Dongji Rescue
Dongji Rescue is a 2025 Chinese historical war action film directed by Guan Hu and Fei Zhenxiang, and starring Zhu Yilong, Wu Lei and Ni Ni. Based on the real-life Lisbon Maru incident during World War II, the film tells the story of Chinese fishermen who risked their lives to save over 300 British prisoners of war after a Japanese transport ship sank off the coast of Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang province, in 1942. The film was released in China on August 8, 2025.
Plot
The film is based on a true story of Chinese fishermen rescuing British prisoners of war. During World War II, a Japanese cargo ship carrying British prisoners was sunk in the waters near Zhoushan, and thousands of them were trapped in the cabin by the Japanese army. In desperation, a group of fishermen from Dongji Island came to their aid.Cast
- Zhu Yilong as Ah Bi
- Wu Lei as Ah Dang
- Ni Ni as Ah Hua
- Yang Haoyu as Li Yuanxing
- Chen Minghao as Mr. Chen
- Ni Dahong as Mr. Wu
- Wang Yiquan as Ah Kui
- Kevin Lee as Lieutenant Colonel Stewart
Production
The creative team began preparations in 2019, a process that spanned six years. In 2023, they set up filming locations in Wuxi, where the crew built a full-scale replica of a giant prisoner-of-war ship. They also used nearly lost intangible cultural heritage techniques to construct 24 fishing boats modeled after those from more than 80 years ago.Principal photography started on 24 June 2024 and wrapped in 6 January 2025. The film was shot on locations in Zhoushan, Zhejiang.