The high-profile COVID-19 blockbuster "Chinese Doctors" has finally set its opening date. It will hit Chinese theaters on July 9, paying tribute to the nation's coronavirus frontline fighters and joining the celebrations to mark the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Chinese Doctors", by "Infernal Affairs" director Andrew Lau and starring Zhang Hanyu, Yuan Quan, Li Chen, Zhu Yawen and Jackson Yee, tells stories of how China's medical workers fought against the COVID-19 epidemic from last year. It is mainly set in the hospitals of Wuhan, former epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Based on true events during China's battle with the virus, as well as the prevention and control measures during Wuhan's 76-day lockdown, preparation and filming for the movie took eight months. The creative team entered Wuhan soon after the city's lockdown ended in early April 2020. 

They met hundreds of frontline workers, collecting a large amount of valuable first-hand information and conducting in-depth interviews with the medical team from Guangdong province led by China's top epidemiologist Dr. Zhong Nanshan.

Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Film Group and producer of the film, said he was inspired by a photo of Dr. Zhong, a recipient of the Medal of the Republic, the highest state honor, for his outstanding contribution to fighting COVID-19 epidemic, on his way from Guangzhou to Wuhan in early 2020. 

"The scenes of medical teams from all across China going to aid Wuhan, and Wuhan's local medical workers fighting on the front line, impressed us a lot, and we wanted to create a film for them," he said.

After collecting voluminous materials and interviews, the creative team decided to set the main action in Wuhan's designated coronavirus-treating Jinyintan Hospital as the stories emerging from it touched everyone's hearts. 

Actor Zhang Hanyu's role is based on Zhang Dingyu, head of Wuhan's Jinyintan Hospital, also an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient and a recipient of the honorary title of "People's Hero" who treated and saved more than 2,800 coronavirus patients with his colleagues.

"Chinese Doctors" is the first from China's leading film company Bona Film Group's grand plan of "China's Victory Trilogy" with a theme celebrating China's great triumphs in history. The other two are the war epic "The Battle at Lake Changjin" and spy action film "The Unknown." The trilogy of the films will all be released within this year according to plan.

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