From ancient legends to global blockbusters
The stories that define Chinese cinema — a demon child who rewrote destiny, a warrior woman who crossed centuries, and the filmmakers who brought them to the world.
Two films, two legends, two journeys from ancient China to the global screen — and the real places where you can step inside the stories.
January 2025 — a small boy walks out of flames with dark-circled eyes, bared teeth, and flaming wheels beneath his feet. "Ne Zha 2" went on to earn $2.26 billion globally, surpassing Titanic to become the fourth highest-grossing film in history — the only non-Hollywood film in the top five. This is the story of how a 3,000-year-old myth became a cinematic phenomenon.
"Ji ji fu ji ji, Mulan dang hu zhi." So begins a folk song from the 5th century. A young woman cuts her hair, takes her father's armor, and rides to war. The story traveled through Music Bureau poetry, Ming Dynasty opera, a Disney animated classic, and a 2020 blockbuster. And at the end of that journey — a small southern Chinese town with 99 stone steps.
The Film That Brought Wuxia to the World
A Tragedy of Love, Opera, and History