Films Archives - Friends of Socialist China

The Revolutionary Reel: How Chinese cinema sustains the struggle

The power of storytelling to sustain revolutionary enthusiasm and struggle is well-known. Stories both true and fictional have encouraged fighters in times both good and bad. Vladimir Lenin loved to read novels and took particular inspiration (and the title of one of his most famous works) from Chernyshevsky’s What is to be Done?. This novel continues to inspire, with Chinese President Xi Jinping citing it at the 2024 BRICS Conference, noting how the protagonist’s “unwavering determination and ardent struggle encapsulate exactly the kind of spiritual power we need today. The bigger the storms of our times are, the more we must stand firm at the forefront with unbending determination and pioneering courage.”

As the times have moved on, so have the formats of storytelling, and the moving image has come to replace the written word over the 20th century as the dominant form of narrative. In the same way as novels, the medium responds directly to the social contexts in which it is produced. In the Chinese revolutionary era, and the years leading up to the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, this was evident in the burgeoning film industry of the time, located mostly in Shanghai. The importance of many of these films and the extent to which they played an ideological role in sustaining the Chinese people’s resistance is charted in the below Sixth Tone article, which notes that the films “evolved from cultural commentary into a medium of resistance, help[ed] to shape public opinion and mobilize support for the war effort.” In place of some of the traditional melodramas or fantasy epics, the early Communist Party of China played a direct role in advocating stories which portrayed everyday people’s struggles, women’s struggles, and other tales that raised social awareness.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory against Japanese Aggression, and their inestimable contribution to the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War, and once again cinema is making an important ideological contribution. 2025 has seen numerous films depicting this victory and the Chinese people’s experiences and contributions: Dead to Rights (a story in the context of the Nanjing Massacre), both fictional and documentary films covering the Dongji Island incident (where Chinese fisherfolk saved drowning British POWs), as well as the upcoming Evil Unbound, a story covering the notorious germ warfare human experiments carried out by the Japanese Imperial army.

In addition to re-establishing the proper historical contributions of the Chinese people in the history books, which for too long have been downplayed in the West, these narratives and documentaries also remind the Chinese people, and the peoples of the Global South at large, of the importance of protecting one’s own sovereignty and their capacity for resistance and victory.

Kim Jong Il noted in 1973 that “the task set before the cinema today is one of contributing to people’s development into true communists and assisting in the revolutionising and remodelling of the whole of society on the working-class pattern.” And whether you prefer the black and white classics, or the modern blockbusters, the leftist cinema of the People’s Republic of China continues to play this role.

The following article was first published by Sixth Tone.

In the years leading up to Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chinese cinema had already begun preparing for it. Following the Mukden Incident in 1931, a false flag attack by Japanese troops on a railway line in northeastern China as pretense to invade Manchuria, Chinese filmmakers began incorporating themes of social crisis, injustice, and national survival into their work.

Review: Dead to Rights

The Chinese film Dead to Rights, a moving depiction of the 1937-38 Nanjing Massacre, went on general release in London on September 5, distributed by the Cultural Centre of Nouvelles d’Europe UK.

Carlos Martinez reviews the film, arguing that: “Although harrowing to watch, Dead to Rights is not a film of despair. It restores to memory the countless unnamed heroes who resisted occupation. And it reaffirms the principle that only truth can prevent history from being distorted or erased.”

Shen Ao’s Dead to Rights (released domestically as Nanjing Photo Studio) is a Chinese film of searing power and urgency. Set during the Nanjing Massacre of December 1937, it combines meticulous historical detail with a sweeping human drama that is resonating deeply with audiences around the world. Since its release in July, the film has smashed box office records and helped to reignite the discussion about one of the darkest chapters of the twentieth century.

The story follows A Chang (Liu Haoran), a humble postman who is mistaken for a photo studio employee by occupying Japanese soldiers. Realising that their mistake offers an opportunity for survival, Chang plays along. Inside the photo studio, he encounters the owner and his family sheltering in the basement, as well as an actress taking refuge.

The group’s uneasy survival hinges on developing photographs for a Japanese army photographer, Lieutenant Hideo Ito, who is documenting Japanese activities in the city for propaganda purposes. Yet the images they process – of torture, murder and rape – become an unbearable testament to the horrors engulfing their city. Together, the group risks everything to preserve these negatives and smuggle them to the outside world, convinced that only by exposing the truth can justice be served.

The drama draws inspiration from real events. In 1938, a teenage apprentice in Nanjing did indeed copy photographs brought in by Japanese soldiers, creating an album that would later serve as crucial evidence in war crimes trials. The English title, Dead to Rights, underscores the central motif: incontrovertible proof of wrongdoing that ultimately condemned the perpetrators.

The film’s release is especially poignant given its timing, just a few weeks before the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of the Global Anti-Fascist War. As I observed in a recent article, “China’s role in the war, and indeed the very existence of the Pacific Theatre, has to a significant degree been written out of history… However, China was the first country to wage war against fascist occupation, and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was of decisive importance to the overall global victory over fascism. In the course of 14 years of war (1931-45), China suffered over 35 million casualties, and around 20 percent of its people were made refugees.”

While the war crimes carried out by Nazi Germany are etched indelibly into global consciousness, the Nanjing Massacre and other atrocities committed by the Japanese armed forces remain far less well known outside China. The Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, the Eastern counterpart to the Nuremberg trials, estimated that over 260,000 people were killed in the weeks following Japan’s seizure of the city. Tens of thousands of women were raped in what the late historian Iris Chang described as “an orgy of cruelty seldom if ever matched in world history”.

Films like Dead to Rights serve to set the record straight, telling the truth about the occupation’s crimes and reasserting China’s place in the Global Anti-Fascist War. Shen’s film insists that China’s sacrifices, resistance and heroism be remembered.

But the film also arrives at a moment when this history feels painfully alive, with Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza generating horrifying images of indiscriminate bombing, destroyed hospitals and civilian massacres. Indeed, the film’s central theme – the imperative to document the crimes of an occupying force – is being replayed today by courageous journalists and citizens in Gaza, whose cameras and pens are transformed into weapons of truth. As the director has commented: “A photo was a bullet on that battlefield. The click of a shutter echoed the crack of gun. The negatives pierced invaders’ lies.”

Wherever atrocities are denied or minimised – whether the Nazi Holocaust, the Nanjing Massacre, or today’s unfolding tragedies – the work of bearing witness becomes a form of resistance. The film’s characters embody that conviction. Facing daily terror, they nevertheless refuse compromise. They echo the patriotic spirit of a generation that insisted, “We will win this war,” and demanded “not one inch less” than the full liberation of China.

Artistically, the film is striking. The opening sequence cuts between bullets firing and camera shutters clicking, equating the act of shooting with both violence and documentation. The production design recreates Nanjing’s wartime devastation with harrowing realism, while the cast delivers performances of quiet dignity and depth. Liu Haoran’s A Chang is an unlikely hero – fearful but ultimately courageous – whose humanity anchors the narrative.

Although harrowing to watch, Dead to Rights is not a film of despair. It restores to memory the countless unnamed heroes who resisted occupation. And it reaffirms the principle that only truth can prevent history from being distorted or erased. In an era when denial and revisionism persist — whether from Japanese right-wing politicians or from those who seek to obscure the atrocities being perpetrated right now by Israel — this is a powerful and important message.

Dead to Rights is an epic of historical cinema, challenging audiences to confront uncomfortable truths, remember forgotten histories, and to connect to the shared global struggle against fascism and imperialism. To remember is to resist. And to honour those who preserved the truth in Nanjing is to stand in solidarity with those who risk everything today to show the world what must not be denied.

At time of writing, Dead to Rights is showing in cinemas in London, Birmingham and Manchester in the UK. Details may be found here.

London film retrospective pays tribute to Anna May Wong

In the following article, which originally appeared in the Morning Star, David Horsley reviews a season of Anna May Wong’s films, currently showing at the British Film Institute (BFI) on London’s Southbank until October 8, and pays a well-deserved tribute to the pioneering Chinese-American actor and filmmaker.

David writes: “Some films dealing with the war in China either used the usual racist stereotypes or actors in ‘yellow face’ when depicting Chinese people. But one film, Lady From Chungking is an anti-imperialist classic without said stereotypes.

“Anna May Wong (real name Wong Liu Tsong) portrays the lady of the film’s title. She is not only a member of the resistance in an area occupied by the Japanese but is in fact the group’s leader. She wisely directs their efforts to resist and plays a major personal role, sacrificing her life for the cause of freedom.

“Her final defiant words before a firing squad says after her death, that many more will follow in her place, leading to peace and a China free from the invaders.”

She excoriated the racist and sexist stereotyping that she faced in her professional life: “How should we be, with a civilisation that’s so many times older than that of the West. We have our own virtues. We have our rigid code of behaviour, of honour. Why do they never show these on the screen? Why should we always scheme, rob, kill?”

Further information, including synopses of all the films, and details of showings may be found on the BFI website.

David Horsley is also the author of a booklet on the life of Claudia Jones, the African-American communist and great friend of China.

During WWII, Hollywood film makers produced dozens of films based on that conflict. Many were worthy attempts to support the war effort against Hitler and a few are anti-fascist classics, like the outstanding None Shall Escape the Judgement made in 1944 which envisages a court in Warsaw trying a Nazi for his part in the Holocaust. This was years before the actual Nuremberg Trial.

Most films dealt with the war in Europe, with very few on the war in China where the Japanese invaders slaughtered over 20 million men, women and children.

Some films dealing with the war in China either used the usual racist stereotypes or actors in “yellow face” when depicting Chinese people. But one film, Lady From Chungking is an anti-imperialist classic without said stereotypes.

Dongji Rescue: An inspiring blockbuster of courage, resistance and shared humanity

Friends of Socialist China (FOSC) was grateful to be invited to the European premiere of the film Dongji Rescue by the Chinese Embassy. The screening took place in the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square, a grand venue fit for the opening of such a blockbuster film, attended by some of China’s biggest acting stars. The premiere took place on the 15th of August, the 80th anniversary of VJ day, commemorating the allied victory over imperial Japan in World War Two, the most appropriate date for a film examining the shared Chinese and British fight against fascism.

We are very pleased to publish the following review by FOSC Britain Committee member Alfie Howis and hope that as many as possible of our readers take the opportunity to see this inspiring and moving film.

Dongji Rescue is effectively a follow up to the documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru which was released earlier this year. The documentary was a groundbreaking study of the sinking of a Japanese ship off China in 1942 by a US submarine, killing over 800 British POWs onboard who had been captured in Hong Kong, with 384 others rescued from the water by Chinese villagers from the nearby island. The film follows the story of the people on Dongji Island defying their Japanese occupiers and setting sail to rescue, and fight alongside, the drowning British soldiers at the shipwreck. The film was made possible as part of an initiative by the Chinese government to promote media about the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-fascist War, to maintain accurate memory of Japanese imperialism and learn lessons from the successful fight against it.

“At the darkest hour of the Second World War, China and the UK fought on different fronts but shared a common mission: to defend humanity against fascism and aggression. Fighting side by side, the peoples of our two countries forged a deep friendship,” said Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang at the premiere. Public awareness of China’s role in WW2 is deeply lacking in Britain, and even where there is knowledge of it, the scale of China’s contribution, even beyond their own fight for national liberation, is lost on most. Dongji Rescue, which is now on general release across UK cinemas, will go some way to rectifying that and may help contribute to a deepening of the understanding of this topic.

Dongji Rescue is a film about heroism, solidarity, and anti-fascism, but above all it shows the power of collective, militant struggle to resist oppression and take the most just course of action. Throughout the film there are individual heroes, but the central junction of the narrative is the collective decision of the islanders, after wavering on the part of some, to rise up against the Japanese occupation, take to their boats, and risk death together in order to save the soldiers. This would not have been possible without all of the boats taking to the seas as one in a unified action, able to overwhelm the Japanese forces on the sinking ship and provide enough space to rescue hundreds of POWs. The sense of solidarity that the villagers embody as they liberated themselves, however briefly, from occupation is extended to the British men as they share the same struggle in that one moment, both fighting for their lives under attack from the same seemingly overwhelming force, in the end blunted by their collective bravery and resistance. Even the regimented and rank subordinated POWs can only succeed through self-organised collective efforts. Whether freeing themselves from the locked hold or flipping Japanese motorboats, the reactive instinct of the men goes beyond the orders from their commanders and is more akin to the spirit embodied by the islanders, which ultimately saves many of their lives.

Strangers When We Meet: A nuanced projection of life on the edge in today’s China

Friends of Socialist China was invited to the Tiantan Award Panorama, a Chinese Film Event, presented by the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF).

This week-long journey through six exceptional Chinese films – powerful dramas, emotional stories, and thought-provoking themes that reflect the vibrant and evolving landscape of the country’s cinema – was held from May 10-17, at the Genesis Cinema in East London.

In the below review, Alfie Howis, a writer and activist based in London, looks at an emotional, quasi-romantic drama featuring two ex-prisoners entwined in a somewhat toxic relationship with a precipitous age gap and diverging visions of marriage.

Strangers When We Meet is a 2024 film by Zhang Guoli, starring Fan Wei and Zhou Dongyu. I had the pleasure of viewing this film in London as part of the Beijing International Film Festival’s international screenings. It is an emotional, quasi-romantic drama featuring two ex-prisoners entwined in a somewhat toxic relationship with a precipitous age gap and diverging visions of marriage. The plot is well paced and doesn’t feel rushed despite the hairpin twists and turns, while the high-quality, beautiful cinematography shows the technical and artistic prowess of contemporary Chinese cinema.

Warning: spoilers below

What struck me about this film was its non-judgemental and sympathetic approach to its central characters despite their backgrounds. Lao Qin, Zhou Dongyu’s character and Chang Juan, Fan Wei’s character, are both revealed to have been in prison for murder. The opening section of the film features the end of Lao Qin’s time in prison and his release, where he is treated kindly by prison guards and told that it doesn’t matter what he did now that he is free. He gets back on his feet, finding an apartment and trying to work, tasks all of which seem to be relatively easy and unaffected by his rather long stint in prison that just ended. Although emotionally Lao casts a downtrodden image, it is not as a result of any discrimination he faces as an ex-prisoner. Similarly, when Chang Juan goes missing in the mid to late section of the film, the prison authorities have a great concern for her wellbeing and work with Lao Qin to try and find her – there is no hint of disdain or inhumanity when dealing with such serious ex-criminals. On the contrary, they are generally humanised and treated normally, not overly sympathised, coddled, or patronised, but treated as people just trying to get by despite their hard circumstances.

The approach to wealth and its utility is complex and goes far beyond a basic consumerist ideology, despite one of the central themes being that Lao Qin comes into a large sum of state compensation from the demolition of his family home. Chang Juan is more attached to excessive consumption, buying expensive clothes with Lao Qin’s money and pushing for various reckless and self-indulgent spending decisions. While this is softly mocked and an object of comedy in the plot, it turns out to be a broader feint of Chang Juan’s character, as her ultimate goal is to abscond with a chunk of the money to pay off the innocent victim of a crime she committed. This is ultimately a noble goal, and even at times took on a feminist character as Chang Juan uses the patriarchal marriage system, with its bride cost, to right the wrongs of her crime.

The growing popularity of Indian cinema in China

In the following article, which was originally published by UK-China Film Collab, Asma Waheed looks at the abiding popularity of Indian cinema in China despite the ups and downs of the countries’ bilateral political relations over the decades.

Asma notes that while there has rightly been much attention paid to East-West cinematic exchange, “it is equally important to examine East-East cinematic exchange – in this case, the relationship between Indian and Chinese cinema… Bollywood’s popularity in China provides a real threat to Hollywood’s once-held monopoly in the global film market. But the story of Bollywood in China is not confined to the 21st century – instead it spans across to the 1950s, a time where both countries had undergone monumental change.”

The beginnings of Indian film success in China date from the 1951 film Awaara, or Liulangzhe (流浪者). Directed, produced and starring Raj Kapoor, a legendary icon in Indian film, the story follows the life of a young man, Raj, as he becomes entangled in a life of crime. A mainstay of the Golden Age of Indian cinema, in its exploration of themes such as destiny, justice, and morality, Awaara became a symbol of new nation-building in a post-independence India.

In an act of cultural exchange and diplomacy, the Indian People’s Theatre Association brought Awaara to China in 1955. Such was its popularity that even Chairman Mao was said to be a great fan of the film and its title song, Awaara Hoon. (The Indian People’s Theatre Association [IPTA] is the oldest association of theatre artists in India. It was formed in 1943 and promoted themes related to the Indian freedom struggle against British colonial rule. Communist leaders such as PC Joshi, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India [CPI], and Sajjad Zaheer, General Secretary of the Progressive Writers’ Association, were instrumental in its formation. It remains the cultural wing of the CPI.)

Today, a key inheritor of this legacy is Aamir Khan, famed for his 2001 anti-colonial cricketing epic Lagaan. Asma notes that:

“In the surveys and research regarding South Asian and East Asian film relationships, a primary reason for why audiences enjoyed Aamir Khan’s film and other Indian films was the shared cultural values. This may be surprising to some, but in Yanyan Hong’s research, it found that Indian film movie-goers were attracted to the film’s engagement with social issues relevant to both Indian and Chinese societies.”

She concludes: “The status of Indian cinema in China has shifted with the political climate, enjoying bouts of immense popularity before falling out of favour, only to reemerge years later. The nature of the film industry is such that it has become a vehicle for cultural diplomacy – whether Indian cinema will see another spike of interest in China remains undecided, but their relationship serves as a clear example of how good storytelling resonates across borders, adapting to the unique landscapes of each country and society. More importantly, it showcases the shared nature of human experiences across different cultures and highlights the similarity across seemingly different people.”

As the world grows more globalised in the 21st century, the impacts on the film industry are undeniable.

China emerged as one of the world’s largest box office markets, with over 90,000 cinema screens in the country, and Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite made history as the Oscars. Fuelled by diasporic communities mainly in the US and UK, Bollywood too continues to garner attraction across the globe. It is certain that the film industries of South and East Asian countries are driving their soft-power transnationally, evident in Korea’s Hallyu Wave growing from a regional trend in East Asia to now a tsunami sweeping across the globe.

There has rightly been much attention on the East-West cinematic exchange, and it is long overdue that Asian cinema has received praise in Hollywood institutions. However to better understand cinema in a global context, it is equally important to examine East-East cinematic exchange— in this case, the relationship between Indian and Chinese cinema.

In this essay series, I will explore the evolving and dynamic relationships between South Asian cinema and two markets— China and the UK. As a country with a considerable South Asian population, the UK presents an interesting case for understanding the reach of Bollywood beyond the subcontinent. Meanwhile, as two of the world’s most sizeable economics, India and China’s film industries offer a fascinating and important case study of cross-border cultural exchange in a globalised world.

In many people’s minds, Indian cinema— especially Bollywood^[1]— is a genre full to rhetorical brim with melodramatic narrative, musical sequences, and grand dance numbers. But it is the unique and emotional storytelling that struck a chord with Chinese audiences, leading to major commercial success— indeed, Bollywood’s popularity in China provides a real threat to Hollywood’s once-held monopoly in the global film market.^[2] But the story of Bollywood in China is not confined to the 21st century— instead it spans across to the 1950s, a time where both countries had undergone monumental change.

Film review: Sinking of the Lisbon Maru

The Chinese-made documentary film, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, had its UK premiere on Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Regent Street Cinema in London’s West End. The film recreates a true, but until now largely forgotten, piece of World War II history, where, on October 1, 1942, a Japanese cargo ship carrying over 1,800 British PoWs from Hong Kong to Japan was torpedoed by a US submarine off the coast of China. Left to drown by their captors, over 380 were to be rescued by Chinese fishermen.

In a review written for this website, Fiona Sim, a member of the FoSC Britain Committee, writes, with an eye to contemporary events, that “the documentary serves as an apt warning for how quickly history can be buried when it is not preserved… [it] highlights the importance of uncovering hidden histories and fighting against the censorship of world events as they happen.”

In a short review for the Morning Star, Jenny Clegg writes: “This is a people-centred film which does not allow the shocking brutality to overpower its human message. Why has this episode remained hidden for so long, and why is China’s role as ally absent from our history books? As historian Rana Mitter puts it, it all disappeared ‘down a hole created by the cold war.’”

The documentary includes testimonies from the last two surviving PoWs and the last surviving Chinese rescuer, all of whom have since died. More than 100 relatives of the PoWs attended the March 17 premiere.

Earlier, on February 22, many of them had gathered at a reception held by the Chinese Embassy in London to commemorate the tragic incident and heroic rescue.

The embassy has organised the commemorative event every year since 2023, and this year holds special significance, not only on account of the release of the film, but particularly as it marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Speaking at the reception, Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang said: “The heroic rescue bears important witness to China and Britain fighting side-by-side as allies against fascist aggression and has left tales of the profound friendship between our two peoples. Such friendship forged during the Second World War will never fade and has become a valuable asset in our bilateral relations.”

China Daily reported that: “In Zhoushan [where the events occurred], local people have also been passing on this history, by holding commemorative services every year, and curating a dedicated section in the local museum about the incident. Last December, a memorial in remembrance of the fishermen’s rescue of British PoWs was completed, and an official unveiling ceremony is being planned for the summer.

“For Denise Wynne, daughter of Dennis Morley, who was saved from the water and who was the last survivor still alive before his passing in 2021 [at the age of 101], the construction of a memorial in Zhoushan was her father’s final wish. ‘He said they were heroes and there should be a memorial built for the fishermen.’”

Previously, on August 26, 2022, Ambassador Zheng hand-delivered to Denise Wynne a personal letter from Xi Jinping, in reply to the letter she had sent to the Chinese President. The website of the Chinese Embassy reported at the time:

“In his letter, President Xi pointed out that the touching story of heroic fishermen from Zhoushan, Zhejiang coming to the rescue of British prisoners of war on board the Lisbon Maru in 1942 is an important testimony to China and the UK fighting shoulder to shoulder as allies against fascist aggression during World War II. It is also a historical episode epitomising the profound friendship forged between the people of our two countries. The President wrote that he knew the episode well and made a point of bringing up the story during his visit to the UK in 2015.

“Mrs. Wynne was deeply touched when she received President Xi’s letter from Ambassador Zheng. She said she was really honoured and very pleased to receive the letter which President Xi Jinping, despite his busy schedule, wrote personally after reading her letter. She recalled her late father telling the family how the Chinese fishermen, with self-sacrifice and outstanding courage, rescued British prisoners of war from the Lisbon Maru, and saying that this part of history, the kindness of the Chinese fishermen and the profound friendship between the peoples of the two countries should not be forgotten. Mrs. Wynne wrote the letter to President Xi Jinping to thank him for mentioning this part of history during his visit to Britain in 2015 and to express the firm support of the families of the survivors of the Lisbon Maru for the friendship between the Chinese and British peoples from generation to generation.

“Major Brian Finch, who has been committed to collecting the historical documents on the Lisbon Maru and a friend of Mrs. Wynne said that the story… contained the very worst and the very best of humanity: the kindness of the Chinese fishermen was absolutely outstanding and unbelievable as was the cruelty of the fascists. The defeat of Japanese militarism in the Second World War was the success of justice. This touching history is worth remembering and the friendship between the Chinese and British people in the fight against fascism should be passed down from generation to generation.”

Three-Body Problem: science fiction for China’s ‘New Era’?

The following article by David Peat – Iskra Books editorial board member and secretary of the Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee – discusses the new Netflix adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel The Three-Body Problem, comparing it with the original book and with last year’s Chinese television adaptation by Tencent.

While describing the Netflix adaption as “admirable in many respects”, David considers that the series is somewhat let down by “poor scriptwriting and ham-fisted characterisation”. Compared to the Chinese adaptation, the Netflix version is too fast-paced, packing too much into a small number of episodes. “With more room to breathe, the novel and the Tencent series also bring out other elements” not covered by the Netflix series, including ecological themes.

David writes: “It has been noted that recent Western science fiction, particularly in cinema, is based either on simplified superhero narratives or extremely pessimistic dystopian/post-apocalypse scenarios, and this reflects a spiritual and ideological absence in late capitalist culture.” Liu Cixin, by contrast, “focuses on proactive and creative responses to long-standing and seemingly intractable problems affecting the whole of humanity.” As such, “Liu Cixin’s stories are fitting science fiction for China’s ‘New Era’ period of continuing socialist construction, undertaking (and more importantly achieving) its own enormously complex and profound projects of poverty elimination, green transformation, and high-quality development.”

David concludes that the Three-Body Problem has the potential to foster cultural understanding and people-to-people exchange between China and the West, “opening a door to the captivating world of Chinese science fiction for a global audience.”

This article contains no spoilers for any of Liu Cixin’s works or their adaptations.

The Three-Body Problem (三体), a science fiction novel released in 2006, counts as perhaps the major cultural ‘crossover’ success of China in the last decade. This was true even before the release of the new Netflix television adaptation of the book, released on the 21st of March 2024, and produced and written for the screen by Game of Thrones show creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, alongside Alexander Woo.

That the creators of arguably the largest television ‘phenomenon’ of recent years saw fit to choose Three-Body as their next project is testament to the cultural impact of this work within China and, increasingly, in the wider world. All the more interesting since the author Liu Cixin, a cultural icon in the PRC, refuses to repudiate his country’s revolutionary history, including its current governing party, the Communist Party of China. As such, he cannot easily be co-opted as a ‘dissident’, and those seeking to market and adapt his works in the West find themselves in the awkward position of having to promote an author who is proud of his country’s achievements and is able to critically engage with the historical path of the Chinese revolution in a productive way, avoiding what Xi Jinping refers to as “historical nihilism.”^[1]

This article will look at the original book series, as well as a Chinese-made (Tencent) adaptation from 2023, and compare them with the recently released US-made (Netflix) adaptation. It will assess the relative merits of each version, different audience reactions to these series, as well as some wider considerations of the differences between contemporary Western and Chinese science fiction.

Three-Body Problem was published in China in 2006. The book is the first of a trilogy, with subsequent volumes titled The Dark Forest (黑暗森林) and Death’s End (死神永生), with the trilogy collectively known as Remembrance of Earth’s Past (地球往事). It achieved broad commercial and critical success domestically, with Liu’s works accounting for 2/3rds of the Chinese science fiction market, and abroad, with translations into more than 20 languages. In English, the first volume of the trilogy, translated by Ken Liu, received the coveted Hugo Award for ‘Best Novel’ in 2015, the first non-English speaking writer to do so. Liu Cixin’s dominance of modern Chinese science fiction can also be seen in the enormous domestic (and moderate international) success of film adaptations of his Wandering Earth novel, with China selecting the second instalment in this film series as its submission for this year’s Oscars.

The plot of the Remembrance of Earth’s Past series is difficult to summarise, especially when trying not to spoil anything. In general, the action initially takes place in a near-contemporary era with the deaths by suicide of various theoretical and applied physicists around the world, many of them leaving cryptic notes suggesting something along the lines of “Physics doesn’t exist.” The first book also jumps back to Mao-era China and follows Ye Wenjie, herself a gifted physicist, during the Cultural Revolution and subsequent work at a radio telescope base in Inner Mongolia. In the broadest possible strokes, the series can be considered an ‘alien contact’ story, but it also touches on themes such as ecology and human development, ‘game theory’, the capacity for ideological groups to form depending on external circumstances, global cooperation to overcome multi-generational problems, and high-level physics concepts.

The books were extremely well-received, with many praising their creative and inventive use of scientific concepts, enormously ambitious ‘high-concept’ action sequences, and philosophical themes. Equally, however, some readers critiqued the series, suggesting that these overwhelmingly abstract ‘ideas’ take centre stage, to the detriment of any focus on interpersonal drama and character development. As such, for years it was considered that the novels were ‘unfilmable’.

There had been a few abortive attempts at adapting the book series in China, in animation, or even video game form. Eventually, the Chinese company Tencent succeeded and released a 30-episode series in January 2023. This covers the events of the first novel, Three-Body Problem,_,in exhaustive detail, and is considered a highly faithful adaptation, often with dialogue taken straight from the novel. On release, it was praised by fans of the book, with strong performances, excellent cinematography and impressive special effects, especially for its budget and the fact it was a Chinese television drama. However, there were also some criticisms, from both domestic and international audiences, which criticised the show’s irregular pacing, poor performances by non-Chinese actors, and the ‘old-fashioned’ CGI of the ‘video game’ section of the story.

Review: Creation of the Gods I

Below is a brief review of the recently-released Chinese blockbuster movie, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms. We would like to thank Trinity CineAsia for inviting Friends of Socialist China to attend a special showing and Q&A in London with the film’s director of photography.

This review is written by David Peat, an editorial board member of Iskra Books.

Those who have been paying attention to recent Chinese ‘blockbuster’ cinema will have noticed a qualitative shift in terms of the size of productions, the level of visual effects, and the confidence in representing both contemporary and historical Chinese stories. While wuxia (martial arts historical drama) with enormous casts, impressive sets, gravity-defying choreography, and beautiful costumes have for decades been one of the most popular Chinese cultural exports, the Chinese film industry was not typically well-known for its special effects. As recently as 2015, the general consensus with domestic audiences could be summed up by a slang term: 5元特效 “5 cent VFX”. However, with films such as the Wandering Earth series, the PRC’s film industry has shown it can offer a spectacle just as impressive, if not better, than the west.

That’s not to give the impression that the Chinese film industry is seeking to merely imitate Hollywood (whose ‘blockbuster’ offerings amount to endless sequels/revivals of increasingly exhausted intellectual property) but instead, the recent tranche of highly-polished cinematic works are squarely aimed at consolidating a vibrant domestic filmmaking industry, telling distinctively Chinese stories that will also have global crossover potential. This appears to be working, with China’s cinema market becoming the second-largest in the world in 2016, and the dominance of Hollywood-made films falling from 48% in 2012 to just 12% in 2021.

The latest cinematic ‘event’ in this burgeoning industry is Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, a historical fantasy epic based on Chinese mythology. Inevitably referred to as “China’s Lord of the Rings”, this is an adaptation of the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods which itself tells a fantastical history of the transition from Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE) to Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC – 256 BCE). Released in July domestically, it went on to be the top-grossing film of the season, and likely the year. The production is absolutely enormous, with the trilogy expected to be the most ambitious and expensive in Chinese film history. Wuershan, the Chinese director from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, heads up the 2,000-strong crew on this epic project, and in fact did consult with Peter Jackson (the creative force behind the Lord of the Rings series) before getting started on this ambitious trilogy.

The story, which will be well-known to Chinese audiences, features a wide range of characters, with emperors, demons, demi-gods, evil magicians, and army generals, as well as a focus on the Emperor’s Royal Guard (which is composed of the sons of the most powerful regional Lords, to fend off rebellion). In spite of this, the film opens with Prince Yin Shou, as a general of the Emperor’s army, putting down a regional uprising with great violence. In the course of this, inadvertently awakening a fox demon who possesses the body of the daughter of the defeated, rebellious Lord. She talks her way into avoiding becoming another victim and accompanies the prince back to the imperial capital, becoming a concubine for the prince, and going on to encourage his aspiration to become ‘King of All Realms’ (by any means necessary). However, the manner of his ascension, as well as the widespread violence of putting down the earlier rebellion, incurs the wrath of the Gods who bring about ‘The Great Curse’, causing suffering in all corners of the land (and whose effects are shown in blighted crops, fouled water, and illness). The immortals of a spiritual plane known as ‘Kunlun’ send down some of their own to our world with a magical scroll called the ‘Fengshen Bang’, which, if activated by the King of All Realms, can bring about an end to The Great Curse. However, upon arrival at the royal palace, the demi-gods realise the cruel and untrustworthy nature of the current King, and worry that the Fengshan Bang may be used for evil instead of good. As such, they decide to flee and hope that any next king may be a more suitable recipient. The story goes on to chart the adventures of the demi-gods and their allies trying to prevent Yin Shou from gaining possession of the magical artefact, as well as the attempts of would-be usurpers of his throne, including a potential candidate who may be worthy of bringing an end to The Great Curse.

The set pieces are of an epic scale as would be expected from the Oscar-winning production design of Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon & Red Cliff), with enormous battle scenes, and Tim Yip’s amazing work with costuming is also on display. Since the era depicted is so historically distant, historical accuracy would be difficult to measure, however he was inspired by surviving Shang Dynasty bronze artefacts. The performances tend towards the melodramatic, as befitting the grand mythological stakes, with the egotistical and cruel Yin Shou (played by Fei Xiang, aka Kris Phillips) as well as the fox-demon’s host Su Daji (played by Naran) being particular standouts. The visual effects take centre stage and are (mostly) impressive, with one particularly powerful sequence of a fight with a giant, crumbling stone tiger magically brought to life being reminiscent of the lauded Shadow of the Colossus video game. All in all, the film is an entertaining and well-paced fantasy epic, and a great introduction for western audiences into a new and intriguing mythological tradition.

This film is the first part of a trilogy, and those who were bemused by the ending of Dune’s first film may take warning that this film likewise ends very much looking to the subsequent episodes, and it follows the contemporary tradition of a number of ‘mid-credits’ sequences setting up future events. It is, however, an enjoyable story in its own right and an excellent introduction to a wide range of characters, many of which will presumably play large parts in the forthcoming sequels, which are set to be released in China in 2024 and ‘25 respectively.

Creation of The Gods is distributed in the UK by Trinity Cine Asia. The film will be released on streaming services next year.