Mixed reaction to Communist Party epic in China
Beginning of the Great Revival, the epic cinematic tribute to the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), was released in mainland China cinema on June 15, 2011. However, the suspended release of Hollywood movies in June as a result, has enraged many people.
Angry netizens have trashed the movie through online rating platforms such as Douban Movie, resulting in the suspension of the site’s rating and comment system.
Varying interpretations
With the recent social unrest and massive protests across China, the history of the founding of CCP is more than ever being subjected to all kinds of political interpretation. Prominent blogger Yang Hengjun pointed out that the movie’s story is about ending dictatorship [zh] on the Sina Weibo forum on June 10, before the movie was released:
Beginning of the Great Revival will be released on June 15. Since we have spent so much money [on making it], we better watch the movie. The story is about a group of Chinese people who shed their blood to end the Kuomingtang’s one party dictatorship. Eventually they get their victory. You can go to the cinema to enjoy the scene when CCP ended KMT’s [Kuomingtang’s] one party dictatorship. You can even shout out with the CCP inside the cinema: end the one party dictatorship, long live democracy and freedom!
Upon watching the below trailer of the movie, Twitter user @Fox_Tang changes his attitude towards the movie [zh]:
I am wrong, totally wrong. Yesterday I was mocking at the founding of the party, but after watching the trailer, I really feel that all young people should see this movie and learn from the movie how to struggle with corrupted power. Learn how to strike and overthrow the dictatorship…
By Oiwan Lam in Global Voices.