Beijing promoted a film during the past national holiday break with anti-U.S. sentiment and praise for the ruling Communist Party.
Chinese communist regime celebrates Oct. 1 as its national day. Yet the seven-day holiday, ending on Oct. 7 and known as Golden Week, saw tightened control over film releases, and enforced an unofficial ban on foreign productions including Hollywood blockbusters.
Accordingly, a domestic Korean War-themed film became a blockbuster hit, grossing over $465 million by its eighth day of release, official data show.
Under the title “ Battle at Lake Changjin,” the three-hour war film praised the victory of Chinese troops battling the U.S.-led United Nations forces during the Korean War (1950-1953), better known in the United States as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
multinational troop battled an armed attack by North Korean forces against the Republic of Korea—deemed “a breach of peace,” according to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 84.
In the winter of 1950, former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong sent millions of soldiers to fight alongside the North Korean military, against American, British, and South Korean troops.
North Korean troops were eventually pushed back to the 38th parallel, which divided and continued to divide the North and South since 1945. war unofficially ended three years later in a cease-fire, without a signed peace treaty. Pyongyang has rejected South Korea’s call to declare a formal end to the Korean War until now.
Despite the failure of North Korea to take over the entire Korean peninsula by military force, China boasted the national struggle as a successful “War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea,” as experts estimate the warfare cost up to 1 million lives.
chief movie producer said the government-sponsored film received heavy investments, according to state-run media.
“ motherland will not forget,” states a cinema slogan of the film.
cast also features several Chinese celebrities including Zhang Ziyi, the actress who once criticized Dolce&Gabbana in 2018 for “disgrac[ing] itself” amid accusations that it defamed China.
It came after the Italian luxury fashion brand published promotion videos on social media accounts, presenting a brand model learning to use chopsticks to eat Italian food.
Yet Chinese netizens saw it as an awkward attempt and a mocking of Chinese culture, which soon sparked an outcry nationwide, including calls for a boycott and the cancelation of one of its biggest shows in Shanghai.
Alex Wu and Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pezou : China Promotes War Film With Anti-US Sentiment During Patriotic Holiday