Chinesische Schauspieler und Regisseur Xu Zheng besucht eine Pressekonferenz für seinen neuen Film "Ying" in Xiamen City zu Überleben, im Südosten der chinesischen Provinz Fujian,
Chinese actor and director Xu Zheng attends a press conference for his new film "Dying to Survive" in Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian province, 8 July 2018. Three years ago, Chinese merchant and leukemia patient Lu Yong was charged with selling "fake" drugs; today, his story has become the basis for a new domestic film that looks ready to win big at the Chinese box office. Set to hit Chinese mainland theaters on Thursday (5 July 2018), Chinese noir comedy Dying to Survive, directed by mainland director Wen Muye and co-produced by renowned directors Ning Hao and Xu Zheng, earned an estimated 115 million yuan ($17.3 million) from advanced limited release screenings that ran from Saturday to Wednesday. The film has also become one of the most discussed topics on Chinese social media, where moviegoers have passionately described the story as a "moving and realistic five-star work" and how they used up "packets of tissues" to wipe away their tears while watching the film. The film is loosely based on the story of Lu, who has been regarded as a hero of sorts for importing and selling less expensive generic anticancer drugs from India to Chinese mainland chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients who couldn't afford the exorbitant licensed drug produced by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.
