Upcoming film marks China's anti-poverty effort

As a tribute to China's efforts in ending extreme poverty, the film Road to Glory is scheduled to be released in the Chinese mainland in mid–to-late April.

Shot in Fengjie county of Southwest China's Chongqing, the 110-minute film is about two grassroots cadres, an agricultural expert and an overseas-educated talent, who team up to help locals shake off poverty through plantation and promoting tourism in a far-flung village.

Wen Wei, chief scriptwriter, said she was surprised to read all of the country's nearly 100 million impoverished rural residents were lifted out of poverty after an eight-year battle by last year, giving her motivation to bring the tale to life on the silver screen.

A veteran who conducted interviews about alleviating poverty several years ago, Wen added the creators hope the film could explain how China has succeeded in tackling poverty from the roots and helped those once struggling with poverty lead a decent life with dignity.

During a recent seminar held by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles in Beijing, Yin Hong, deputy chairman of the China Film Association and a professor at Tsinghua University, said rural areas have been a subject depicted and featured in many domestic films.

He said the first peak for such tales was in the 1960s, exemplified by classics likeBao Feng Zhou Yu (the storm) and The Red Flag Composes, which mostly depict the liberation of the countryside, followed by a second wave centering on changes in rural areas brought by reform and opening-up in the 1980s.

With the release of recent titles similar to Road to Glory, Yin predicted a new wave of countryside-themed films will showcase Chinese rural areas as they undergo an unprecedented change.