The Founding of a Party

The Founding of a Party, alternatively titled in English Beginning of the Great Revival for its international release, is a Chinese propaganda film released in 2011 to mark the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. The film is directed by Huang Jianxin and Han Sanping, both of whom also worked on the related film, The Founding of a Republic, which features a star-studded cast of Chinese actors, including Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat. The film was created by the state-owned China Film Group and depicts the formation of the Chinese Communist Party, beginning with the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 and ending with the Party's founding congress in 1921.<ref>Chi-Chi Zhang. [http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/123534789.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue 'China takes no chances on blockbuster status of star-filled propaganda film 'Great Revival], Associated Press, 9 June 2011</ref> Plot During the early 20th century, China is marked by political disunity and a handful of individuals, including Mao Zedong, Li Dazhao, and Zhou Enlai, envision a unified China, especially in the political crises that followed the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, which ended centuries of dynastic rule in the country. After World War I, the Western Allies gave Qingdao and Jiaozhou Bay to the Empire of Japan at the Treaty of Versailles, stirring sentiments amongst China's youth, leading to the May Fourth Movement of 1919. In March 1920, Grigori Voitinsky comes to China in an attempt to spread communism to the Far East and, on 22 July 1921, 13 representatives from throughout China meet in a Shanghai's women's dormitory to found what would become the Chinese Communist Party. Cast ProductionThe Founding of a Party was one of 28 films promoted by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television to mark the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party. Filming commenced on 18 August 2010 at the China Film Group Corporation's shooting location in Huairou District, Beijing.