BEIJING, July 23, 2025 -- Editor's Note:
Chinese people believe that letters are as valuable as gold. For thousands of years, letters, across mountains and oceans, have been delivering the writers' sentiments and conveying friendship and expectations.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has managed to find time to reply to some letters from different sectors of the society and different parts of the world despite his busy work schedule.
In this installment, 71-year-old Chinese actress Song Xiaoying, who recently received a reply letter from Xi alongside seven other veteran Chinese film artists, shares her perspective on her decades-long career, widely known and cherished fine cinematic works creation, and her wish to remain rooted in real life, uphold virtue, and pursue artistic excellence.
"I really didn't expect that we would receive a reply from President Xi so quickly. Despite his extremely busy schedule, he still cares so much about our film industry. As a film industry worker, I feel extremely proud," Song Xiaoying, a film artist and famous Chinese actress, told the Global Times after receiving a reply letter from Xi.
The Chinese president has called on people working in the country's film industry to create more fine cinematic works that reflect the spirit of the times and express the people's aspirations.
Xi made the remarks in a reply letter to eight veteran Chinese film artists, including Song on July 10.
In his reply, Xi said that reading the letter from the artists reminded him of the classic films in which they had participated, which are widely known and cherished by the viewing public.
Xi expressed hope that the artists would continue to set an example in upholding virtue and pursuing artistic excellence, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
He encouraged them to inspire the broader film community to strengthen cultural confidence, stay rooted in real life, and make new contributions to the prosperity of arts and the building of a culturally strong nation.
Rooted in real life
As one of the eight artists who wrote a letter to Xi, Song felt extremely honored. "The moment I signed my name, I couldn't calm down for a long time."
She remembered that after signing, each artist was present with a bouquet of flowers. "This sacred moment will become the most precious memory in my life," she said.
What touched Song the most was that Xi affirmed the work of the eight artists in the letter and placed earnest hopes on them. "In particular, he encouraged us - all the people working in the film industry - to strengthen cultural confidence, stay rooted in real life, and make new contributions to the prosperity of the arts and the building of a culturally strong nation."
Having been engaged in the film industry for over 50 years, Song is most deeply moved by the phrase "staying rooted in real life." She entered Changchun Film Studio, known as "Cradle of modern China's movie industry," at the age of 19 for her first film role in Guerrillas Sweep the Plain (1975). The film tells a story about a Chinese guerrilla group led by Li Xiangyang, which fought against the Japanese invaders during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945).
To play this role well, Song went to Ranzhuang in Hebei Province to experience life in the real tunnels as one of the main scenes depicted in the film. She crawled and maneuvered in the tunnels with her back bent, and also gained an understanding of the great wisdom of the Chinese people as well as the feeling of being trapped in a tunnel when smoke was poured in just like during the war.
"As an actor, only by truly being rooted in the soil of life can we really play a role well and create impressive works," she said.
Song told the Global Times that seeking inspiration from realities is something that has always come first for her as she would talk to and learn real-life these people including teachers and patients. "Homework is a must, including writing a biography for the role and observing similar people in reality. Observe what they said, remember how they said it, and even the movement of a small finger can tell a greater story," she added.
Fu Ruoqing, chairman of the China Film Group Corporation, still holds profound feelings for his silver screen career. It was after the premiere ceremony of the war epic trilogy The Volunteers, when a Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) army veteran in his 90s said with tears in his eyes, "Many scenes made me feel as if I were there, especially when I thought of those comrades who sacrificed their lives."
"Moments like this reinforce our conviction: Only when art takes root in the profoundness of history and the warmth of the people can it truly possess the power to move people's hearts," Fu told the Global Times.
According to Fu, the creative team behind the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) visited numerous CPV veterans and reviewed hundreds of thousands of words of historical materials, striving to restore the group portraits of heroes through authentic details and make those "the most beloved people," who shouldered the trust of the people and the expectations of the nation, shine brilliantly on the screen.
There may be a hundred or a thousand ways to create literary and artistic works, but the most "fundamental, crucial, and reliable one must be to stay rooted among the people and in real life," added he. "Such rootedness is not a perfunctory formality; instead, it is about transforming the accumulation of life into artistic truth."
Film for the people
Tian Hua, 97 years old and one of the eight artists who received the reply letter, still clearly remembers the classic lines from the film The White-haired Girl in which she starred back in 1951. She cherishes opportunity deeply and polishes her role repeatedly in the over 40 works that she has starred. She has been awarded honors such as the People's Artist, National Film Artist with Outstanding Contributions, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards.
"One may grow old, but art is evergreen. Both portraying the role of 'a daughter of the Party' in the same-named movie well and always retaining the true character of 'a daughter of the Party' are my unremitting life pursuits," she told the People's Daily.
Tian and seven other film artists have created a large number of classic films over the decades, which are "important treasures in the history of Chinese cinema," He Ying, president of Beijing Film Co, Ltd told the Global Times. "Creating for the people, paying tribute to the people, and putting the people at the center are important reasons why these classic films can transcend time and remain fresh and relevant."
In 1905, a silent, 30-minute black-and-white reel captured Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei performing as an ancient general, Huang Zhong, in Dingjun Mountain - China's first-ever film - ushering in an era of visual storytelling for the nation.
Now, 120 years later, China has rewritten global box office records with Ne Zha 2, an animated epic that stands as the highest-grossing animated film of all time and one of the top five films worldwide by total earnings.
China is now the world's second-largest film market. In 2024, over 1.01 billion cinema visits were recorded across the country, Xinhua reported.
As of July 22, data from online platform Maoyan showed that China's box office revenue for 2025 - including presales - had exceeded 31.5 billion yuan (about $ 4.39 billion). The country is also playing an increasingly influential role in reshaping the global cinematic landscape with the A-listed Beijing International Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival.
Create more outstanding works
Reading the reply letter from Xi has inspired and encouraged the broader film community to strengthen cultural confidence, stay rooted in real life, and make new contributions to the prosperity of the arts and the building of a culturally strong nation.
Chen Daoming, a renowned actor and chairman of the China Film Association, said Xi's reply letter offers a guiding framework for the Chinese film industry.
"It's an essential and profound source of inspiration," Chen told CCTV News, who was one of the authors of the letter to Xi.
"I hope that through our joint efforts, we can create many outstanding works that contribute to the prosperity of the arts and the building of a culturally strong nation," Chen said.
"In such a great era, we will live up to Xi's earnest expectations. We will use more outstanding works to demonstrate China's cultural confidence, the beauty of China, and the beauty of the Chinese people," said renowned actor Zhang Yi in an interview with CCTV News on July 12.
"We must keep in mind Xi's instructions, learn from the fine traditions of veteran filmmakers, and draw nourishment from China's time-honored traditional culture as well as the vibrant 'realities' of the reality," said Chinese director and actor Wu Jing in a CCTV News interview on July 12.
For Song Xiaoying, "it has been more than 50 years, and I have never left the film industry."
"I feel like I have regained my youth and vitality, reading Xi's letter. I still consider myself young, and I act in films every year," said Song, who will leave for a new film shooting in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in August.
"I am willing to keep working hard, keep acting, and present more excellent works to the people. And I am really enjoying it."
