Besides Huang, the cast features A-list actress Zhang Ziyi, actor Chang Chen, US-born Chinese singer-actor Leehom Wang and other stars.

As for preparing for the movie, Huang says that he had to run repeatedly with Zhang on the Tsinghua University campus over 10 days for a running scene. He says his heels hurt during the filming.

Speaking about director Li Fangfang, Huang praises her for being meticulous.

He says that Li had gone through a great number of historical photos and documents and prepared thousands of costumes over 14 months to prepare for the film.

"I wanted to reproduce historic scenes and details," Li says.

Some episodes in the film are based on anecdotes from those at the National Southwest Associated University (1937-46) in Kunming, Yunnan province.

The episodes are reminiscent of the arduous conditions generally faced by students during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

Among the characters in the film are historical figures like Liang Sicheng, Lin Huiyin, Xu Zhimo and Qian Zhongshu.