Scenes featuring protagonists in five stand-alone stories of the film, one played by Fan Wei. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Seeing the project as a difficult and tightly scheduled mission, Zhang and Ning decided that the film should expand its settings to both rural and urban areas, conveying all Chinese people's joy and happiness to be part of a well-off society.

When Zhang and Ning, alongside other major creators, held a brainstorming meeting in early October last year, they were inspired by the then holiday hit My People, My Country, the first Chinese movie of its kind to bring several prestigious directors together to create different short tales under one overarching theme.

With a stellar cast and a theme in keeping with the patriotic mood surrounding the celebration of the nation's 70th birthday, My People, My Country reaped 3.1 billion yuan, topping the box-office charts during the 2019 National Day holiday.