{ "id": "epwb9e8kt2", "slug": "the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death", "title": "The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death", "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.war-action-and-adventure", "label": "War action and adventure", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.war-action-and-adventure" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.war-action-and-adventure.war-action-films-released-since-2000", "label": "War action films released since 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.war-action-and-adventure.war-action-films-released-since-2000" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.war-action-and-adventure.war-action-films-released-since-2000.yr-2017-2026", "label": "Released 2017 to 2026", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.war-action-and-adventure.war-action-films-released-since-2000.yr-2017-2026" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "China · 2021 and later: Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.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.t2021", "label": "China · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2021.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.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (志愿军：存亡之战) is Chen Kaige's 2024 Chinese war film, second in his Korean War trilogy, dramatizing the 1951 Battle of Cheorwon; it earned RMB 1.206 billion and topped the 2024 National Day box office.", "snippet": "The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (志愿军：存亡之战) is Chen Kaige's 2024 Chinese war film, second in his Korean War trilogy, dramatizing the 1951 Battle of Cheorwon; it earned RMB 1.206 billion and topped the 2024 National Day box office.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.war-action-and-adventure.war-action-films-released-since-2000.yr-2017-2026", "markdown": "# The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death\n\n**The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death** (志愿军：存亡之战) is a 2024 Chinese war drama directed by Chen Kaige and the second installment of his three-film *The Volunteers* series about the [Korean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-war), which China calls the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950–1953). It dramatizes the blocking battle at Cheorwon (铁原阻击战) in May 1951, in which the 63rd Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army held off United Nations forces, and it was released in mainland China on 30 September 2024, at the start of the National Day holiday.[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film926410.html) • [2](https://www.flickchart.com/movie/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title, year, runtime | 志愿军：存亡之战, 2024, 144 minutes, Mandarin, China[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film926410.html) |\n| Director and writers | Directed by Chen Kaige; screenplay by Zhang Ke, based on a novel by Lan Xiaolong[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film926410.html) |\n| Historical subject | The May 1951 Battle of Cheorwon, where the CPVA 63rd Army, just out of a month-long battle, faced four divisions of the United Nations Army[2](https://www.flickchart.com/movie/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death) |\n| Lead cast | Zhu Yilong (Li Xiang), Xin Baiqing (Li Moyin), Zhang Zifeng (Li Xiao), Wu Jing (Fu Chongbi), Wang Yanhui (Peng Dehuai)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32843258/fullcredits/) |\n| Release | Mainland China, 30 September 2024; Hong Kong, 1 October 2024, distributed by Emperor Motion Pictures[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl974356481/weekend/?sort=date) |\n| Box office | RMB 1.206 billion in mainland China; $166,855,881 reported from China[5](https://piaofang.maoyan.com/i/movie/1491310/extrainfo/issuedNotice?barTheme=262640) • [6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Volunteers-The-Battle-of-Life-and-Death-The-%282024-China%29) |\n| Trilogy position | Second of three films: *The Volunteers: To the War* (2023), this film (2024), and *The Volunteers: Peace at Last* (2025)[7](https://post.smzdm.com/p/al3x2z7e/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story and historical setting\n\nThe film covers the third through fifth battles of the Korean War, with the Battle of Cheorwon as its highlight.[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film926410.html) In May 1951, the 63rd Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was ordered onto the Cheorwon battlefield immediately after a month-long battle, to fight against four divisions of the United Nations Army; the synopsis states that the volunteers' defense finally brought the enemy to the negotiation table.[2](https://www.flickchart.com/movie/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death) Chinese film-industry reporting gives the scale of the historical engagement as 25,000 soldiers of the 63rd Army fighting nearly 50,000 UN troops for 12 days and nights, constructing what the paper calls a steel Great Wall on the Cheorwon battlefield.[8](https://chinafilmnews.cn/UploadFiles/file/20241009/202410091010125490.pdf)\n\n**A family at the center.** Unlike the more panoramic first film, this installment starts on a personal level and stays there, following three members of the Li family serving in the [Volunteer Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/volunteer-army): Li Xiang (Zhu Yilong), his father Li Moyin (Xin Baiqing), and his sister Li Xiao (Zhang Zifeng).[9](https://sino-cinema.com/page/99/?ga=UlA0WULrHrRT3iUCN2RJ9kYJN2i9OPCwI75LjQq6dXpMNCmNz60NJyGgi4te%2BhH%2Fa02QlMje4KBRdbo%2FdWUO%2Bw%3D%3D&gerf=WyF2rhifTAZg7CSGhhTjMXkG8NkYDBOpQjfqitGp1A0%3D&guro=KuqpJJdY7j4VAx9grj87qyPlBCr%2BMLZYP1%2FiF9wdcw346Q7wh5NzKp8J8Vu1Aao4rsYeFcxlQPJIXEar8Tf9VA%3D%3D) Historical commanders appear alongside them: Wu Jing plays Fu Chongbi, Wang Yanhui plays [Peng Dehuai](https://www.edgepedia.org/peng-dehuai), and Tang Guoqiang plays [Mao Zedong](https://www.edgepedia.org/mao-zedong).[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32843258/fullcredits/) Chen Kaige explained the trilogy's division of labor in a People's Daily interview: the first film covers the decision to enter the war and the first two campaigns, the second covers the third through fifth campaigns with the life-and-death Cheorwon blocking battle at its core, and the third covers fighting while negotiating.[10](https://www.peopleapp.com/column/30035381347-500000433761) In the same interviews he named his greatest motivation: the fear that these soldiers would be forgotten.[11](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2024/1005/c1012-40333249.html)\n\nFilm scholar Hu Zhifeng, writing in the *Journal of Chinese Film Studies*, describes the film's \"thread-and-ring narrative structure\", which weaves multiple standalone stories into a cohesive whole and constructs richly layered characters, and credits its attention to detail and emotional expression with pioneering a new direction for the war film genre.[12](https://doi.org/10.1515/jcfs-2025-0054)\n\n## Production and the trilogy\n\nThe film was produced by August First Film Studio, Beijing Rongyou Film & Television Culture, Bona Film Group, and China Film Co., Ltd., with China Film Creative Beijing among the credited companies.[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film926410.html) At a premiere event, Chen Kaige said the trilogy contains about 12,000 shots in total, and trade reporting noted that this installment greatly increased the proportion of war scenes compared with the first film.[13](https://m.jiemian.com/article/11793615.html) The trilogy was shot back to back over 521 days of filming across five years.[7](https://post.smzdm.com/p/al3x2z7e/) The second film opens in a peaceful Beijing before moving to the battlefield, a deliberate contrast Chen Kaige described in a trade interview.[14](https://cdn.imaschina.com/Ebook/2024/Cine_20240910.pdf)\n\nThe first installment, *[The Volunteers: To the War](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-volunteers-to-the-war)*, was released in September 2023 and earned RMB 868 million in mainland China, a result the second film's run substantially improved on.[9](https://sino-cinema.com/page/99/?ga=UlA0WULrHrRT3iUCN2RJ9kYJN2i9OPCwI75LjQq6dXpMNCmNz60NJyGgi4te%2BhH%2Fa02QlMje4KBRdbo%2FdWUO%2Bw%3D%3D&gerf=WyF2rhifTAZg7CSGhhTjMXkG8NkYDBOpQjfqitGp1A0%3D&guro=KuqpJJdY7j4VAx9grj87qyPlBCr%2BMLZYP1%2FiF9wdcw346Q7wh5NzKp8J8Vu1Aao4rsYeFcxlQPJIXEar8Tf9VA%3D%3D) The third, *The Volunteers: Peace at Last*, opened on 30 September 2025 and grossed RMB 642 million, topping the 2025 National Day holiday but finishing with the series' lowest total.[7](https://post.smzdm.com/p/al3x2z7e/)\n\n## Box office\n\nThe film opened on 30 September 2024 and took first place that day in box office, admissions, and occupancy.[15](https://www.hbfilm.com.cn/News/2024093016312569516078) Ticketing agency Maoyan reported a cumulative RMB 802 million after seven days, and Variety relayed Maoyan's projection of a RMB 1.4 billion (about $199 million) final total, which would place it in the year's top ten.[16](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64871402/) During the 1–7 October holiday week it earned RMB 802 million (with RMB 853 million counted to that date), taking the 2024 National Day holiday championship and the year's top gross among Chinese war films domestically.[17](https://www.hbfilm.com.cn/News/2024102109392465575030) Its final mainland total was RMB 1.206 billion, with more than 29.01 million admissions.[5](https://piaofang.maoyan.com/i/movie/1491310/extrainfo/issuedNotice?barTheme=262640) • [7](https://post.smzdm.com/p/al3x2z7e/)\n\nThe Numbers records $166,855,881 from China as the film's worldwide gross, and FilmDB lists a similar $165.6 million, ranking it #43 among 2024 releases worldwide.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Volunteers-The-Battle-of-Life-and-Death-The-%282024-China%29) • [18](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death-2024-box-office) In Hong Kong, where Emperor Motion Pictures released it on 1 October 2024, it grossed $329,899.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl974356481/weekend/?sort=date)\n\n## Reception and awards\n\nThe China Film Audience Satisfaction Survey placed the film first among the eight surveyed 2024 National Day releases with a score of 86.0, 2.7 points above the second film and 2.2 points above the first installment of the series; its thought-content score of 87.1 led all films surveyed in 2024, and it took first place in nine of ten indicators among ordinary audiences.[19](https://www.cfa.org.cn/eportal/ui?articleKey=be03a83c7878497389f161bf5686e63f&columnId=bab0d753635c4d0bb869bc752c3b4e8e&pageId=37a0783c76bd4611b82235402ea26f03) On Douban the film opened at 7.5 out of 10, with many viewers finding it heavier and more brutal than the first film and praising its realistic depiction of battlefield tactics; the score later settled at 6.7 based on about 159,000 ratings.[20](https://www.gamersky.com/news/202410/1824659.shtml) • [21](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%97%E6%84%BF%E5%86%9B/64994447?fromModule=lemma_inlink) Some viewers were less favorable: one widely read Douban review objected to the commercial casting of popular idols, and [Letterboxd](https://www.edgepedia.org/letterboxd) users were divided between praise for the war scenes and complaints that the film played as a series of clips rather than a single story.[22](https://movie.douban.com/review/16368614/) • [23](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death/reviews/)\n\nThe film received several Chinese industry honors, listed by Baidu Baike: the Jury Grand Prize at the 20th Changchun Film Festival (2025), the Special Jury Prize at the 38th Golden Rooster Awards (2025), and Most Concerned Film at the 22nd Film Channel Media Awards (2025), along with a Best Picture nomination at the 16th Macau International Movie Festival and acting and craft nominations at the Golden Roosters for Zhu Yilong, Zhang Zifeng, cinematographer Zhao Fei, and others.[24](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%97%E6%84%BF%E5%86%9B%EF%BC%9A%E5%AD%98%E4%BA%A1%E4%B9%8B%E6%88%98/64894488?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma) The Film Channel jury's Most Concerned Film honor, together with a Most Concerned Music honor for composer Guo Sida, was reported by Sohu as well.[25](https://www.sohu.com/a/905617858_388075)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), Filmaffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film926410.html)\n2. [The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), Flickchart](https://www.flickchart.com/movie/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death)\n3. [The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32843258/fullcredits/)\n4. [The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl974356481/weekend/?sort=date)\n5. [志愿军：存亡之战 发行通知, 猫眼专业版](https://piaofang.maoyan.com/i/movie/1491310/extrainfo/issuedNotice?barTheme=262640)\n6. [The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (志愿军：存亡之战) (2024), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Volunteers-The-Battle-of-Life-and-Death-The-%282024-China%29)\n7. [《志愿军：浴血和平》入围金鹿奖, 什么值得买](https://post.smzdm.com/p/al3x2z7e/)\n8. [中国电影报, 2024年10月9日](https://chinafilmnews.cn/UploadFiles/file/20241009/202410091010125490.pdf)\n9. [Review: The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), Sino-Cinema (Derek Elley)](https://sino-cinema.com/page/99/?ga=UlA0WULrHrRT3iUCN2RJ9kYJN2i9OPCwI75LjQq6dXpMNCmNz60NJyGgi4te%2BhH%2Fa02QlMje4KBRdbo%2FdWUO%2Bw%3D%3D&gerf=WyF2rhifTAZg7CSGhhTjMXkG8NkYDBOpQjfqitGp1A0%3D&guro=KuqpJJdY7j4VAx9grj87qyPlBCr%2BMLZYP1%2FiF9wdcw346Q7wh5NzKp8J8Vu1Aao4rsYeFcxlQPJIXEar8Tf9VA%3D%3D)\n10. [“上下同欲者胜”——陈凯歌谈电影《志愿军》三部曲, 人民日报](https://www.peopleapp.com/column/30035381347-500000433761)\n11. [对话陈凯歌：用镜头铭记志愿军是我的幸运, 人民网](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2024/1005/c1012-40333249.html)\n12. [Hu, Zhifeng. \"New Explorations in War Film Creation: Reflections on The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death\", Journal of Chinese Film Studies 5(2), 2025](https://doi.org/10.1515/jcfs-2025-0054)\n13. [《志愿军：存亡之战》票房破七亿，战争片仍是国庆档刚需？, 界面新闻](https://m.jiemian.com/article/11793615.html)\n14. [电影网专访陈凯歌（《电影》杂志2024年9月10日刊）](https://cdn.imaschina.com/Ebook/2024/Cine_20240910.pdf)\n15. [电影《志愿军：存亡之战》北京首映, 湖北长江电影集团](https://www.hbfilm.com.cn/News/2024093016312569516078)\n16. [China Box Office: 'Volunteers 2' Dominates Holiday Weekend (Patrick Frater, Variety), via IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64871402/)\n17. [湖北长江电影集团联合出品《志愿军：存亡之战》夺得2024年国庆档票房冠军](https://www.hbfilm.com.cn/News/2024102109392465575030)\n18. [The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024) box office, FilmDB](https://filmdb.co.uk/box-office/movie/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death-2024-box-office)\n19. [国庆档满意度同比小涨，《志愿军：存亡之战》高分折桂, 中国电影观众满意度调查](https://www.cfa.org.cn/eportal/ui?articleKey=be03a83c7878497389f161bf5686e63f&columnId=bab0d753635c4d0bb869bc752c3b4e8e&pageId=37a0783c76bd4611b82235402ea26f03)\n20. [《志愿军：存亡之战》豆瓣7.5分：更沉重、更惨烈, 游民星空](https://www.gamersky.com/news/202410/1824659.shtml)\n21. [志愿军（2023年至2025年陈凯歌执导的系列电影）, 百度百科](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%97%E6%84%BF%E5%86%9B/64994447?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n22. [导演不适合不擅长执导这一恢弘历史题材, Douban review](https://movie.douban.com/review/16368614/)\n23. [Reviews of The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death/reviews/)\n24. [志愿军：存亡之战 获奖记录, 百度百科](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%97%E6%84%BF%E5%86%9B%EF%BC%9A%E5%AD%98%E4%BA%A1%E4%B9%8B%E6%88%98/64894488?fromModule=tashuo-article_bottom-lemma)\n25. [《志愿军：存亡之战》获“最受传媒关注影片”荣誉, 搜狐](https://www.sohu.com/a/905617858_388075)\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) › War action and adventure › War action films released since 2000 › Released 2017 to 2026*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 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/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death.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": "\"The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-volunteers-the-battle-of-life-and-death. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death is Chen Kaige's 2024 Chinese war film, second in his Korean War trilogy, dramatizing the 1951 Battle of Cheorwon; it earned RMB 1.206 billion and topped the 2024 National Day box office." }