Documentary film portrays Mao Zedong's emotional connection with the Chinese people

Documentary film "The People" hit cinemas across China on December 26 to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the birth of late Chairman Mao Zedong.

On Thursday evening, the film's director Hao Yun attended a special screening and talked with local audience members at the SFC cinema at Guohua Plaza.

The film recounts the life and historic contributions of Mao to national prosperity, rejuvenation, and people's happiness.

His deep emotional ties with the Chinese people at different times are recorded. In Mao's eyes, people were both the best teachers and the motivating force in the making of world history.

Mao also delivered a celebrated speech on art and literature at Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, pointing out that cultural creations should be people-oriented, reflect the voice of the people, and cater to the people.

Hao has filmed an array of well-received documentaries such as "The Forbidden City," and "Mount Hengshan."

She included a lot of invaluable sequences about Mao in the film to highlight his achievements and strong emotional ties with people.

"When shooting the film, I interviewed some young people and their respect and love for Mao deeply impressed me," Hao said. "Many youngsters are so naturally attracted to the life, wisdom, and military strategy of Mao that they are doing in-depth historical research on their own."

A big challenge to the crew was that it was difficult to obtain abundant visual sequences to support a complete storyline in the movie.

"It's not a biographical film of Mao," Hao added. "It is mainly about Mao's understanding of people and his emotions and attitude toward them."

The film's sincere storytelling touched the local audience. It was also well-received for its creative incorporation of danmu, real-time comments that float across the screen, with several showing young viewers' resonance with Mao's life and philosophy.