A forgotten railway becomes the front line of empire — and family honor hangs by every rail spike.
45 minSeason 1 • Episode 34
LatestIn 1927, as Japan seeks to control the Northeast railway, local Chinese authorities plan to build their own independent railway. The Binzhou Railway Company, led by Cao Dingbang and his son Cao Mofei, faces fierce opposition from Japan as they work to assert control over the project.
Production
Painstaking 1920s Northeast China recreation, steam trains included.
Acting
Hou Changrong's weary pragmatist anchors every scene he's in.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Binzhou Railway was real — Japan's 1905 seizure of Manchurian rail rights remains a nationalist wound in Chinese historiography.
Director Hao Wan Jun reportedly spent months securing operational steam locomotives for authenticity; most period Chinese dramas CGI this.
CN
