The documentary "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" was screened Friday on the Dongji Island in east China's Zhejiang Province, where the 1942 rescue of 384 British prisoners of war (POWs) by courageous Chinese fishermen amid heavy Japanese gunfire was vividly brought to life with digital precision.
The film recounts the tragic 1942 incident when the Lisbon Maru, carrying over 1,800 British POWs, was mistakenly torpedoed by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province. Amid the chaos, Chinese fishermen risked their lives to save 384 of the stranded soldiers.
Featuring interviews with over 130 descendants of the POWs and others involved, the documentary provides a detailed account of the sinking and reveals lesser-known, gripping aspects of the story.
"Our goal with this film was to preserve history. Throughout the interviews and research, we uncovered many deeply touching stories. Presenting these stories on the big screen allows the audience to connect with them on a profound emotional level," said Fang Li, the film's director.
"I had visited museums and read something about the Lisbon Maru, but not so profoundly, thinking that it was merely as a historical event. Watching this film really triggered my empathy," remarked Song Zhuoxi, an audience member.
Documentary revives Lisbon Maru rescue with digital precision
Tony Zhu, a Chinese salesman who blends comedy with LED promotional signs, has amassed a global online following by transforming ordinary ads into humorous skits.
In the short clips, Zhu promotes signage products with uncanny accents and impersonations, playfully affecting the speech of the American rural south and even the working-class Londoners of old.
Users from all over the world have professed their affection for this young man in the comment sections of his videos, winning him a fandom he never expected.
"It feels very awesome. I could say, yes, I never imagined that I could be like this, even just one year ago," said the young salesman.
Growing up, Zhu's parents worked at a skate shoe factory in Guangdong Province's Dongguan and encouraged him to study hard. In school, his favorite subject was English, which eventually led him take a job in marketing at the signage company in Guangzhou.
Initially, he made conventional product videos like many others. After a year of seeing the videos gain little traction, he decided to draw inspiration from the Western comedians he admired.
Some of these videos garnered millions of views, bringing in new customers.
"It's not as people thought it could be, like five times or 10 times of growth. No. We made a growth from 5 to 10 percent in total. And to me, that's actually pretty good," he said.
Each day, Zhu and his team create about two videos for social media. To maintain the momentum, a lot of brainstorming is required.
While Zhu views himself as just a salesman doing his job, his fans seem to project onto him something far greater. Some internet comments have even said that Zhu could fix U.S.-China trade relations.
His own aspirations may not reach those heights, but the young salesman does hope to foster more exchanges between businesses on both sides.
"I went to America and I found a lot of ideas that we could learn from. And we also have a lot of American sign company customers coming to China, and they look at what we do and they also find something they can learn. I find it a very amazing thing. Rather than treating each other like an enemy, I think it'd be much better if we chose to learn from each other during competition, during cooperation. It would eventually benefit both sides, I think," he said.
Chinese signage salesman wins global fandom through humor
