''San Mao Joins the Army'' () is a 1992 Chinese

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed and co-written by

Zhang Jianya Zhang Jianya (, ) (born 1951) is a Chinese film director. As a graduate of the 1982 class of the Beijing Film Academy, Zhang is a founding member of the so-called Fifth Generation, a group that also includes in its numbers directors such as Zhan ...

and starring

Wei Zongwan Wei Zongwan (; born 24 November 1938) is a Chinese actor. He has been acting since the 1980s and has appeared in over 70 films and television shows. He has won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' San Mao Joins t ...

and Jia Lin. It is base on the

Manhua () are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ''Cu ...

of the same name by

Zhang Leping Zhang Leping (, November 10, 1910 – September 27, 1992) was a Chinese comic artist born in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. He played a key role in the development of modern manhua in China, and is mostly remembered for his work in Sanmao. Early l ...

. It was produced and distributed by

Shanghai Film Studio The Shanghai Film Studio (), one of the three biggest film studios in China, is the film division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese films and TV programs. History Shanghai ...

. The film premiered in China in 1992. The film follows the story of San Mao and his comrade-in-arms Laogui in the

Battle of Shanghai The Battle of Shanghai () was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan at the beginning of th ...

Plot

In 1937, after the

Marco Polo Bridge Incident The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident () or the July 7 Incident (), was a July 1937 battle between China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army. Since the Japanese invasion of Manchuria ...

, 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 ...

breaks out. San Mao (Jia Lin), a wandering orphan, joins the army, where he meets his comrade-in-arms Laogui (

), they participate in the

lead by

Feng Yuxiang Feng Yuxiang (; ; 6 November 1882 – 1 September 1948), courtesy name Huanzhang (焕章), was a warlord and a leader of the Republic of China from Chaohu, Anhui. He served as Vice Premier of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1930. He was ...

Chen Cheng Chen Cheng (; ; January 4, 1898 – March 5, 1965) was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main commanders of the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. After moving ...

and

Zhang Zhizhong Zhang Zhizhong or Chang Chih-chung (27 October 1890 – 6 April 1969) was a Chinese military commander and politician, general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and later a pro-Communist politician in the People's Rep ...

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 ...

. One day, they are dropped into the jungle, but the plane never comes to pick them up again. They live in the jungle for a long time and become savages. One day, a plane flies over the jungle and scatters numerous leaflets. After reading the leaflet, they know that the war is over.

Cast

* Jia Lin as San Mao *

as Laogui * Sun Feihu as

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

* Zhu Yi as Division commander Niu * Zhang Mingyu as Regimental commander * Li Ying as Wife * Jiang Wen as Girl * Dong Lin as Drillmaster * Shi Ling as General * Zhan Che as Policeman * Su Zhenyu as Young Master * Xu Caigen as Japanese soldier * Hu Ronghua as Military official

Reception

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 ...

gave the drama 8.3 out of 10.

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:San Mao Joins the Army 1992 films 1990s Mandarin-language films 1990s war comedy films Chinese war comedy films Children's war films Films set in Shanghai 1990s children's comedy films 1992 comedy films