August First Film Studio

August First Film Studio

The August First Film Studio of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is China’s only military film studio. It is located in Liulijie Beili, Lugouqiao Subdistrict, Fengtai District, Beijing, covering an area of 392.1 mu. In March 1951, its establishment was initiated under the name of the Military Education Film Studio of the General Political Department. It was officially founded on August 1, 1952, initially named the PLA Film Studio, and renamed August First Film Studio in 1956. The first film produced by the studio in 1952 was the military educational film River Crossing Attack. In 1952, it completed its first documentary, Jingjiang Flood Diversion, and in the same year, it dubbed its first Chinese language teaching film, Nervous System and Conditioned Reflex. The first feature film, Break Through the Dawn, was produced in 1955. In 1960, it completed China’s first stereoscopic documentary, Li River Travelogue. Starting in 1982, it produced its first TV series, Examination Hall, and from 1988 onward began producing animated films.

Stepping into the August First Film Studio History Museum, you’ll find a long red staircase in the center of the exhibition hall, consisting of 53 steps, symbolizing the 53 years from the studio’s founding to the museum’s opening. The three-story museum is divided into three exhibition halls. The top floor houses the first exhibition hall, displaying historical photos of visits and tours by party, government, and military leaders throughout the studio’s history, as well as photos of the studio’s legendary stars and its trophies. The second exhibition hall is on the middle floor, chronicling the various types of films produced by the studio over the years, including feature films, military educational films, news documentaries, national defense research films, animated films, stereoscopic films, special topic films, and TV movies, along with photos of the studio’s former leaders and the actors’ troupe. The third exhibition hall is on the ground floor, featuring a variety of film props, scene setups, and updates on the latest movie developments. On both sides of the first exhibition hall are displayed the trophies won by the studio over its more than 50 years of history.

(Source: Publicity Department of Fengtai District Committee)