In the sixties and seventies of the last century, mainland films were dominated by red themes.
In that special era, three movies began to be re-screened across the country, namely "Tunnel Warfare", "Mine Warfare" and "Southern Expedition and Northern War", which were praised by the audience as the "Old Three Wars".
These three films have endured for a long time in open-air curtain films, leaving many classic lines, such as "If you don't see a devil, don't pull the strings", "Take a shot to change a place", "For the sake of the party and the state, pull the brothers", etc., which are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Among them, "Southern Expedition and Northern War" filmed by Shanghai Film Studio in 1952 became a sensation with the war scenes of live ammunition.
After the movie was released, it has been repeatedly staged across the country for decades and has become one of the 100 classic films in China.
The characters, the stories, and the images of the on-screen heroes have influenced generations.
Li Jin, played by Tie Niu, is an optimistic, humorous, and determined-minded little soldier, and his stage name "Tie Niu" comes from his burly appearance in the army.
Tie Niu's acting career began in 1951 as an actor at the Shanghai Film Factory.
One of his representative works is the role in "Southern Expedition and Northern War", and the role of Maitreya Buddha in the CCTV version of "Journey to the West" also makes the audience unforgettable.
However, after the 90s, Tie Niu gradually faded out of the film industry, and died of a stroke in March 2015 at the age of 93.
The other protagonist, Camp Commander Gao, played by Feng Zhe, is a brave, resolute, elegant and heroic male protagonist.
Feng Zhe was a high-profile actor in the 50s, and became a first-line star at that time because of "Southern Expedition and Northern War".
However, his career success was intertwined with the twists and turns of his personal life.
Feng Zhe's wife, Zhang Guangru, is a Sichuan opera actor, and their marriage has been full of twists and turns, and their relationship has broken down due to various reasons.
Zhang Guangru had many miscarriages after marriage, and finally lost her fertility, and the relationship between the husband and wife fell to a freezing point.
In 1966, during the special period in China, Feng Zhe was beaten into an enemy, and after three years of torture, the relationship with his wife became even more estranged.
In the end, Feng Zhe hanged himself on the farm in June 1969 at the age of 49.
In 1978, he was rehabilitated and won the honor of 100 outstanding actors in Chinese films.
In addition, there are some actors who have passed away in the past 70 years, leaving a deep imprint.
They are Company Commander Zhang played by Liu Peiran, Chief of Staff of the enemy played by Bai Mu, Commander Zhang played by Xiang Kun, Zhao Damiang played by Bugari, Yumin played by Zhang Ruifang, Liu Yonggui played by Zhong Xinghuo, Er Yan played by Zhang Hongmei, Yonggui sister-in-law played by Zhang Qingfen, Commander Li played by Yang Hua, etc.
Each actor has left a unique artistic mark on the film industry and has contributed to the development of Chinese films.
To sum up, these actors have made outstanding contributions to the development and cultural inheritance of Chinese films through classic films such as "Southern Expedition and Northern War".
Their artistic achievements and life stories have become treasures in the history of Chinese cinema and are admirable.