A Chinese TV drama marking the 70th anniversary of China’s move to support North Korea during the Korean War (1950-53) began filming in Beijing on Saturday.
The historical drama, Kuaguoyalujiang, which roughly translates to “Across the Yalu River,” will portray the war in a panoramic manner with the aim of carrying forward the great spirit of the Chinese nation’s revolutionary heroism, revolutionary optimism and internationalism, according to reports.
Historic moments, from the Chinese government’s decision to dispatch Chinese troops to support North Korea to the signing of the armistice agreement, will be featured in the drama, which boasts more than 300 actors from China and abroad along with a huge number of extras.
In order to successfully shoot the series, the film crew plans to divide into three groups to shoot in Northeast China’s Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces, North China’s Beijing and Tianjin municipalities and Hebei Province.
The drama brings together China’s top production team for domestic military dramas. Director Dong Yachun said at the launch ceremony on Saturday that the drama will recreate more than 20 large-scale war scenes including the Battle of Triangle Hill and the liberation of Pyongyang, China News reported.
The crew will need to build more than 400 different sets as well as lease and produce more than 30 tons of equipment such as three aircraft and more than 30 tanks.
Filming is scheduled to be completed in December and will be aired soon after on CCTV-1 during prime time.
The remains of Chinese volunteer soldiers killed in the Korean War (1950-1953) are prepared before a transfer back to China in Incheon, South Korea, April 1, 2019. The handover ceremony for the remains of 10 Chinese volunteer soldiers will be held on April 3. (Photo: China News Service)
