When the starry river of images calls for a lamplighter, it requires a pair of hands that can lift the lens to measure the historical depth of field and carve the breath of the era with films. National first-class director Dong Yachun will serve as the jury president of the “Star Horizon Project”. This artist, who has won the Golden Rooster Awards and Flying Apsaras Award, will infuse the micro drama field with professional strength drawn from four decades of profound dedication to film and television creation.
Dong Yachun, Jury President of the “Star Horizon Project”
The Lens as a Historical Pen: Four Decades Forging a Creation Coordinate System
Since enlisting in the military in 1976 to embark on his artistic career, Director Dong Yachun's creations have consistently resonated with the times. In 1993, he opened the door to cinematography with Dog King, earning a Golden Rooster Awards nomination for Best Cinematography. In 2002, his gripping rainforest chase sequences in Charging Out Amazon secured him the 22nd Golden Rooster Awards for Best Cinematography. After transitioning to directing in 2005, his works The Eighth Route Army and China Expeditionary Force successively claimed the Golden Star Award for Military Television Dramas and the Flying Apsaras Award for Best Director. In 2020, Crossing the Yalu River retold the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea through panoramic storytelling, achieving peak ratings on CCTV. In 2024, Northwest Years, a key project guided by Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China and National Radio and Television Administration, meticulously depicted the faith journey of the Communist Party of China. Over four decades, he has transformed from a battlefield photographer to a historical narrator, establishing the latitude and longitude of Chinese film and television creation.
Director Dong Yachun at work
“Narrate History with Heart, Let Spirit Touch Hearts”
When directing Crossing the Yalu River, Director Dong Yachun demonstrated profound reverence and steadfast commitment to historical authenticity. He led the crew to recreate battlefields on location in Dandong, Liaoning Province, enduring temperatures of -20°C. In Diaobingshan, Tieling City, steam locomotives and railway tracks revived historic scenes of the Northeast Army, while shots of the monuments at Chinese People's Volunteers Martyrs' Cemetery in Shenyang became a solemn tribute to heroes. To ensure accuracy, the crew built a 1:1 scale replica of the Yalu River Bridge in a Beijing studio using steel, meticulously matching historical footage down to preserved rust and wear marks on the bridge.
Behind-the-Scenes Photo of Crossing the Yalu River
Director Dong Yachun firmly believes that authentic historical creation transcends mere event reconstruction, demanding profound exploration of characters' inner worlds. He emphasizes: “We must carry reverence for history, historical figures, and revolutionary predecessors, and silently immerse ourselves in the history to meticulously feel and contemplate the contextual realities of these individuals.”
Northwest Years spans twenty-five years, narrating the revolutionary journey of predecessors. Within this grand historical panorama, Director Dong Yachun drives the story through character relationships and conflicts, adhering to the creation principle of “seeking truth from facts”. Without exaggeration, he pursues authenticity and precision, embedding profound reverence for history and figures into every meticulously crafted scene.
Behind-the-scenes photo of Northwest Years
Director Dong Yachun consistently places “people” at the core of historical narratives. Through his lens, history is not a cold conclusion in textbooks, but the frostbitten hands of soldiers, the palm lines of villagers passing cornbread, and footprints of mutual support in the snow - these breath-carrying details anchor the “quality-driven” vision of the Star Horizon Project.
The “Star Horizon Project”, jointly launched by the Beijing International Film Festival and Qingmu Tianfeng Digital Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., aims to advance the industrial upgrading of micro drama, ensuring every minute of footage withstands scrutiny and every work becomes a stepping stone for the industry's future.
Director Dong Yachun's participation infuses the project with historical depth and professionalism. From battlefield photographer to historical storyteller, the creation wisdom forged over four decades will illuminate an eternal beacon for Chinese film and television's “light cavalry” within the Star Horizon Project's galaxy.
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