Ordinary heroes doing extraordinary things

With more help from escorting police officers and fully prepare orthopedists at the affiliated TCM hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in Urumqi, the child underwent a successful surgery and has recovered well.

When stumbling upon the news, Hong Kong director Tony Chan felt deeply touched, and quickly decided to travel to the region to see if this heartwarming tale could be adapted to the silver screen. His last directorial effort, the 2019 movie The Bravest, was also adapted from a real-life event about heroic firefighters.

Noticing some Western media outlets' distorted reports about Xinjiang during that time, Chan became more interested to see the region, with his previous knowledge about its picturesque scenery and juicy grapes coming mostly from several popular social media apps.

In June 2021, Chan took a flight to Xinjiang, staying there for five months and efficiently finishing his latest directorial outing Ordinary Hero, which was released across domestic cinemas on Sept 30.

As the second highest-grossing blockbuster during the National Day holiday, the movie had raked in 164 million yuan ($23 million) by Monday.