"An Unfinished Game of Chess" meets the little secret of "Sakurako"

A Game of Chess That Has Not Been Played is a drama film co-directed by Chinese director Duan Jishun and Japanese director Junya Sato, starring Sun Daolin and Rintaro Mikuni. The film tells the story of the vicissitudes of the two Go families of Kang Yishan and Songbo for thirty years. The film premiered in Chinese mainland and Japan on September 15, 1982.

The literary script of this film was originally co-written by Li Hongzhou and Ge Kangtong, amateur Go players in China. Set against the backdrop of the Beiyang warlord era and the long years after the founding of New China, this drama condemns Japanese fascist militarism and reflects the deep friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples through the sad and joyful clutches of the two Chinese and Japanese Go players and their families, and has always inspired the hearts of Chinese and Japanese filmmakers. Through the joint efforts of China and Japan, The Beijing Film Studio in China and Tokuma Tokuma Co., Ltd. in Japan decided to jointly invest in joint production and officially put into filming in Kamakura, Japan. Played by Sun Daolin, a famous film performance artist in China, the Japanese director was replaced by Junya Sato, who was the director of "Witness" and "The Hunt".

The script does not seek the thrill and fancy of the plot, but only with deep feelings, it truly shows the scene that has passed in history. While reminiscing about the unfortunate years of the past, people can see the historical trend and the aspirations of the people, look to the future, and use practical actions to write a new chapter of Sino-Japanese friendship.

The original novella "Sakura" by Ai Qing of the Sichuan Writers Association was first published in 2007, published by Huacheng Publishing House in 2008, and republished in 2017. By telling the love story of Chinese youth Qingsong and Japanese siblings Sakurako and Plum, this film celebrates pure and beautiful love, shows the far-reaching influence of traditional Chinese culture on Japan, and praises the courage of the Chinese and Japanese peoples not to bow to natural disasters.

The story takes the life-and-death love between Aomatsu and the Japanese siblings Sakurako and Plum as the main story line, triggering a thousand-year history of friendly exchanges between China and Japan, and reflecting the profound influence of Chinese culture on Japanese culture through the love of Japanese friends for Chinese Tang poetry.