Movie scene from "Red Sorghum" by Zhang Yimou. [File photo]

Mo stressed that the story has no strong political ideology, "The story couldn't be published in the 1950s-1960s. Absolutely not, I put it in the right time. 'Red Sorghum' tried to understand all the people involved in the war; it's very human-based. "

Mo said he hoped the TV edition could give him some surprises like Zhang did before. "In recent years, anti-Japanese war-themed TV dramas are messed up," he said. " And it's hard to know the audience' taste nowadays. I'm just thinking, we can add some black humor to it, other than national tragedy. "

Zheng, one of the hottest TV directors in China, said he was greatly pressured because of Zhang's successful adaption and the possible harsh criticism from book fans and audience. But when he read the draft of the script, he felt this could be done.

Zheng is behind many popular TV series including "Yearning," "Beijinger in New York" and recently "The Legend of Zhen Huan", which has been sold to many foreign countries.

Zheng added that Mo has granted him the freedom to adapt as he liked, which relieved him, "It will be very comfortable for me to create, otherwise I would be scared to death," he said.