''My People, My Country'' () is a 2019 Chinese

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

, consisting of seven segments directed by seven directors,

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wit ...

Zhang Yibai Zhang Xiaoling, better known by his stage name Zhang Yibai () (born 14 April 1963, in Chongqing, China) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and producer. Directorial career Zhang began his career in television and music videos before dire ...

Guan Hu Guan Hu (, born August 1, 1968) is a sixth generation Chinese film director.Zhang, Zhen (2007), The Urban Generation: Chinese Cinema and Society at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century', Page 54. Duke University Press. . Google Book Search. Re ...

Xue Xiaolu Xue Xiaolu is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the top Chinese female directors''.'' Her first major feature was ''Ocean Heaven'', (2010) which stars Jet Li, followed by '' Finding Mr. Right'' (2013) starring Tan ...

, Xu Zheng,

Ning Hao Ning Hao (; born 9 September 1977) is a Chinese film director. Ning studied at the Taiyuan Film School, where he majored in scenic design. He later transferred to the Art Department of Peking University. Ning eventually graduated from the Beij ...

, and Wen Muye. It stars many of China's top actors, many in supporting roles and cameos. ''My People, My Country'' is produced jointly by

Huaxia Film Distribution Huaxia Film Distribution () is a Chinese film distribution company. In 2014, the company was the second-largest film distributor in China, gaining 22.89% of the market. Filmography *''Drug Wars (film)'' (2012) *''The Taking of Tiger Mountain'' ( ...

Polybona Films Beijing Polybona Film Distribution Co. Ltd. (), also known as Polybona Films or the Bona Film Group, is a Chinese production company and distributor of films from mainland China and Hong Kong. It is run as a subsidiary of the China Poly Group, an ...

and

Alibaba Pictures Alibaba Pictures Group is a Chinese film company under the Alibaba Group. The film company was formerly ChinaVision Media, of which Alibaba Group bought a majority stake in late 2014. It subsequently was renamed from ChinaVision to Alibaba Pictur ...

. The film was released in China on September 30, 2019, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China. It has two sequels, ''

My People, My Homeland ''My People, My Homeland'' () is a 2020 Chinese anthology comedy film. The film consists of five short stories that take place in Beijing, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hangzhou, and Shenyang. The film was a financial success, grossing over $422.3 million wor ...

'' (2020) and '' My Country, My Parents'' (2021).

Plot

''The Eve''

The opening segment by director

, ''The Eve'' (), is about an engineer, Lin Zhiyuan (played by

Huang Bo Huang Bo (; born August 26, 1974) is a Chinese actor, film director, singer and the current vice-chairman of China Film Association. He is the winner of multiple Chinese film awards, and ranked 34th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, ...

), racing against time to perfect an automatic flag-raising mechanism before the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.

''Passing by''

The second story ''Passing by'' (), directed by

, sees a scientist, Gao Yuan, played by Zhang Yi, work on China's first atom bomb who had to bid farewell forever to his lover in the 1960s.

''The Champion''

The third story ''The Champion'' (), directed by Xu Zheng, is about how a young boy from

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

named Dong Dong (played by Han Haolin) helped his neighbors watch TV for the

China women's national volleyball team The China women's national volleyball team () represents the People's Republic of China in international volleyball competitions and friendly matches governed by Chinese Volleyball Association. They are one of the leading and most successful squ ...

's Olympic gold medal win in 1984.

''Going Home''

The fourth story ''Going Home'' (), directed by

, is about a Chinese executive delegation and local policemen preparing for the return of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

from

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rule to China in 1997. The 12-second silence between the British and Chinese anthems during the

Hong Kong handover ceremony The handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997 officially marked the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the People's Republic of China. It was an internationally televised event w ...

is also reflected in this part.

''Hello Beijing''

The fifth story ''Hello Beijing'' (), directed by

, is about a taxi driver who gives a ticket to the opening ceremony of the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

to a boy from the Sichuan earthquake zone though it was intended to be a birthday gift to his aloof son.

''The Guiding Star''

The sixth story ''The Guiding Star'' (), directed by

, is about a pair of homeless brothers who witness the landing of the capsule of the

Shenzhou 11 Shenzhou 11 was a crewed spaceflight of the Shenzhou program of China, launched on 17 October 2016 (16 October UTC) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It was China's sixth crewed space mission, at 33 days, it was the longest until the ...

crewed spacecraft on November 18, 2016, a moment of national pride that touched them.

''One for All''

''One for All'' (), directed by Wen Muye, follows the story of a top female fighter jet pilot Lü Xiaoran who helps her fellow pilots accomplish a smooth aerial performance at the Military Parade of the 70th Anniversary of the Victory in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

in 1945.

Cast

; The Eve (directed by

) *

as Lin Zhiyuan *

Oho Ou Oho Ou or Ou Hao (, born 13 October 1992) is a Chinese actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Zhang Yang in '' The Left Ear'' (2015). Career In 2012, Ou released his first single "Fake Movement", which won him the "Outstanding Newco ...

Wang Qianyuan Wang Qianyuan is a Chinese actor who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. He won Best Actor at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival for his role in the movie, ''The Piano in a Factory ''The Piano in a Factory'' () is 2010 Chine ...

Liang Jing Liang Jing may refer to: *Liang Jing (actress) (born 1972), Chinese actress *Liang Jing (runner) (1989–2021), Chinese ultramarathon runner *Liang Jing (cyclist) (born 1985), Chinese track cyclist {{hndis ...

Jiang Wu Jiang Wu (born 4 November 1967) is a Chinese actor. He starred in Zhang Yimou's '' To Live'' (1994), and Zhang Yang's ''Shower'' (1999). He is the younger brother of Jiang Wen and is or was a member of the Beijing Experimental Theatre Troupe. ...

Hu Jun Hu Jun (born March 18, 1968) is a Chinese actor best known for playing dramatic roles in various films and television series. He has acted in a number of Hong Kong films. Biography Hu Jun was born on March 18, 1968, to Wang Yiman (), a drama ac ...

Tong Dawei Tong Dawei (, born 3 February 1979) is a Chinese actor and singer. Tong is best known for starring in the television series ''Jade Goddess of Mercy'' (2003), '' Struggle'' (2007), and '' Tiger Mom'' (2015); as well as the films '' Lost in Beijin ...

Vision Wei Wei Chen () (born February 22, 1986) is a Chinese pop singer and actor, who rose to fame through televised singing competition '' Super Boy''. He is probably best known through his album ''Disparate'' and his role as Ye Shuo in television serie ...

* Xin Baiqing * Geng Le * Wang Tianchen ; Passing by (directed by Zhang Yibai) * Zhang Yi as Gao Yuan *

Ren Suxi Ren Suxi (; born 1 June 1988) is a Chinese actress. She made her acting debut in the drama film ''The Eighth Clay Man'' (2006), and has since gone on to appear in numerous movie and film titles such as '' Mr. Donkey'' (2016) and '' Looking Up'' ( ...

as Fang Min * Zhang Jiayi as Group Leader *

Zhou Dongyu Zhou Dongyu () is a Chinese actress, who gained recognition after appearing in Zhang Yimou's film '' Under the Hawthorn Tree''. She was also chosen by '' Southern Metropolis Daily'' as one of the " Four Dan actresses of the post-90s Generation" ...

as Nurse *

Peng Yuchang Peng Yuchang (, born October 25, 1994) is a Chinese actor and singer, who gained recognition after appearing in ''Our Shining Days'' and Hu Bo's award-winning film '' An Elephant Sitting Still.'' He was chosen by CCTV-6's China Movie Report as ...

Luo Haiqiong Luo Haiqiong (born 10 August 1973) is a Chinese actress. Biography Luo Haiqiong enrolled in Gansu Art School when she was just 12. After three years of studying dancing, she worked for Lanzhou Art Troupe for 4 years. In December 1994, after a pe ...

* Guo Cheng * Zhou Yiran ; The Champion (directed by Xu Zheng) * Wu Jing as Xu Dongdong (adult) *

Ma Yili Ma Yili (, born 29 June 1976) is a Chinese actress. Ma ranked 42nd on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2019. Early life Ma was born in Hongkou District, Shanghai on June 29, 1976, with her ancestral home in Rudong County, Nantong, Jiangsu. ...

as Zhao Qimei (adult) * Han Haolin as Xu Dongdong (child) * Fan Yujie as Zhao Qimei (child) *

Liu Tao Liu Tao (, born 12 July 1978) is a Chinese actress from Nanchang, Jiangxi. She is known for her roles in ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' (2003), ''Madame White Snake'' (2006), ''Mazu'' (2012), ''To Elderly With Love'' (2013), ''Nirvana in Fire'' ...

as Mei's mother * Xu Zheng as television anchor *

Wang Zhifei Wang may refer to: Names * Wang (surname) (王), a common Chinese surname * Wāng (汪), a less common Chinese surname * Titles in Chinese nobility * A title in Korean nobility * A title in Mongolian nobility Places * Wang River in Thailand ...

* Shao Wen * Zhang Zhihua * Duan Bowen as Table Tennis Coach ; Going Home (directed by Xue Xiaolu) * Du Jiang as Zhu Tao *

Zhu Yilong Zhu Yilong (, born 16 April 1988) is a Chinese actor. He won Golden Rooster Awards' Best Actor for his performance in " Lighting Up the Stars" in 2022. Zhu has been the global Ambassador for World Wildlife Fund since 2019. He is best know ...

as Song Yueqiang * Wang Daotie as Wang Yinghui *

Wang Luoyong Wang Luoyong (; born 24 December 1958) is a Chinese actor who has appeared in American films. He first appeared in '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'' as James Yim Lee. He had recently appeared in CCTV's ''The Legend of Bruce Lee'' as Shao Ruhai, ...

as An Wenbin *

Kara Wai Kara Wai Ying-hung BBS (; born 3 February 1960) is a Hong Kong actress best known internationally for her roles in wuxia films produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio in the 1970s and 1980s. Wai has since portrayed a wide range of roles on screen ...

as Lin *

Simon Yam Simon Yam Tat-wah (; born 19 March 1955) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. He received international acclaim for his performances in international film festival and box office hits such as ''Naked Killer'', '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', ''Election' ...

as Wah * Gao Yalin as Cheng Zhiqiang *

Gregory Charles Rivers Gregory Charles Rivers (; born 30 April 1965) is an Australian–Hong Kong actor. Biography Rivers hails from Gympie, Queensland, and attended medical school at University of New South Wales, where he was friends with students from Hong Kong ...

* Natasha Dratinskaia Christiansen as Maureen * Kwok Keung Cheung ; Hello Beijing (directed by

) *

Ge You Ge You (born April 19, 1957) is a Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, often with a bald shaven pate, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in China. He became the first Asian actor to win the Cannes ...

as Zhang Beijing * Cheng Yusen as Zhang Xiaojing *

Gong Beibi Beibi Gong () (born February 21, 1978 in Fujian, China) is a Chinese film and television actress. Beginning her acting career as a teenager, she later graduated from the prestigious Central Academy of Drama where she first gained recognition amo ...

as Yuan Rong * Wang Dong as Boy from Wenchuan * Ma Shuliang as Taxi Company Leader ; The Guiding Star (directed by

) *

Liu Haoran Liu Haoran (; born 10 October 1997), also known as Turbo Liu, is a Chinese actor. Liu ranked 18th on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2020, 19th in 2019, and 89th in 2017. In 2021, Liu became the youngest actor to gross over 15 billion RM ...

* Arthur Chen *

Tian Zhuangzhuang Tian Zhuangzhuang (; born April 1952 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, producer and actor. Tian was born to an influential actor and actress in China. Following a short stint in the military, Tian began his artistic career first as an ama ...

* Jiang Shan *

Jing Haipeng Jing Haipeng (; born 24 October 1966) is a major general of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) in active service as a vice-commander of the 82nd Group Army. A fighter pilot in the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected to be a ...

* Chen Dong ; One for All (directed by Wen Muye) * Song Jia *

Tong Liya Tong Liya ( zh, 佟丽娅, born 8 August 1983) is a Chinese actress of Xibe ethnicity. Background Tong was born in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang province. Her father Tong Jisheng () was of Xibe ethni ...

Elvis Han Han Dongjun (, born 21 July 1992), also known as Elvis Han, is a Chinese actor. Early life and education Han attended high school in Vancouver, Canada from 2007 to 2011. In 2011, Han was cast to star in the web film ''Vancouver Rock and Roll ...

Lei Jiayin Lei Jiayin () is a Chinese actor. He is best known for his role as Chen Junsheng in drama ''The First Half of My Life''. Lei ranked 62nd on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2019, and 61st in 2020. Early life Lei Jiayin was born in Tiedon ...

Zhang Zifeng Zhang Zifeng (born 27 August 2001), also known as Wendy Zhang, is a Chinese actress currently attending Beijing Film Academy. She is widely considered one of the best young actors in China today. In 2012 she won Best Newcomer at the 31st Hundre ...

* Wang Yanhui * Tao Hong * Guo Jingfei * Yuan Wenkang

Music

Release

On March 20, 2019, the producers announced that the film was slated for release on October 1, 2019, during the National Day. On September 6, 2019, it was announced that the film has been advanced to September 30, 2019. ''My People, My Country'' was distributed by

China Media Capital China Media Capital ( Chinese: 华人文化) is a public equity and venture capital firm specializing in growth capital, mid venture, late venture, emerging growth, corporate restructuring, management buyouts, and mergers & acquisitions. The fir ...

, a major international distributor of Chinese film and television, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Reception

Box office

With a total gross of over $425 million, ''My People, My Country'' currently sits as the 12th highest-grossing non-English film of all time. The film grossed about 369 million yuan (51.62 million U.S. dollars) on its second day of screening. It grossed one billion yuan in three days. The film earned more than 2 billion yuan on its opening weekend.

Critical response

Douban Douban.com (), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese c ...

, a major Chinese media rating site, gave the drama 8.1 out of 10.

References

External links

* * *
Plots of ''My People, My Country''
on china.org.cn {{DEFAULTSORT:My People, My Country 2019 films 2010s Mandarin-language films Chinese drama films Chinese anthology films IMAX films Films directed by Chen Kaige Films set in Beijing Films set in Shanghai Films set in Inner Mongolia Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong Films shot in Beijing Films shot in Shanghai Films shot in Inner Mongolia Films directed by Xu Zheng Films directed by Guan Hu