{ "id": "ep9aq6ce2b", "slug": "beginning-of-the-great-revival", "title": "Beginning of the Great Revival", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical", "label": "War and historical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics", "label": "Historical dramas and epics", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-symbols-to-l", "label": "Titles symbols to L", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-symbols-to-l" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-symbols-to-l.alpha-1-to-em", "label": "Titles 1 to Em", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-symbols-to-l.alpha-1-to-em" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Beginning of the Great Revival (建党伟业, 2011), a Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin tribute drama for the CCP's 90th anniversary, covering 1911–1921 with an all-star cast and over 200 million yuan early box office.", "snippet": "Beginning of the Great Revival (建党伟业, 2011), a Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin tribute drama for the CCP's 90th anniversary, covering 1911–1921 with an all-star cast and over 200 million yuan early box office.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-symbols-to-l.alpha-1-to-em", "markdown": "# Beginning of the Great Revival\n\n**Beginning of the Great Revival** (Chinese: 建党伟业; also translated *The Beginning of the Great Revival*) is a 2011 Chinese historical drama directed by Han Sanping (韩三平) and Huang Jianxin (黄建新), made as a tribute film for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China[1](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/381437/) • [2](https://www.bjiff.com/marketonline12th/Exhibition/zgdygfgs_12/jdwy_12/index_1234.html). An opening title card in the film announces that it was made \"in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the birth of the Communist Party of China\"[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-great-revival-20110624-story.html). It stars Liu Ye, Feng Yuanzheng, Zhang Jiayi, Chen Kun, and Ma Shaohua in the leading roles[2](https://www.bjiff.com/marketonline12th/Exhibition/zgdygfgs_12/jdwy_12/index_1234.html).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Chinese title | 建党伟业 (Jiàndǎng wěiyè); alternate title 建党大业[1](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/381437/) |\n| Directors | Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin[1](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/381437/) |\n| Release | June 15, 2011 (China); running time 2 hr 20 min per Box Office Mojo[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1699513/) |\n| Story span | From the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1921, in three parts: early Republic turmoil, the May Fourth Movement, and the founding of the Party[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxr9ZIYoS_g) |\n| Cast scale | 108 participating stars in the all-star ensemble[6](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-06-12/06113331843.shtml) |\n| Box office | First week 116 million yuan; over 200 million yuan by June 26, 2011; $58,320,429 worldwide lifetime gross[7](https://yule.sohu.com/20110630/n312094516.shtml) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1699513/) |\n| Production | Shot from August 18, 2010 to January 2011, at locations including Beijing, Tianjin, Hengdian, Shanghai, Changsha, and Moscow[6](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-06-12/06113331843.shtml) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story and structure\n\nThe film covers the decade from the outbreak of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1921. Its plot falls into three broad parts: the turmoil of the early Republic, the [May Fourth Movement](https://www.edgepedia.org/may-fourth-movement), and the founding of the Communist Party[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxr9ZIYoS_g).\n\nAccording to the synopsis from the distributor Emperor Motion Pictures, the story begins with the 1911 Revolution and depicts [Mao Zedong](https://www.edgepedia.org/mao-zedong) joining the New Revolutionary Army, Yuan Shikai crowning himself [Emperor of China](https://www.edgepedia.org/emperor-of-china), Sun Yat-sen and [Cai E](https://www.edgepedia.org/cai-e) establishing the National Protection Army against Yuan, and Zhang Xun's failed restoration, after which China entered a period in which warlords fought one another over territory[8](https://www.emp.hk/en/production/all/beginning-of-the-great-revival). The second movement follows the Paris Peace Conference, where China attended as a victor of the First World War but saw territories including Qingdao ceded to Japan, triggering the May Fourth Movement; the film then shows intellectuals, encouraged by the success of Russia's October Revolution, turning to Communism as a way to save the nation[8](https://www.emp.hk/en/production/all/beginning-of-the-great-revival). The final section depicts the gathering of thirteen Party member representatives in Shanghai and the official establishment of the Chinese Communist Party[8](https://www.emp.hk/en/production/all/beginning-of-the-great-revival).\n\n**Narrative approach.** A Chinese academic survey of Party-founding films places *Beginning of the Great Revival* in a lineage running from the documentary-style *Kaipianpidi* (1991), through this film's panoramic grand narrative, to the individual-centered narratives of *1921* and *The Pioneer* (both 2021)[9](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_13633957). The same account notes that the film continued the all-star ensemble commercial strategy of *The Founding of a Republic* (2009), using the aggregate appeal of 108 participating stars to give the red historical subject commercial momentum, and that it achieved prominent results in both box office and reputation[9](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_13633957).\n\n## Production\n\nFilming began on August 18, 2010 and wrapped in January 2011, a shoot of just over five months[6](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-06-12/06113331843.shtml). Locations included Beijing, Tianjin, Huairou, Yi County in Hebei, Hengdian, Shanghai, Changsha, and Moscow in Russia[6](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-06-12/06113331843.shtml). The largest crowd scene used more than 30,000 extras on set, and the longest shooting day ran 22 hours[6](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-06-12/06113331843.shtml).\n\nThe film was released in three formats nationwide: conventional film, conventional digital, and digital IMAX[6](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-06-12/06113331843.shtml). An official behind-the-scenes documentary, *The Practitioners* (践行者), recorded the entire shoot across eight locations, following directors Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin and the crew, and featuring figures including Chen Kaige, Jiang Wen, Peter Chan, Derek Yee, Chow Yun-fat, Zhao Benshan, Liu Ye, and [Chen Kun](https://www.edgepedia.org/chen-kun)[10](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2206762.shtml).\n\n**Casting.** Director Huang Jianxin said the production sought physical resemblance to the historical figures rather than casting by celebrity status, and that [Chen Duxiu](https://www.edgepedia.org/chen-duxiu)'s role in the film is larger than Mao Zedong's, with episodes poorly documented in historical sources deleted in the interest of accuracy[11](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2011/06-18/3120246.shtml). Apart from Ma Shaohua as [Sun Yat-sen](https://www.edgepedia.org/sun-yat-sen), almost no specialized look-alike actors were used, a choice the production explained as intended to increase audience freshness[1](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/381437/).\n\n## Release and box office\n\nThe film opened in China on June 15, 2011[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1699513/). In its first week it earned 116 million yuan, below *The Founding of a Republic* two years earlier but enough to become the top-grossing domestic opening week of 2011 at the time[7](https://yule.sohu.com/20110630/n312094516.shtml). By June 26, cumulative receipts had passed 200 million yuan, with nearly 7 million admissions and screenings accounting for close to half of national showings; China Film Group spokesperson Jiang Defu noted the release competed with several imported films including *Kung Fu Panda 2*, *Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides*, and *Fast Five*[12](https://news.sina.cn/sa/2011-06-29/detail-ikmyaawa3453366.d.html).\n\n[Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records a lifetime worldwide gross of $58,320,429, of which $57,540,356 came from China, with a 2016 re-release adding $11,140[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1699513/). Within the Wanda cinema chain, the film earned 42 million yuan, leading the 2011 tribute slate alongside *Feitian* and *Guo Mingyi*[13](https://www.ruyifilm.com/xwzx/yxyw/0d97b0ba965d11e982dc005056835733.html).\n\n**Reception.** Within two days of release, user scores on Douban and Mtime fell to what commentators called historic lows, and one website temporarily shut down its rating function; Huang Jianxin publicly dismissed rumors of an 800-million-yuan box office mandate as fabricated and questioned whether low scorers had seen the film[11](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2011/06-18/3120246.shtml). The Los Angeles Times review called the film \"a valiantly flawed effort at telling a long, complicated story somewhat succinctly,\" noting its heavy use of on-screen titles to introduce characters, dates, and locations for viewers not schooled in Chinese history between 1911 and 1921[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-great-revival-20110624-story.html).\n\n## Place in the series\n\n*Beginning of the Great Revival* is the second entry in what became known as the \"founding trilogy.\" It followed *The Founding of a Republic* (2009), made for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic, and preceded *The Founding of an Army* (2017), made for the 90th anniversary of the [People's Liberation Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/peoples-liberation-army), which was again produced with Han Sanping as chief planner and Huang Jianxin as producer[14](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BB%BA%E5%86%9B%E5%A4%A7%E4%B8%9A/19171028). The survey of Party-founding cinema identifies *1921* (2021) and *The Pioneer* (2021) as the next stage in the genre, marking a shift from this film's panoramic treatment toward narratives centered on individual historical figures[9](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_13633957).\n\n## References\n\n1. [建党伟业 (2011), 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/381437/)\n2. [建党伟业, 北京国际电影节云市场](https://www.bjiff.com/marketonline12th/Exhibition/zgdygfgs_12/jdwy_12/index_1234.html)\n3. [Movie review: 'Beginning of the Great Revival', Los Angeles Times (2011)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-great-revival-20110624-story.html)\n4. [Beginning of the Great Revival (2011), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1699513/)\n5. [《建党伟业》 full film, CCTV-6 Movie Theater (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxr9ZIYoS_g)\n6. [解读电影《建党伟业》：那时的青春之歌, 南方都市报 via 新浪娱乐 (2011)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2011-06-12/06113331843.shtml)\n7. [0620-0626内地票房：《建党伟业》破两亿, 搜狐娱乐 (2011)](https://yule.sohu.com/20110630/n312094516.shtml)\n8. [Beginning Of The Great Revival, Emperor Motion Pictures](https://www.emp.hk/en/production/all/beginning-of-the-great-revival)\n9. [建党题材电影的叙事特征与发展流变, 澎湃新闻](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_13633957)\n10. [建党伟业之践行者（官方纪录片）, 1905电影网](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2206762.shtml)\n11. [《建党伟业》导演：传言很无聊 看不懂回家补历史, 中新网 (2011)](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2011/06-18/3120246.shtml)\n12. [《建党伟业》上映半月票房2亿多, 央广网 via 新浪 (2011)](https://news.sina.cn/sa/2011-06-29/detail-ikmyaawa3453366.d.html)\n13. [万达院线 鼎力献礼, 儒意电影 (2011)](https://www.ruyifilm.com/xwzx/yxyw/0d97b0ba965d11e982dc005056835733.html)\n14. [建军大业（2017年刘伟强执导的电影）, 百度百科](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BB%BA%E5%86%9B%E5%A4%A7%E4%B8%9A/19171028)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › War and historical films (individual works) › Historical dramas and epics › Titles symbols to L › Titles 1 to Em*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/beginning-of-the-great-revival", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/beginning-of-the-great-revival.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Beginning of the Great Revival\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/beginning-of-the-great-revival. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Beginning of the Great Revival](https://www.edgepedia.org/beginning-of-the-great-revival)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/beginning-of-the-great-revival](https://www.edgepedia.org/beginning-of-the-great-revival). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Beginning of the Great Revival\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/beginning-of-the-great-revival. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Beginning of the Great Revival, a Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin tribute drama for the CCP's 90th anniversary, covering 1911–1921 with an all-star cast and over 200 million yuan early box office." }