General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Home Coming

Home Coming (万里归途) is a 2022 Chinese war drama directed by Rao Xiaozhi (饶晓志) that dramatizes the evacuation of Chinese citizens from a fictional war-torn North African country called Numia, following two unarmed diplomats who lead 125 stranded nationals through the final 100 kilometers to the border.¹ It was released in China on September 30, 2022, and became the box office champion of that year's National Day holiday period.²^•³

Key fact	Detail
Original title	万里归途 (Wan li gui tu)
Director	Rao Xiaozhi (饶晓志); Frant Gwo is credited as supervisor on the film's full credits⁴^•¹⁸
Starring	Zhang Yi as Zong Dawei, Wang Junkai as Cheng Lang, Yin Tao as Bai Hua⁴^•⁵
Release	September 30, 2022 (China); October 2022 limited releases in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland²^•¹
Runtime	137 minutes¹
Box office	$236,085,820 worldwide, of which $235,920,000 came from China⁵
Basis	Based on real-life evacuation events; a dramatization set in the 2010s⁵
Major awards	Golden Rooster Award for Best Art Direction (2023); Huabiao Film Award for Outstanding Film (2025)⁶

Spoilers

Story and premise

War breaks out in Numia, a fictional North African country. Zong Dawei (Zhang Yi), a Chinese diplomat previously stationed there, and Cheng Lang (Wang Junkai), a new attaché in the Chinese Foreign Ministry, are sent to assist in the evacuation of Chinese nationals. After completing their original assignment, they learn that another group of stranded Chinese citizens, led by Bai Hua (Yin Tao), the general manager of the Huaxing Company's Numia branch, is heading toward a border meeting point for evacuation. The two men return to the war zone and, over the last 100 kilometers, guide the 125 people through gunfire and desert to bring them home.¹

The story is set in February and March 2015, partly in China and partly in Numia.⁷ The central characters are diplomats rather than soldiers, and, as the film's marketing emphasized, they carry no weapons; the peril they face comes from rebel gunfire, checkpoints, and a punishing desert crossing.⁸ The British Board of Film Classification, which rated the film 15 for strong violence, threat, and injury detail, notes hostage scenes including forced rounds of Russian roulette, along with gunfire and riot violence.⁹

Production

The screenplay is credited to Qin Haiyan, Shi Ce, Lei Zhilong, and Jingwei Bu; Frant Gwo and Wang Hongwei served as producers, with Gwo also credited as a supervisor on the film.¹⁸ Hank Lee composed the score, with Faye Wong performing the theme vocals, and Liao Ni was the cinematographer.⁴ Production companies included HG Entertainment, Huace Pictures, Guo Fan Film, Free Whale Pictures, and Rao Film Studio.¹⁰

The film is based on real evacuation events, a genre Chinese commentators identify as the 撤侨 (citizen evacuation) subject, and Chinese film critics noted that it was the first major Chinese production to show such an operation from the diplomats' point of view.¹¹

Box office

Home Coming opened on September 30, 2022, the start of the National Day holiday release window, and led the holiday's slate from the outset. On its third day, October 2, it earned 185.7 million yuan, exceeding its October 1 total and reversing an expected decline.¹¹^•¹⁹ Through October 7, the holiday's total national box office reached 14.7 billion yuan, with Home Coming the top film of the period in both revenue and audience scores.³ The film was reported to have grossed 1.02 billion yuan during the National Day holiday.¹²^•²⁰

By early February 2023, Home Coming's 2022 domestic box-office total stood at 1.593 billion yuan, placing it fifth on the year's Chinese box office chart.¹³^•²¹ The Numbers records $235,920,000 from China and $236,085,820 worldwide, with limited releases also in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and, later, Russia.⁵ Early international opening figures put its first week at over 152 million dollars.⁸

Reception

Chinese platform scores were strong during the release window: as of October 3, 2022, Douban stood at 7.6, Maoyan at 9.6, and Weibo at 9.2.¹⁴ On IMDb, the film holds a 6.3/10 rating from 902 votes, with the most ratings coming from China, the United States, and Hong Kong.¹⁵ Critics split in emphasis: Carla Hay of Culture Mix wrote that the plot twists look overly manufactured but that the film delivers heartfelt performances and sustained suspense,¹⁰ while a review in The China Project found it more watchable than blunter patriotic blockbusters such as Wolf Warrior 2, though its politics limited its appeal.¹⁰ Chinese commentary made a related point about form: unlike Wolf Warrior 2 and Operation Red Sea, Home Coming builds its narrative from small-scale detail within a grand national story.¹⁶

Awards

The film accumulated 19 wins and 43 nominations overall.⁶ Principal results include:

Golden Rooster Awards 2023: won Best Art Direction (Miao Li); nominated for Best Actress (Yin Tao) and Best Music (Hank Lee).⁶
Hundred Flowers Awards 2024: nominated for Best Film, Best Actor (Wang Junkai), Best Actress (Yin Tao), and Best Screenplay.⁶
Huabiao Film Awards 2025: won Outstanding Film.⁶
Changchun Film Festival 2023: won Golden Deer for Best Director (Rao Xiaozhi) and Best Music (Hank Lee); nominated for Best Actor (Zhang Yi), Best Actress (Yin Tao), and Best Screenplay.⁶
Asian Film Awards 2023: nominations for Best Actor (Zhang Yi), Best Supporting Actress (Yin Tao), and Best Production Design (Miao Li).⁶
Shanghai International Film Festival 2023: won the China Movie & TV Night Award for Best Director for Film of the Year (Rao Xiaozhi).⁶
China Film Directors' Guild Awards 2023: won Best Picture (Rao Xiaozhi); nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay.⁶

Rao Xiaozhi also won Best Director at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival in India, where Home Coming screened as the highest-grossing Chinese National Day holiday film of 2022.¹⁷

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2020–2022 films › Released in 2022

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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