Hu Jun and Li Naiwen star in ‘The Return’: Depicting the Anti-Japanese League in Micro-Narratives | The Beijing News

As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the passionate drama ‘The Return’ premiered on August 25, 2025, on CCTV-8 and Tencent Video simultaneously. The series, guided by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, produced by CCTV and Tencent Video, written by Gao Mantang, Li Li, Ru Sheng, and Li Zhou, co-directed by Zang Xichuan and Zhao Yang, starring Hu Jun, Li Naiwen, Chen Jingke, Yuan Shan Shan, Ren Bin, and Song Jiateng, with special appearances by Jiang Xin, Ni Dahong, and Liu Peiqi. Focusing on the 14-year resistance of the Northeast Anti-Japanese League, ‘The Return’ portrays the fate and emotions of ordinary soldiers from a rare micro perspective, creating a new bridge for audiences to touch the pulse of history.