Amidst Chinas recent relocate to lower imports of Hollywood movies, attention has turned to the countrys domestic productions.
Amongst them, the epic war movie The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) stands out as a cinematic turning point, ranking as the second highest-grossing film in Chinas box office history with a total earnings of 5.775 billion yuan (about $792 million).
The battle on which the film is based took place in the Lake Changjin area on the eastern front in the 2nd battle of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
Lake Changjin is located in what is todays Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK).
3 corps of the 9th Corps of the Chinese Peoples Volunteers (CPV) army had a direct contest with the United States army from November 27 to December 24, 1950.
The ill-equipped CPVA erased an entire first-rate equipped program of American troops.The impressive war was given the screen by famous Chinese directors Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam.
The cast also unites A-listers such as Chinas leading actors and idols Wu Jing, Jackson Yee, Zhu Yawen, Li Chen, Hu Jun and Duan Yihong.
The Battle at Lake Changjin not only showcases the development of Chinas film industry in terms of storytelling and production quality, but also shows a growing audience interest in stories rooted in national history.
As worldwide competitors heightens in the movie market, this success marks a considerable step forward for Chinese movie theater on the world phase.