Where heroes gave their all

"The Red Army soldiers knew they could die in the days to come, but they were still very happy to join the villagers in dancing and singing," Liu says. "Picture the scene, and you will find it moving and worthy of respect."

Liu, touched by all such stories he heard during the interviews, tried something novel with the script. At random, he recruited internet users to create a chat group on his social platform account, tantalizingly letting the public see some passages but blurring the characters and major twists.

"They knew it would be a war story about the Red Army, but they didn't know the details. I was very impressed that a person in one group suggested that I should not cast well-known actors because viewers would instantly know this was not a real soldier, so the film would lose its emotional impact."

Therefore, Liu recruited a low-profile cast, training his actors and actresses for about four months to make them look like military members in the shooting location in Hengdian, Zhejiang province.

Liu says he developed a deep connection with the main characters, all members of a Red Army militia unit, and he thoroughly immersed himself in the story.