Based on real events The Children of Huang Shi is a sweeping but intimate story set against war-torn China in 1930-s. The film centers on a young British journalist (Jonathan Rhys Myers) and an Autralian nurse (Rada Mitchell) with the leader of a Chinese partisan group (Chow Yut Fa) who meet in desperate and unexpected circumstances. Together, they rescued 60 orphaned children, leading them on extraordinary journey across hundreds of miles of treacherous terrain, through snow-covered mountains and an unforgiving desert of the former Silk Road to reach a safety harbor. Along the way they discover the true meaning of love, responsibility and courage.
Watching this film reminds me The Constant Gardener, Tears of The Sun…the theme of courage, responsibility and love … the gut to stand for the truth… A hero might be born everywhere and anywhere in spite of their race, ethnicity, region or religion… self-sacrifice for greater good. But unlike The Constant Gardener and Tears of the Sun, the film was based on real life events of young British journalist George Hogg. Some additional were put inside but they did not alter much the real story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hogg.
At the beginning, George Hogg sneaked into China by pretending to be a Red Cross aid worker to replace his friend from the assignment (his friend was about to get married within two days, so he could not let him do the task assigned by their editor). Arriving at Nanjing, he witnessed the atrocities of the Japanese soldiers. He had seen what he was not supposed to see. Mass civilians were slaughtered mercilessly in front of his eyes. He captured the tragedy in his camera … sweating and panting, he felt sick to see the massacre field had turned into a blaze of fire. Caught off guard, he was arrested by the Japs and his camera was confiscated. His sentence was death… The Japs would not risk anything with his forbidden knowledge. As the executioner was about to behead him, Hangshen/Jack Chen, a leader of Chinese partisan group saved him. Along their way to safety, George saw the execution of his two colleagues from their hiding place. As the Japanese marched towards them, they jumped into the river. He was wounded and Jack brought him to the Red Cross tent where they met Lee Pearson, an Australian nurse who helped the wounded.
Jack intended to bring George into safety so he could tell the world about what really happened in China. The plan was postponed as the Japanese air raid was widespread. So, he decided to send George into an orphanage school at Huang Shi…the plan was simple to get him out of Nanjing and to give him time to recovery from his wounds. Out of his expectation, the orphanage was in a neglected poor condition. The children were dirty and shabby. They had no hope in life. They only had fear and sad memories about their family…a horror of the war. It’s like a bitter sea he would swim into. In addition, he had no experience in teaching…he was a journalist not a teacher. Upon his arrival, he already got adversary and strong dislike from the children. They looked at him with suspicion and hate for a stranger. The children were kept their distance and stayed aloof. Even, George got several beatings from them before saved by Lee. It’s a hard long struggle for him.
As time went by, he began to understand their pain and sufferings. He began to feel what they feared and frightened…what it’s like to live without any hope or future…life in war… how the war devastated not only physically but also mentally. The physics was easy to mend, but the mental was the hardest part. It was seen in the character of Liu Kai, an aristocrat’s son who witnessed his family members brutally tortured and killed by the Japs. The war had turned him mature too soon with so much hatred and rage. He was hard to heal. George saw this with a broken heart. His perspective of life was altered ultimately. He was a middle class British who came from an ultimately different world and culture to pursue his career as journalist. Now, he was confronted with harsh cold realities of war. He had found his courage and strength. He had to bring back these children’s life… it was his war. He had to save them from despair. He tried hard to ignite hope in them. He repaired the electricity, planted garden, built a simple basketball field. Gradually, he earned them respect and obedience. They regained their hope and life vivacity. George became their teacher, parents and guardian. Lee, often visited the orphanage to supply medication for the children and she was impressed with the alteration of the orphanage. It’s now a decent place to live in.
However, the war would soon reach Huang Shi. On his way back from the town to buy farming supplies, he came across refugees’ congregation that escaped from the nearby town. The Japanese air raid attacked this refugees…leaving some children parentless on the street. George had to take four of them to the orphanage. He knew his children would no longer in Huang Shi and planned to take them to safer region. They had to be evacuated. It was decided they should march across the former Silk Road to reach Shandan. Together with Lee and Chen, they led the group through the Liu Phan Shan Mountain, across the scorching Gobi desert. The journey nearly took three months … it’s an impossible road to take …but George and his children had strong faith to succeed.
Some critics said this film is great but boring. But I think it’s a great movie to watch…there a valuable moral lesson in it. The view of China landscape is also awesome…It teaches its viewers that a hero is one who puts others interests above his own… a choice to dedicate life for others…to bring good for others without any personal gain. And each person has a choice whether to follow the path of a hero or a coward.
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