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Director Wen Muye speaks on latest anti-war movie_我的网站

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A still from the movie Once Upon a Time in the Middle East starring Shen Teng Photo: ICYears after tackling social issues in the breakout hit film Dying to Survive, Chinese director Wen Muye returns with Once Upon a Time in the Middle East. The film opened nationwide in China on Tuesday, and, including advanced screenings, crossed 200 million yuan ($29.6 million) at the box office on its first day.
It centers on an ordinary Chinese chef caught in the crossfire of war. Shen Teng stars as Xu Fu, a cook who travels to the fictional Middle Eastern capital of Bahata to repay family debts. There he joins forces with restaurant manager Ma Junsheng (actor Jiang Qiming) to run a Chinese eatery. When conflict erupts, the self-preserving every-man endures personal losses and gradually comes to protect local children.
Produced by Ning Hao, the film continues Wen's signature focus on "little people," this time placing them far beyond China's borders.
In an interview with the Global Times, Wen talked about the project's connection to news reports of Chinese migrants who open restaurants overseas and forge quiet connections through food.
"Many Chinese people go abroad simply to make a living," he told the Global Times. "They open restaurants, use food to break down regional barriers, and form deep bonds with locals."
The production team conducted extensive research and location scouting in the Middle East to capture everyday details. Elements such as free-running single-humped camels required overseas shoots; the resulting images of open space after confinement, Wen noted, carry a simple sense of hope.
Food functions as the film's central motif.
"Food more often stands for happiness and peace," Wen explained. "Even in a war-torn environment, people still cannot do without three meals a day. That sounds basic, but after all the big things in life, what people care about most are the simplest things - eating a proper meal and taking care of family."
A specialized food unit developed the dishes, and Shen trained extensively so that most of the wok-tossing sequences were performed by the actor himself, Wen said.
The film deliberately intercuts kitchen routines with combat sequences.
"Three meals a day represent our longing for peaceful life, while war is the extreme act that destroys peaceful life on a large scale," Wen said. "When they collide, each becomes clearer: Food feels more ordered and full of happiness; war feels more chaotic and dark."
He hopes the juxtaposition helps audiences recognize how hard-won ordinary peace really is.
Xu Fu's decision to shelter orphans never relies on lofty rhetoric, only a meal and a roof. Wen described this approach as rooted in a human-centered outlook rather than classic Western hero narratives.
"We place more weight on humanism and the value of a person's existence. Our culture is about living well, studying well, eating well, and looking after children. No matter how large the events, three meals a day remain unavoidable. Food itself has warmth and can give people real strength when they are in a difficult situation," Wen said.
The director noted that he wants viewers to leave with the plainest conviction: live properly, eat properly, and cherish the peace that exists in the present.
On balancing personal expression with commercial reach, Wen kept his principle simple: "Make the film well and tell the story well. I try to put what I want to express into foreshadowing and details without hurting the viewing experience. If audiences notice those details, I will be glad. If they do not, it does not affect the normal narrative."
From Dying to Survive and Miracle: Stupid Kid to the new film, Wen's view of human complexity has remained consistent. "People have many different sides. They face different circumstances and make different choices."
The through-line, he added, is the same plain belief: "Being able to enjoy a proper meal is the greatest happiness."
Early audience response has been overwhelmingly positive. Advanced screenings delivered scores of 9.7-9.8 on major Chinese platforms including ticketing platform Maoyan.
Many entered expecting a light Shen Teng comedy and left in tears, describing the experience as "laughing then crying." Shen's restrained performance has drawn particular praise, with some calling it the strongest of his career. Jiang's supporting work has also been widely noted.
Moviegoers have frequently highlighted the film's refusal to deliver speeches. Its focus on daily meals and small acts of care lands more powerfully than any slogan.
On the depiction of the conflict, audiences observe that the movie offers a perspective that "flips the Hollywood script" by casting the US as the invader, while refusing to portray US soldiers as pure villains. Instead they appear as ordinary young men: loose in discipline and marked by the alienation of war.
Both Chinese and overseas viewers have singled out this measured approach as part of the film's distinctive Chinese viewpoint: It sidesteps both Western hero narratives and simple demonization. Some international comments note that by staying with ordinary lives rather than choosing geopolitical sides, the story offers a different lens on conflict.
One widely circulated comment from a popular Chinese self-media account on WeChat captured the film's ambition: "You can think of this film as a blend of Casablanca, Schindler's List, and The Shawshank Redemption, yet at its core lies the same grounded human compassion found in Dying to Survive. This is a highly successful attempt by Chinese filmmakers to surpass Hollywood. It is the first Chinese film that truly possesses a global vision and a professional sense of international storytelling. It is also a gift of warmth and goodwill from the Chinese people to a world still torn by war and cruelty."
。美国加州南部山火已经持续肆虐一周，目前灭火工作仍然进展有限。山火已造成24人死亡，而接下来的不利天气条件可能将再次助长火势蔓延。

B | 山火已持续一周灭火工作仍进展有限据加州林业与消防局当地时间12日傍晚的数据，加州各地共有105起大大小小的山火，总过火面积超过163平方公里。规模较大的伊顿山火只有27%得到控制，帕利塞德山火仅有13%得到控制。

C | 山火已造成超过12300栋建筑被烧毁。目前，洛杉矶县已疏散15万居民，其中超过700人住在临时避难所中。在洛杉矶太平洋-帕利塞德地区，一段去年5月和今年1月10日拍摄的对比画面显示，山火导致很多地方已经被夷为平地，房屋化为废墟，树木也被烧焦。受灾居民阿维娃·科帕肯：实际上，我非常非常担心，我的房东每天都给我们更新信息，他一直说情况可能有变。我很害怕，因为如果情况真的改变了，说实话，我不知道我该去哪里。

D | 受灾居民艾伦·弗劳尔斯：我目前住在圣克鲁斯，我在2018年搬到那里时也曾遇上大火，所以我看到过类似的情况，整个城市和社区被烧毁，即使在六年之后，他们仍然在重建。

E | 所以我有些担心，担心我们现在的房子，还有我妈妈房子的未来。强风再次来袭或助推火势蔓延据美国媒体报道，季风“圣安娜风”13日将再次来袭，14日将是非常危险的一天。这可能将助长火势蔓延，甚至引发新的火灾，给灭火工作带来挑战。受灾居民苏珊娜·科尔达：每天早上醒来，我不知道我们的房子是否还在。这非常痛苦，我们非常担心接下来的几天“圣安娜风”再次来袭。加州大学洛杉矶分校气象学家丹尼尔·斯温：这些火灾已经震惊了我们，之后可能会以一些更加令人不适的方式，再次让我们感到震惊。因为在接下来的7到10天里，我们会看到更多助长火灾的极端天气条件。加州山火或为人为纵火？专家将实地勘察目前，美国调查人员正在调查洛杉矶山火的起因，调查方向包括人为纵火和电缆起火等常见起因。据美联社12日报道，调查人员已排除雷电引发山火的可能性，因为帕利塞德和伊顿两场山火涉及的区域均没有雷电报告。调查人员目前判定，帕利塞德山火的起火点位于彼德拉·莫拉达路旁的一处民宅后方，那里坐落于树木茂密的河谷之上。据美国《洛杉矶时报》12日报道，第一个打报警电话报告帕利塞德山火的人是住在彼德拉·莫拉达路附近的一位居民。

F | 这位居民说，他当时看到大火在距其房宅约三公里处升起。多名要求匿名的知情人士向《洛杉矶时报》披露，帕利塞德山火可能是人为纵火。美国酒精、烟草、火器和爆炸物管理局专家组定于13日开始实地勘察。调查人员关注的一个潜在起火区域是当地一处著名徒步景点的周边小径。那里常有游客光顾，跨年夜时曾爆发一起小型火灾，延烧数小时后被消防人员借助直升机洒水扑灭。据报道，加州公用事业委员会要求当地电力公司及时上报“可能关联野火的电力事故”，之后该委员会可介入调查事故中是否存在违法行为。不过，南加州爱迪生电力公司10日报告称，在该公司服务的帕萨迪纳附近山区，未发现迹象显示其设备与伊顿山火有关。山火爆发前12小时至爆发后一个多小时，电力未中断，也未发现电缆或操作异常。