Film 'Crossing' to mark 90th anniversary of Long March

A new war epic commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Long March (1934-1936) will hit Chinese screens on June 26, producers announced Thursday in Beijing at the 16th Beijing International Film Festival.

Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Film Group and producer of "Crossing," speaks at a press conference to introduce the film in Beijing, April 16, 2026. [Photo/China.org.cn]

"Crossing," directed by Xu Zhanxiong, stars Liu Ye as Mao Zedong and Wang Lei as Zhou Enlai, with a stellar cast including Yu Shi, Wang Zhifei and Wang Yaoqing. Using a contemporary perspective, innovative storytelling and cutting-edge filmmaking technology, the film authentically recreates the Battle of Chishui River, also known as the "Four Crossings of the Chishui River."

A key engagement between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) in 1935, the battle stands as the crowning military masterpiece of Mao Zedong's strategic career. It highlights the Red Army's wisdom and spirit in defeating a stronger enemy and emerging triumphant from adversity.

Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Film Group and producer of "Crossing," said at the press conference that the "Four Crossings of the Chishui River" was a landmark battle during the Red Army's Long March. "With 30,000 Red Army soldiers surrounded and pursued by 400,000 enemy troops, they relied on extraordinary military wisdom and steadfast revolutionary faith to maneuver and break through from a desperate situation. This chapter of history carries its own breathtaking power," he said.

But Yu noted gaps in the classic campaign's cinematic representation, with many young people's knowledge limited to textbooks and short videos. He expressed hope that modern film technology could help more people, especially younger generations, truly connect with the era and understand their revolutionary forebears' ideals and devotion.

Yu said the film not only accurately reenacts historical scenes but also allows viewers to directly experience the natural landscape and revolutionary heritage of Guizhou province. It helps promote Guizhou's revolutionary culture and the development of red tourism, encouraging more people to visit and learn about the region and remember its revolutionary history, he added.

"We hope that through this film, the spirit of the Long March will no longer be an abstract concept but a tangible, touchable spiritual force, allowing the younger generation to truly see that the happy life we enjoy today did not come easily — it was earned with the blood and lives of countless forebears," the film executive said.

Director Xu Zhanxiong revealed that all the actors and the creative team retraced the route of the Four Crossings of the Chishui River before filming, walking the same path as the Red Army once did.

"I believe that only by doing so could we, as the creative team, truly feel and understand how the impossible was made possible — how a legendary story of survival against all odds could happen on the land of Guizhou. Only by going there yourself can you understand that such a legendary story could only have been born on the soil of Guizhou," he said.

He admitted that they faced many difficulties during filming. "Whenever I think of such moments, I recall that over 90 years ago, everything the CPC leaders and the Red Army soldiers endured was even tougher and more difficult than what we faced," he explained. "Whenever I think of that, I feel that all the difficulties we encountered during filming are nothing. We must carry forward their spirit to complete this work as a tribute to them."

Cast and crew of "Crossing" promote the film in Beijing, April 16, 2026. [Photo/China.org.cn]

The Long March was a military maneuver carried out by the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army that later became a defining episode in modern Chinese history, symbolizing endurance and perseverance as troops crossed some of the country's harshest terrain to establish a new revolutionary base. Some marched as far as 12,500 km, enduring hunger, thirst and cold.

On the 90th anniversary of the end of the Long March, under the guidance of the China Film Administration, the Publicity Department of the CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee spent four years meticulously planning and, together with Bona Film Group, organized a professional team to produce the major revolutionary historical epic "Crossing." The film features a total of 32 shooting locations and 107 scenes completed in Guizhou.

In addition to announcing the film's release, the Guizhou government also unveiled a series of "film-tourism synergy" preferential policies at the press event, inviting viewers from across the country to travel to Guizhou to revisit the revolutionary landmarks in the film "Crossing."