Director turns to childhood memories for wartime epic

For director Zhang Yongxin, one of his most unforgettable childhood memories was listening to heroic stories told by his grandparents, who lived about 30 kilometers from the battlefield of Tai'erzhuang in Shandong province. The site, which marked a pivotal Chinese victory against Japanese invaders, became a rare source of hope for the nation during wartime.

"My grandmother told me that during the battle, at night she could hear nonstop artillery fire in the distance, like beans popping in a pan," Zhang recalled during a recent seminar in Beijing.

His grandfather, then teaching at a primary school, was ordered by the Kuomintang government to join teachers and students in clearing the battlefield after the fighting ended. "My grandfather said he carried bucket after bucket of shell casings. Everywhere he looked, there were piles of soldiers' bodies," Zhang said, adding that such harrowing family memories deepened his appreciation for peace today.

Those stories remained with Zhang for decades. When he was invited to direct Ba Qian Li Lu Yun He Yue (Eight Thousand Miles of Cloud and Moon), a 40-episode television series set during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), he felt the project was somehow destined.

Beginning on the eve of the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, the drama follows two intertwined storylines. Meng Wanfu, a chef whose only wish is to survive, is forcibly drafted into the Kuomintang army. At the same time, brigade commander Zhang Yunkui finds himself driven into a desperate situation because of strategic mistakes made by his superior. Facing what appears to be certain death, Zhang entrusts Meng with delivering news of his supposed death to his family in Nanjing.

But Zhang survives against all odds, only to be falsely accused by the Kuomintang of being a "fleeing general". Unable to clear his name, he later encounters a commander of the New Fourth Army, who rekindles his hope and becomes a mentor guiding him toward joining the Communist Party of China.

Meanwhile, through a twist of fate, Meng ends up caring for Zhang's family and enduring hardships alongside Zhang's wife, Ding Yujiao. Under the influence of an underground CPC member, both gradually commit themselves to the revolutionary cause.

Chief producer Mu Xiaoyong said development of the script began in 2013, when the three screenwriters decided to revisit wartime history through the experiences of ordinary people. The project ultimately took 14 years to complete.

To re-create the era as accurately as possible, the production team built more than 10 large-scale sets, including a wartime hospital, and tailored over 1,700 sets of military uniforms representing 13 branches of the armed forces of the time. The costumes and accessories were designed strictly according to historical records.

Actor Wang Yang, who portrays Zhang, described the role as unlike any he had attempted before. "Although he is a soldier trapped in the mud and flames of war, he also carries the spirit of a traditional scholar-official who regards mere survival as shameful and shirking responsibility as disgraceful," Wang says. "This combination of a warrior's toughness and a scholar's conscience is something I had never portrayed before."

Actress Wan Qian, who plays Zhang's wife, says her character represents countless Chinese women of that era who awakened through suffering. "She was not born a hero, but an ordinary woman who, in the darkest moments of national crisis, stood tall, struggled to survive, and pursued the light of faith."

The production has also resonated strongly with audiences. According to industry tracker CVB, the drama achieved an average television rating of 1.81 percent, while its highest-rated episode surpassed 3.73 percent.

Online, the series accumulated more than 2.41 billion views, and related topics generated over 170 million views on social media platforms such as Sina Weibo, driven by more than 460 trending discussions.