Road to Dawn
Encyclopedia
Road to Dawn is a 2007 Chinese
historical film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker, Derek Chiu. The film depicts an obscure episode in Sun Yat-sen
's revolutionary life, when he sought refuge in Penang
from July to December 1910. He relocated the Southeast Asian headquarters of his political party, the Tongmenghui
, to Penang and convened the Penang Conference to stage the Second Guangzhou Uprising
.
The film is also called Before The Sunrise.
Sun Yat-sen
is in exile again after his ninth uprising in China
fails in 1910. The Qing government in China has put a price of 700,000 taels of silver on his head. Forced to leave Japan, he goes to British colonial port of Penang
to continue his fundraising. He seeks support from opium cartel boss Xu Boheng. Xu's daughter Xu Dan Rong, is engaged to schoolteacher Luo Zhaoling. A covert Qing agent, Luo has been ordered to assassinate Sun, but his rebellious fiancee Xu Dan Rong becomes attracted to Sun's cause. Meanwhile, Sun's long-time companion Chen Cuifen joins him in Penang. Sun learns that his mother has died in China, but cannot pay for her funeral. Sun's friends and followers come to his assistance. Mr. Grant, a British colonial officer pressures Xu to smuggle opium to China and arrange a marriage between Xu Dan Rong and his son Master Grant. Sun intervenes to save Xu and his daughter, and out of gratitude Xu arranges for Sun to speak to prominent members of Penang community. Sun now convenes a secret meeting among the Southeast Asian Tongmenghui
members to plan the Second Guangzhou Uprising
.
in Beijing
on 27 June 2007 was attended by both Chinese and Malaysian government leaders and media. The film was classified an ‘Important Historical Topic Movie’ by the PRC's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
(SARFT) -- the first such filmed 100% outside of China and based on a historical event that took place outside of China. A charity premier was held in Penang
on 17 September 2007 in aid of the new Wawasan Open University
(WOU) Chancellor’s scholarship fund.
“Road To Dawn” in Japanese title 「孫文-100年先を見た男-」has recently gained attention in Japan, where starting from 5 September 2008 it screened for about seven months. In Tokyo alone, it screened for almost two months.
Media Awards
12th Huabiao Awards
2007 Chinese American Film Festival
2007 Guangzhou University Students Film Festival
2009 China Centre Publicity Board Awards for "5 in 1 Project Outstanding Civilized Movie" category “"五个一工程“精神文明奖优秀电影”
Excellent Quality Movie
The film was nominated for Huabiao Awards
Most Outstanding Movie and Best Actress (Wu Yue), China Golden Rooster Best Music (Pan Guoxing, Su Junjie), Golden Horse Best Image Design (Doris Song).
The movie was screened at the 2007 Hawaii International Film Festival, 2008 Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival, 2008 Cannes Film Festival. It is also the closing ceremony movie for Singapore International Film Festival.
Road To Dawn main investor company is Malaysian's Ribuan Hijau Sdn. Bhd., which owned 4 Malaysian Chinese press companies.
Road To Dawn was the first China-produced movie filmed entirely in Malaysia. It was filmed entirely on location in Penang
in August and September 2006. Other international movies have used Penang a substitute location -- Indochine
(1992),Paradise Road (1997), Anna and The King
(1999), The Touch
(2002), and Lust, Caution (2007). However, Road To Dawn is the first international movie set in Penang.
Road To Dawn fully exploits the multicultural setting of Penang, showing cultural diversity in ethnic communities, costumes, houses of worship and architectural heritage. Angelica Lee
plays a young woman from the Straits Chinese (also called Baba Nyonya or peranakan
) minority community.
In Road To Dawn, Winston Chao
plays Sun Yat Sen for the second time - which revolves around a young Sun Yat Sen in Penang
. The first was in the 1997 movie, The Soong Sisters
in which he played the older Sun Yat Sen from the time of the Xinhai Revolution
up to his death.
The fictional character of Xu Dang Rong is loosely based on the real life character of Chen Bijun, a young woman revolutionary who became the wife of Wang Jingwei
, a close associate of Sun Yat Sen.
The fictional character of Luo Zhaoling is loosely based on Luo Zhonghuo, a Penang-trained teacher and poet (though he was never a Qing agent), who became one of the 72 martyrs of the Second Guangzhou Uprising
.
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
historical film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker, Derek Chiu. The film depicts an obscure episode in Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
's revolutionary life, when he sought refuge in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
from July to December 1910. He relocated the Southeast Asian headquarters of his political party, the Tongmenghui
Tongmenghui
The Tongmenghui, also known as the Chinese United League, United League, Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, Chinese Alliance and United Allegiance Society, was a secret society and underground resistance movement formed when merging many Chinese revolutionary groups together by Sun Yat-sen, Song...
, to Penang and convened the Penang Conference to stage the Second Guangzhou Uprising
Second Guangzhou Uprising
The Yellow Flower Mound revolt also known as the Second Guangzhou uprising is an uprising led by Huang Xing and his fellow revolutionaries against the Qing Dynasty in Guangzhou.-The Uprising:...
.
The film is also called Before The Sunrise.
Cast
The movie brings together cast and crew from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.- Winston ChaoWinston ChaoWinston Chao Wen-Hsuan is a Taiwanese actor. He came to international attention for his performance in the 1993 film The Wedding Banquet...
... Sun Yat-sen - Angelica LeeAngelica LeeAngelica Lee Sin-Jie is a Malaysian Chinese film actress and pop singer. She started her career in singing and later moved on to acting in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Lee starred in The Eye, the hit Asian horror film by the Pang Brothers, winning her the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress, Best Actress...
... Xu Dan Rong - Wu Yue ... Chen Cuifen
- Zhao Zheng ... Luo Zhaoling
- Vickey Liu ... Madam Xu
- Wang Jiancheng ... Xu Boheng
- Duan Qiuxu ... Goh Say Eng
- Fong Chok Gin ... Elder Chang
- Paul Woods ... Mr. Grant
- Lachlan J. Modrzynski ... Master Grant
- Himanshu Bhatt ... Housekeeper
- You YongYou YongYou Yong is a Chinese actor from Xi'an, Shaanxi province.You Yong enrolled in the Xi'an Drama School in 1979 and was joined the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1984. Upon graduation in 1988, he acted in his first film, Obsession, marking the start of his career...
Plot
The movie revolves around two couples. The historical couple Dr. Sun and Chen Cuifen who express mature love is contrasted with fictional couple Luo Zhaoling and Xu Dan Rong and their youthful romance.Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
is in exile again after his ninth uprising in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
fails in 1910. The Qing government in China has put a price of 700,000 taels of silver on his head. Forced to leave Japan, he goes to British colonial port of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
to continue his fundraising. He seeks support from opium cartel boss Xu Boheng. Xu's daughter Xu Dan Rong, is engaged to schoolteacher Luo Zhaoling. A covert Qing agent, Luo has been ordered to assassinate Sun, but his rebellious fiancee Xu Dan Rong becomes attracted to Sun's cause. Meanwhile, Sun's long-time companion Chen Cuifen joins him in Penang. Sun learns that his mother has died in China, but cannot pay for her funeral. Sun's friends and followers come to his assistance. Mr. Grant, a British colonial officer pressures Xu to smuggle opium to China and arrange a marriage between Xu Dan Rong and his son Master Grant. Sun intervenes to save Xu and his daughter, and out of gratitude Xu arranges for Sun to speak to prominent members of Penang community. Sun now convenes a secret meeting among the Southeast Asian Tongmenghui
Tongmenghui
The Tongmenghui, also known as the Chinese United League, United League, Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, Chinese Alliance and United Allegiance Society, was a secret society and underground resistance movement formed when merging many Chinese revolutionary groups together by Sun Yat-sen, Song...
members to plan the Second Guangzhou Uprising
Second Guangzhou Uprising
The Yellow Flower Mound revolt also known as the Second Guangzhou uprising is an uprising led by Huang Xing and his fellow revolutionaries against the Qing Dynasty in Guangzhou.-The Uprising:...
.
Releases
The film premiere at the Great Hall of the PeopleGreat Hall of the People
The Great Hall of the People is located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square, Beijing, People's Republic of China, and is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China. It functions as the People's Republic of China's...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
on 27 June 2007 was attended by both Chinese and Malaysian government leaders and media. The film was classified an ‘Important Historical Topic Movie’ by the PRC's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television
The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television is an executive branch under the State Council of the People's Republic of China...
(SARFT) -- the first such filmed 100% outside of China and based on a historical event that took place outside of China. A charity premier was held in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
on 17 September 2007 in aid of the new Wawasan Open University
Wawasan Open University
Wawasan Open University is an institution of higher education based in Malaysia that allows adult students to pursue tertiary level qualifications through Open Distance Learning ....
(WOU) Chancellor’s scholarship fund.
“Road To Dawn” in Japanese title 「孫文-100年先を見た男-」has recently gained attention in Japan, where starting from 5 September 2008 it screened for about seven months. In Tokyo alone, it screened for almost two months.
Awards and nominations
10th Shanghai International Film FestivalShanghai International Film Festival
The Shanghai International Film Festival , abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia.Along with Tokyo International Film Festival, the SIFF is one of the biggest film festivals in Asia. The first festival was held from October 7 to 14, 1993, and was held biennially until...
Media Awards
- Most Popular Actor Awards Winston ChaoWinston ChaoWinston Chao Wen-Hsuan is a Taiwanese actor. He came to international attention for his performance in the 1993 film The Wedding Banquet...
- Most Promising New Comer Awards (Wu Yue)
12th Huabiao Awards
Huabiao Awards
China Huabiao Film Awards ,also known as Huabiao Awards, is an annual awards ceremony for Chinese cinema. Named after the decorative Chinese winged columns , The Huabiao Awards were first instituted in 1957 as the Ministry of Culture Excellence Film awards. Between 1958 and 1979, no awards were given...
- Most Outstanding Newcomer for Scriptwriting (Maezi)
2007 Chinese American Film Festival
- Golden Angel Award
2007 Guangzhou University Students Film Festival
- Best Actor Award Winston ChaoWinston ChaoWinston Chao Wen-Hsuan is a Taiwanese actor. He came to international attention for his performance in the 1993 film The Wedding Banquet...
2009 China Centre Publicity Board Awards for "5 in 1 Project Outstanding Civilized Movie" category “"五个一工程“精神文明奖优秀电影”
Excellent Quality Movie
The film was nominated for Huabiao Awards
Huabiao Awards
China Huabiao Film Awards ,also known as Huabiao Awards, is an annual awards ceremony for Chinese cinema. Named after the decorative Chinese winged columns , The Huabiao Awards were first instituted in 1957 as the Ministry of Culture Excellence Film awards. Between 1958 and 1979, no awards were given...
Most Outstanding Movie and Best Actress (Wu Yue), China Golden Rooster Best Music (Pan Guoxing, Su Junjie), Golden Horse Best Image Design (Doris Song).
The movie was screened at the 2007 Hawaii International Film Festival, 2008 Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival, 2008 Cannes Film Festival. It is also the closing ceremony movie for Singapore International Film Festival.
Production
Road to Dawn was billed as a Shenzen Media Group, Shenzen Film Studio, Pearl River Film Company presentation of a Shenzen Assn. for Intl. Cultural Exchanges, Shenzen Media Group production.Road To Dawn main investor company is Malaysian's Ribuan Hijau Sdn. Bhd., which owned 4 Malaysian Chinese press companies.
Road To Dawn was the first China-produced movie filmed entirely in Malaysia. It was filmed entirely on location in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
in August and September 2006. Other international movies have used Penang a substitute location -- Indochine
Indochine (film)
Indochine is a 1992 French film set in colonial French Indochina during the 1930s. It is the story of Éliane Devries, a French plantation owner, and of her adopted Vietnamese daughter, Camille, with the rising Vietnamese nationalist movement set as a backdrop...
(1992),Paradise Road (1997), Anna and The King
Anna and the King
Anna and the King is a 1999 biographical drama film loosely based on Anna and the King of Siam, the story of Anna Leonowens, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now Thailand, in the 19th century...
(1999), The Touch
The Touch (2002 film)
The Touch is a 2002 Hong Kong action/adventure martial arts film directed by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon cinematographer Peter Pau and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ben Chaplin and Richard Roxburgh...
(2002), and Lust, Caution (2007). However, Road To Dawn is the first international movie set in Penang.
Road To Dawn fully exploits the multicultural setting of Penang, showing cultural diversity in ethnic communities, costumes, houses of worship and architectural heritage. Angelica Lee
Angelica Lee
Angelica Lee Sin-Jie is a Malaysian Chinese film actress and pop singer. She started her career in singing and later moved on to acting in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Lee starred in The Eye, the hit Asian horror film by the Pang Brothers, winning her the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress, Best Actress...
plays a young woman from the Straits Chinese (also called Baba Nyonya or peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
) minority community.
In Road To Dawn, Winston Chao
Winston Chao
Winston Chao Wen-Hsuan is a Taiwanese actor. He came to international attention for his performance in the 1993 film The Wedding Banquet...
plays Sun Yat Sen for the second time - which revolves around a young Sun Yat Sen in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
. The first was in the 1997 movie, The Soong Sisters
The Soong Sisters (film)
The Soong Sisters is a 1997 Hong Kong film dramatization of the lives of the Soong sisters from 1911 to 1949. The three sisters married the most important historical figures during the founding of new China, making the family the focal point of every important major decision made in modern...
in which he played the older Sun Yat Sen from the time of the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
up to his death.
History and dramatic license
Sun Yat Sen lived in Penang between July and December 1910. He was joined by his first wife, his second wife, his two daughters and his brother Sun Mei. For the sake of a romantic storyline, the movie only shows Sun and his second wife Chen Cuifen.The fictional character of Xu Dang Rong is loosely based on the real life character of Chen Bijun, a young woman revolutionary who became the wife of Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming, was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but later became increasingly anti-Communist after his efforts to collaborate with the CCP ended in political failure...
, a close associate of Sun Yat Sen.
The fictional character of Luo Zhaoling is loosely based on Luo Zhonghuo, a Penang-trained teacher and poet (though he was never a Qing agent), who became one of the 72 martyrs of the Second Guangzhou Uprising
Second Guangzhou Uprising
The Yellow Flower Mound revolt also known as the Second Guangzhou uprising is an uprising led by Huang Xing and his fellow revolutionaries against the Qing Dynasty in Guangzhou.-The Uprising:...
.
External links
- 《夜.明》 Road To Dawn Chinese language official site
- http://www.sonbun.jp「孫文-100年先を見た男-」 Road To Dawn Japan Official site
- Road to Dawn at www.chinahistoryforum.com
- Road to Dawn Yahoo Movies (Singapore)