Animated film ‘Chang An’ love letter to golden age of poetry

A Chinese animated (动画) film, Chang An, featuring some of China’s most well-known poets has been a surprise hit at the box office. Since its release on July 8, the film     1    (fetch) over 700 million yuan, leading the domestic box office over the weekend. It is also a success by     2     (arouse) enthusiasm for poetic romance in the hearts of moviegoers.

The film is set in the Tang dynasty,     3     is often seen as a golden age in Chinese history from 618 to 907 due to its     4     (economy) and cultural prosperity, describing the stories of Gao Shi and Li Bai, their struggles to better themselves and society in the Tang dynasty.

Sitting in cinemas     5    (crowd) with moviegoers of all age groups, the audience     6     (eager) recited poetry alongside the actors on screen as they headed down memory lane. The movie is undoubtedly a masterpiece showing the characteristics of Chinese culture to the world. “The most fascinating part of the film is realizing that these familiar names were not just great poets but real people with flesh and blood,” Liao Kun, a Guangdong resident who watched the movie Saturday,     7     (tell) Sixth Tone.

Zou Jing,     8     chief director, emphasized, “We created Chang An to explore into the limitless treasures of Chinese culture through animation”. Xie Junwei, who co-directs the movie with Zou Jing, says the film is aimed at increasing     9    (aware) among young Chinese of traditional Chinese culture and history. “We wanted to tell the stories of these brilliant figures to young people through an animated film so that they can have a deeper understanding and more passion     10     our history and classic works,” Xie told domestic media Beijing Daily.

A realistic drama A Lifelong Journey has become a huge hit on TV and online recently.    1    (focus) on the ups and downs of Zhou’s family over five decades, it has caused nostalgia (怀旧) among many viewers. With the drama    2     (release) on China Central Television and streaming platform iQiyi on Jan 28, its viewership is    3    (steady) on the rise. Many viewers issued a    4    (describe) of the show that it was like a time machine to drift into the past, reflecting how they got here.

Adapted    5    Liang Xiaosheng’s award-winning novel of the same name, the show explores themes of family, friendship and romance in a bittersweet story. Set in    6    1960s, it’s not surprising that the family has to deal with lots of social    7    (change). like the restart of Gaokao, the country’s Reform and Opening-up, the boom of Xiahai and the nation’s anti-corruption campaign. Following the lives of Zhou’s family, the Grama gives viewers an insight into the ordinary Chinese who have turned a country in    8    (poor) into the second largest economy in the world.

The show’s director Li Lu,    9    became well known for his anti-corruption series in the Name of the People in 2017, said “China    10    ( witness) dramatic changes over the past five decades and it is time to create such a drama to remember the past.”