CRI听力: Debut of The Founding of A Republic

As part of a celebration for the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of new China on October 1st, a Chinese movie called Jian Guo Da Ye or "The Founding of A Republic" hit cinemas across the country on Wednesday. Let's take a closer look with reporter Liu Min.

Reporter:
(Natural sound)
Usually, a weekday afternoon at a cinema is as empty as the office cubes after work. But today as the movie 'The founding of A Republic" premiered, 95% of the seats were taken here at the Wanda Movie theater in Beijing's Shijingshan District.

Hu Jianxin is Manager of the Wanda International Movie Theater in Beijing...

"As early as two weeks ago, many people started to call us and asked when the movie would debut. Today the seats are mostly taken in the first screening of the movie."

The film is set from 1945, when China won the war of resistance against Japan to 1949, the year when the People's Republic of China was founded. The film explores the causes of why China plunged into a civil war after the end of the Second World War and how the Communist Party of China defeated the Kuomintang to establish the People's Republic of China. The film not only recalls the memory of the old generation, but aims to share that history with those who were born in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. These target audience members make up the main consumers in the cinema market. A movie-goer says...

"For me, I'd like to see those big stars in the movie. Plus, it's like a fashion now during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of our country."

An all-star cast is one of the highlights to attract the young viewers. The film boasts largest number of Chinese movie stars ever in a single film. On average, a star will appear every three minutes. For example, Kungfu superstars Jet Lee and Jackie Chan as well as the renowned Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi are the main attraction for many moviegoers. This viewer says she is touched by the story.

"As a generation born in the 1980s, we didn't experience the history. It was the super stars who attracted me at first to come to watch the movie. But the movie showed me establishing a country is not easy, and I find it quite worthy to watch it."(www.hXen.com)

Many of the super stars, who are used to earning top dollar in the industry, appeared in the film for free. Behind the epic is the titan of China's film industry---Han Sanping, the chairman of China Film Group, which is one of the largest distributors of Chinese films. The film will be a Chinese blockbuster with the lowest budget in recent history and even for decades to come.

CRI News, I'm Liu Min.