August First Film Studio

August First Film Studio, also known as Bayi Film Studio, is a Chinese military film and television organization associated with the People's Liberation Army. It was formally established on August 1, 1952, after an earlier military education film unit had been created in March 1951 with approval from the central government's Culture and Education Commission and the Central Military Commission. The studio was founded to give the armed forces an internally controlled capacity to produce documentary and instructional material, following the development of comparable military film institutions elsewhere. The organization initially concentrated on military educational films and news documentaries. In 1955 it received funding to make feature films, expanding its role from an internal training and information service into one of China's principal state film producers. It was originally called the People's Liberation Army Film Studio and adopted the August First name in 1956. During much of the Mao era and the subsequent decades, the studio worked across several connected areas: feature films, battlefield and historical documentaries, defense-science films, military training productions, television dramas, television films, dubbed works and other audiovisual formats. Its films have generally been aligned with the political and educational objectives of the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese state. The studio has depicted military history, revolutionary conflict, national defense and the lives of servicemen and women, while promoting themes such as patriotism, collectivism, socialism and revolutionary heroism. Its productions have also contributed to official narratives about major historical events and China's territorial and national-development concerns. This institutional role has made Bayi different from a conventional commercial film company: its output has served cultural, propaganda, educational and military functions simultaneously. Several productions became especially prominent. Serfs, released in 1963, presented a fictional account of a young Tibetan man escaping an oppressive social order with assistance from the People's Liberation Army. During the Cultural Revolution, Landmine Warfare and Tunnel Warfare were widely screened as military pedagogical and revolutionary films. Set during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the two films dramatized guerrilla resistance and illustrated methods of improvised mine warfare and underground defense. Tunnel Warfare became one of the most widely viewed Chinese films of its period, with reported viewership of approximately 1.8 billion. The studio also produced films that connected military history with national political memory. Crossing the Chishui River Four Times, released in 1983, featured Gu Yue portraying Mao Zedong, a casting choice reportedly supported by Marshal Ye Jianying because of Gu's physical resemblance to Mao. In the late 2010s, Bayi participated in the production of Youth, directed by Feng Xiaogang and released in 2017, demonstrating that the brand continued to appear in large-scale contemporary film projects as well as explicitly instructional work. By 2014, the studio reported having produced more than 2,200 films and series. The body of work included feature films, military education and defense-science productions, documentaries, television series, television films, art films, high-definition digital movies and dubbed films. Its productions and personnel received awards from Chinese cultural, military and film institutions, including the Hundred Flowers Awards, the Golden Rooster Awards and military arts and film awards, as well as a smaller number of international honors. The organization has operated from Fengtai District in Beijing and has included the Wangzuo Film and Television Base and a Hubei Film and Television Base. Its capabilities cover script development, filming, post-production, restoration, color work, special effects, set construction, costu…

The institutional history of August First Film Studio began in March 1951, when the Military Education Film Studio of the General Political Department of the Central Military Commission was established with approval from the Culture and Education Commission and the Central Military Commission of the Central People's Government. Its purpose was to create a dedicated film-production capability for the People's Liberation Army, particularly for documentary and instructional work. On August 1, 1952, the unit was formally inaugurated as the People's Liberation Army Film Studio. The date, which marked PLA Day, was chosen in connection with the anniversary of the army's founding. During its early period, the studio primarily made military education films and news documentaries. These works supported military instruction, public information and the circulation of official accounts of army activities and national history. A significant change came in 1955, when the organization received funding to produce feature films. This allowed it to enter a broader national film system and to dramatize military and revolutionary subjects for general audiences. In 1956 it was renamed August First Film Studio, or Bayi Film Studio. For several decades, it operated as a major state film institution alongside the China Film Group Corporation, producing both specialist military material and works intended for mass cinema audiences. The studio's output during the 1960s and 1970s reflected the political and educational priorities of the period. The 1963 film Serfs used a redemptive melodrama about Tibetan social conditions and People's Liberation Army intervention to support the official portrayal of traditional Tibetan society and China's role in Tibet. During the Cultural Revolution, Landmine Warfare and Tunnel Warfare became prominent examples of films combining revolutionary storytelling with military pedagogy. Their narratives of civilian guerrillas resisting Japanese forces presented practical and ideological lessons, including improvised mine use and underground defense. Tunnel Warfare was reported to have been viewed approximately 1.8 billion times. In later decades, Bayi continued to make historical and military films while expanding into television, documentaries and technical formats. Crossing the Chishui River Four Times, released in 1983, dramatized a major episode in the Red Army's military history and cast Gu Yue as Mao Zedong. The studio also developed a broader production infrastructure, covering writing, pre-production, shooting, editing, technical services, publicity and distribution. A monthly publication, August 1st Film, began in 1982 and focused on film literature. The organization reported substantial cumulative production by 2014: more than 2,200 films and series across feature films, military education, defense-science research, documentaries, television, digital cinema, art films and dubbed productions. Its works and personnel received awards from Chinese civilian and military institutions, including Hundred Flowers and Golden Rooster recognition, alongside other domestic and international honors. Bayi's main operating area is in Beijing's Fengtai District and includes the Wangzuo Film and Television Base and a Hubei Film and Television Base. In January 1995, the institution adopted the expanded name Chinese and Foreign Military Film and Television - August 1st Studio. In 2018, a Central Military Commission restructuring transferred its institutional designation to the Film and Television Production Department of the PLA Cultural and Art Center of the Political Work Department. The Bayi Studio name nevertheless remained the principal public-facing brand for productions. The studio therefore continues to function both as a military cultural institution and as a producer of films and television works for wider Chinese and international audiences.

1. 2018Production department integrated into PLA cultural institution

   The studio's institutional functions were reorganized under the Film and Television Production Department of the PLA Cultural and Art Center, with the Bayi brand retained.

   Source
2. 2017Youth released

   Bayi was associated with the production of Feng Xiaogang's Youth, released at the end of the year.

   Source
3. 2014Reported cumulative production exceeds 2,200 films and series

   The studio reported production across feature films, documentaries, military education, television and other formats.

   Source
4. 1995Expanded institutional name introduced

   The studio was renamed Chinese and Foreign Military Film and Television - August 1st Studio.

   Source
5. 1983Crossing the Chishui River Four Times released

   The historical feature presented Gu Yue as Mao Zedong.

   Source
6. 1982August 1st Film magazine launched

   The organization began publishing a monthly film-literature magazine.

   Source
7. 1963Serfs released

   The studio released Serfs, a politically framed historical melodrama set in Tibet.

   Source
8. 1956August First Film Studio name adopted

   The organization adopted the Bayi, or August First, name.

   Source
9. 1955Feature-film production begins

   Independent funding enabled the studio to produce feature films in addition to educational and documentary material.

   Source
10. 1952People's Liberation Army Film Studio officially opens

    The studio formally opened on August 1, PLA Day.

    Source
11. 1951Military education film unit launched

    The Military Education Film Studio of the General Political Department was created to provide the People's Liberation Army with dedicated documentary and instructional film facilities.

    Source

A state-affiliated military film studio combining cultural production, military education, historical representation, national-defense communication and technical film-making services.

• Feature filmsFilm production1955

  Bayi produces narrative feature films, including revolutionary, military-history and national-defense stories intended for cinema and broad public distribution. The feature-film program began after the studio received independent production funding in 1955 and has remained an important part of its public-facing identity.

• Military educational and defense-science filmsMilitary education1951

  Bayi's instructional output supports military education and communicates defense-science subjects. These productions may serve internal training purposes as well as wider public education.

• DocumentariesDocumentary production1951

  The studio makes battlefield, historical, news and national-defense documentaries. Documentary production was central to its founding mission and has developed into one of its largest output categories.

• Television productionsTelevision

  Bayi's television activities include serialized dramas, television films and related military or historical programming. The television operation forms part of a wider production structure alongside feature-film and military-education departments.

• Technical and post-production servicesFilm services

  The studio maintains capabilities in film restoration, color work, pyrotechnics, scenery, costumes, photography equipment, lighting, audiovisual production and other technical functions, supporting its own productions and the broader work of its bases.

• 2018Reorganize under the PLA Cultural and Art CenterStrategy

  A Central Military Commission decision changed the institutional arrangement of the studio's film and television functions.

  What changed. The organization became the Film and Television Production Department of the PLA Cultural and Art Center of the Political Work Department, while Bayi Studio continued as the production brand.

  Aftermath. The studio's organizational designation changed, but its established public and production identity was retained.

  Source
• 1995Adopt expanded military film and television designationOther

  The studio had broadened its activities from film into television and other audiovisual formats.

  What changed. It was renamed Chinese and Foreign Military Film and Television - August 1st Studio.

  Aftermath. The expanded title reflected the organization's wider audiovisual scope while preserving the Bayi identifier.

  Source
• 1956Adopt the August First Film Studio identityOther

  The organization had operated under the People's Liberation Army Film Studio name since its formal opening.

  What changed. It was renamed August First Film Studio, creating the Bayi brand used for subsequent productions.

  Aftermath. The August First name became the studio's enduring production identity, including after later institutional restructuring.

  Source
• 1955Expand from military education into feature filmsStrategy

  The studio had initially focused on military educational films and news documentaries. New funding created the opportunity to produce narrative features for wider audiences.

  What changed. The organization began producing feature films alongside its documentary and instructional output.

  Aftermath. Bayi became a major state film producer with a dual role in military communication and public cinema.

  Source

• 2018Bayi Studio identity retained after organizational restructuring

  A Central Military Commission decision placed the studio's institutional functions in the Film and Television Production Department of the PLA Cultural and Art Center, while retaining Bayi Studio as a production brand.

  Leadership change
  Source
• 1995Institution adopts expanded military film and television name

  The organization was renamed Chinese and Foreign Military Film and Television - August 1st Studio.

  Leadership changeOther
  Source
• 1983Crossing the Chishui River Four Times released

  The studio released a historical film featuring Gu Yue as Mao Zedong, with the actor selected in part for his physical resemblance to Mao.

  Product launch
  Source
• 1982August 1st Film magazine begins publication

  The studio launched a monthly publication focused on film literature and related screen arts.

  Product launch
  Source
• 1956Studio adopts the August First name

  The People's Liberation Army Film Studio was renamed August First Film Studio, establishing the Bayi identity used for its productions.

  Leadership changeOther
  Source
• 1955Studio begins producing feature films with independent funding

  The studio received funding to produce feature films, broadening its work beyond military education and news documentaries.

  Product launch
  Source
• 1952August First Film Studio formally established

  The People's Liberation Army Film Studio officially opened on PLA Day, following the creation of a predecessor military education film unit in 1951.

  Other
  Source
• Tunnel Warfare becomes a widely circulated military film

  The studio's Cultural Revolution-era film Tunnel Warfare was widely screened and reportedly reached approximately 1.8 billion viewings.

  Product generationOther
  Source

1. August First Film Studio