Shooting begins for historic Red Army battle series

Shooting for the online series "Battle at Songmaoling" recently commenced at Hengdian World Studios.

Co-produced by Youku and Ciwen Media, the 24-episode revolutionary drama directed by Liu Xuesong pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

The backdrop of the series is the Red Army's last battle against the fifth "encirclement and suppression" campaign launched by Kuomintang.

Songmaoling is located at the junction of Changting and Liancheng counties in southeast China's Fujian Province. The battle there in 1934 is considered an important historical event in China's revolutionary history.

During the battle, more than 10,000 young Red Army soldiers fought against the Kuomintang troops for seven consecutive days and nights. Their dedication and sacrifices gained valuable time for the main forces of the Red Army to undertake a strategic transfer by embarking on the Long March.

The series will also take viewers back to the revolutionary years, and present touching portraits of the young soldiers' tenacious and never-yielding spirit.

Producers of the series visited historians and local villagers to gather material for the series.

The series stars many young actors, including Zhang Ningjiang, Zhu Yin and Guo Jiahao. It portrays how young people at the time, many of whom hadn't received much education or military training, built up faith.

Compared with recent red-themed dramas that mostly tell stories about senior commanders, "Battle at Songmaoling" primarily focuses on the growth and dedication of ordinary young soldiers. Although imperfect, they made extraordinary choices at the most critical times.

The series has been selected as a project supported by the National Radio and Television Administration.