The Founding of a Republic

The Founding of a Republic
File:The Founding of a Republic - poster.jpg Film poster
Directed by	Huang Jianxin Han Sanping
Produced by	Huang Jianxin Han Sanping
Written by	Chen Baoguang Wang Xingdong
Starring	Tang Guoqiang Zhang Guoli Xu Qing Liu Jin Chen Kun Wang Wufu
Music by	Shu Nan
Cinematography	Zhao Xiaoshi
Edited by	Xu Hongyu
Production company	China Film Group Shanghai Film Studio Media Asia Films Emperor Motion Pictures Universe Entertainment Polybona Films China Movie Channel Beijing Guoli Changsheng Movies & TV Productions Beijing Hualu Baina Film & TV Production Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation DMG Entertainment Beijing Xinbaoyuan Movie & TV Investment
Distributed by	China Film Group Beijing Polybona Film Distribution (China) Universe Films Distribution (Hong Kong)
Release dates	September 16, 2009 (2009-09-16)
Running time	135 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin
Budget	$8.8–$10 million
Box office	$62.5 million

The Founding of a Republic is a 2009 Chinese historical film commissioned by China's film regulator and made by the state-owned China Film Group (CFG) to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The film was directed by Huang Jianxin and China Film Group head Han Sanping.

Although the film premiered on September 17, 2009 in mainland China, it has yet to receive publicity in Taiwan. The film was produced with the backing of the Communist Party, but in response to reactions outside Mainland China, Huang Jianxin, the film's co-director, "has said it was unfair to describe The Founding of a Republic as propaganda, since modern Chinese audience were too sophisticated to swallow a simplistic rendering of history." While the Taiwan government has asserted that it has no plans to actively censor the film, it has yet to be released because Taiwan's 2009 annual quota of 10 mainland films was already reached.

The film retells the tale of the Communist ascendancy and triumph, and has a star-studded cast including Andy Lau, Ge You, Hu Jun, Leon Lai, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Zhao Wei, and directors Jiang Wen, Chen Kaige and John Woo, many of whom make cameo appearances so brief they could be easily missed; the leading roles are played by actors equally renowned in China, such as Tang Guoqiang and Zhang Guoli, but they are less well-known internationally. A CFG spokesman said many stars answered Han Sanping's call to appear in the film, and waived their fee. Thus, the movie kept to its modest budget of 60–70 million yuan (US$8.8–$10 million). According to the executive at one of China's top multiplex chains, the film unusually marries "the core of an 'ethically inspiring' film with commercial packaging."

Plot

In 1945 after the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Mao Zedong and members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) travel to Chongqing for a meeting with Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang (KMT). With help from the China Democratic League, the Double Tenth Agreement is signed between the KMT and CPC, with both sides agreeing to stop the civil war and to establish a multi-party government in China.

The following year, Chiang Kai-shek calls for a National Assembly in Nanjing and is elected as President of the Republic of China (ROC). At the same time, the peace negotiations between the CPC and KMT fail and the civil war continues. Other political figures such as Zhang Lan, Soong Ching-ling and Li Jishen, support the CPC because they oppose Chiang's government, even though they are in non-battleground areas such as Shanghai and Hong Kong.

In May 1948, the CPC declares the opening of a "War of Liberation" against Chiang's ROC government, with many other political parties responding to the call and taking the CPC's side. The Red Army scores victories against the NRA in subsequent battles and eventually Chiang's forces retreat to Taiwan in December 1949. On 1 October 1949, Mao Zedong proclaims the People's Republic of China with its capital at Beijing, marking the start of a new era for China.

Cast

Main figures

Actor	Role	Description
Tang Guoqiang	Mao Zedong	Chairman of the Communist Party of China (CPC), later Chairman of the PRC Central People's Government
Zhang Guoli	Chiang Kai-shek	President of the Republic of China (ROC), Director-General of the Kuomintang (KMT)
Xu Qing	Soong Ching-ling	Sun Yat-sen's wife; later Vice President of the People's Republic of China (PRC)
Liu Jin	Zhou Enlai	Vice Chairman of the CPC, later Premier of the PRC
Chen Kun	Chiang Ching-kuo	Chiang Kai-shek's son; Youth League of the Three People's Principles leader, later President of the ROC
Wang Wufu	Zhu De	Commander-in-chief of the Red Army, later Vice Chairman of the PRC
Wang Xueqi	Li Zongren	Vice President of the ROC
Liu Sha	Liu Shaoqi	CPC Central Committee secretary, later President of the PRC
Wang Jian	Ren Bishi	CPC Central Committee secretary
Jin Xin	Li Jishen	NRA general, later Vice Chairman of the PRC
Wang Bing	Zhang Lan	Chairman of the China Democratic League, later Vice Chairman of the PRC
Vivian Wu	Soong Mei-ling	Chiang Kai-shek's wife and Soong Ching-ling's sister; later First Lady of the ROC
Xiu Zongdi	Fu Zuoyi	Chairman of Chahar government, later PRC Water Resources Minister

Chinese Communist Party figures

Actor	Role	Description
Huang Wei	Deng Yingchao	Zhou Enlai's wife; later CPPCC Chairwoman
Shi Xin	Deng Xiaoping	CPC Central Committee secretary, later Chairman of the CMC
Zong Liqun	Peng Dehuai	Second-in-command of the Red Army, later Vice Chairman of the CMC
You Liping	Lin Biao	Red Army general, later Vice Chairman of the PRC
Che Xiaotong	Liu Bocheng	Red Army general, later Marshal of the PLA
Zhao Yong	He Long	Red Army general, later Marshal of the PLA and Vice Premier of the PRC
Gu Wei	Chen Yi	Red Army general, later Foreign Minister of the PRC
Sun Jitang	Luo Ronghuan	Red Army general, later Marshal of the PLA
Wang Jun	Xu Xiangqian	Red Army general, later Marshal of the PLA
Ao Yang	Nie Rongzhen	Red Army general, later Marshal of the PLA
Ye Jin	Ye Jianying	Red Army general, later Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee
Hou Yong	Chen Geng	Red Army general
Zhao Ningyu	Liu Yalou	Red Army general
Zhang Erdan	Jiang Qing	Mao Zedong's wife
Xie Gang	Gao Gang	Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, later Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission
Wang Huaying	Pan Hannian	CPC politician, later Deputy Mayor of Shanghai
Huang Xiaoming	Li Yinqiao	Mao Zedong's chief bodyguard
Ma Yue	Yan Changling	Mao Zedong's chief bodyguard
Donnie Yen	Tian Han	Lyricist for March of the Volunteers, later member of the PRC Culture Ministry
Xu Fan	Liao Mengxing	Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning's daughter; Soong Ching-ling's secretary, later member of the All-China Women's Federation
Chen Hao	Fu Dongju	Fu Zuoyi's daughter; People's Daily reporter
Chen Daoming	Yan Jinwen	Deputy leader of Shanghai Investigative Branch of State Secrets Department
Zhang Ziyi	Gong Peng	PRC Foreign Affairs Ministry official

Kuomintang figures

Actor	Role	Description
Leon Lai	Cai Tingkai	NRA general, later CPC member
Chen Kaige	Feng Yuxiang	Chiang Kai-shek's sworn brother, NRA general, Vice President of National Military Council
Jiang Wen	Mao Renfeng	Head of BIS
Hu Jun	Gu Zhutong	Commander-in-chief of NRA; later Chief of staff of NRA
Andy Lau	Yu Jishi	NRA general
Chen Baoguo	Zhou Zhirou	NRA Air Force general
Jet Li	Chen Shaokuan	NRA Navy admiral, later NPC member
Xiao Wenge	He Yingqin	NRA general
You Yong	Bai Chongxi	NRA general
Li Qiang	Chen Cheng	NRA general, later Vice President of the ROC
Yang Xiaodan	Zhang Zhizhong	NRA general, later CPC member
Tong Dawei	Kong Lingkan	Kung Hsiang-hsi and Soong Ai-ling's son
Cao Kefan	Wu Kuo-chen	Mayor of Shanghai, later Governor of Taiwan Province
Zhong Xinghuo	Huang Shaoxiong	Vice President of Control Yuan, later NPC member
Xia Gang	Shao Lizi	NRA secretary, later NPC member
Ding Zhicheng	Lu Guangsheng	BIS agent
Tao Zeru	Wu Tiecheng	Vice President of Legislative Yuan, later Senior Advisor to the Office of the President of the ROC
Xu Huanshan	Yu Youren	President of Control Yuan
Zhao Xiaoshi	Sun Fo	Sun Yat-sen's son; President of Legislative Yuan
Sun Xing	Du Yuming	NRA general
Lin Dongfu	Gan Jiehou	Li Zongren's private secretariat representative
Ye Xiaojian	Tai Chi-tao	President of Examination Yuan
Zhang Hanyu	Liu Congwen

China Democratic League figures

Actor	Role	Description
Ge Cunzhuang	Tan Pingshan	KMT Revolutionary Committee member
Zhang Shizhong	Shen Junru	CDL member, later President of the PRC Supreme People's Court
Bi Yanjun	Luo Longji	CDL member, later CPC member
Wu Gang	Wen Yiduo	Poet, CDL member
Qiao Lisheng	Guo Moruo	Author, poet, historian, archaeologist; later President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Deng Chao	Xu Beihong	Artist, later President of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts
Li Bin	He Xiangning	Artist, CDL member, later CPC member
Zhang Qiufang	Li Dequan	Feng Yuxiang's wife; member of the KMT Revolutionary Committee, later PRC Health Minister
Liu Yiwei	Li Huang	Chinese Youth Party founder

Other notable historical figures

Actor	Role	Description
Feng Xiaogang	Du Yuesheng	Shanghai Green Gang boss
John Woo	Liu Wenhui	Sichuan warlord
Feng Yuanzheng	Philip Fugh	John Leighton Stuart's personal assistant

Foreign political figures

Actor	Role	Description
Aleksandr Pavlov	Joseph Stalin	Soviet Union leader
Donald Eugene McCoy	George Marshall	United States military leader, later Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense
Donald Freeman	Patrick J. Hurley	United States Ambassador to China
Leslin H Collings	John Leighton Stuart	United States Ambassador to China, President of Yenching University

Fictional characters

Actor	Role
Sun Honglei	Hu Liwei, Central Daily News reporter
Fan Wei	Guo Bencai, Mao Zedong's cook
Liu Ye	Red Army old soldier
Ge You	Red Army Fourth Division leader
Wang Baoqiang	Red Army Fourth Division soldiers
Wang Xuebing
Huang Shengyi	Xinhua News Agency broadcaster
Jackie Chan	Reporter interviewing Li Jishen
Chen Hong	Reporter interviewing Zhang Lan
Li Youbin	Newspaper agency head
Zhang Jianya	Chiang Kai-shek's deputy
Lian Jin	Zhou Zhirou's deputy
Sun Xing	Yu Jishi's deputy
Guo Xiaodong	NRA officer
Liu Ye	KMT police officers
Huang Zixuan
Guo Degang	Cameraman
Zhang Shen	Translator accompanying Liu Shaoqi to the Soviet Union
Gong Beibi	Red Army female soldiers
He Lin
Yang Ruoxi
Che Yongli
Tony Leung Ka-fai	CPPCC members
Feng Gong
Zhao Wei
Miao Pu
Dong Xuan
Chen Shu
Ning Jing
Shen Aojun
Wang Yajie
Zhao Baoyue
Wang Fuli

See also

• The Founding of a Party

External links

• The Founding of a Republic at IMDb
• The Founding of a Republic at the Chinese Movie Database