Excellence: Illustrators for Gian­ way Medal winner Shaun Tan from take place, with awards announced pal administration for press and he says. tries and regions, including Russia, ni Rodari, will be presented at the Australia, 2020 Hans Christian during the fair, such as the Golden publication, said at a news confer­ Still many overseas exhibitors Italy and the United States, will take fair, too. Andersen Award winner for illustra­ Pinwheel Young Illustrators Com­ ence on Oct 27. and guests will not be able to attend part in this year’s fair, accounting for Authors, publishers, illustrators tion Albertine from Switzerland and petition and the Chen Bochui Inter­ “Face­to­face communication on the fair personally. But their books more than 30 percent of all exhibit­ and specialists working in the field Chinese writer Cao Wenxuan, will national Children’s Literature copyrights and other commercial will be displayed at the venue. ors, Xu says. of children’s entertainment and share their insights at seminars. Award.