Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" captivates moviegoers in Japan

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2," the highest-grossing animated film of all time, has been warmly received by Japanese moviegoers after hitting local movie screens on Friday.

At the premiere in Tokyo, many moviegoers showed up early and queued up to take photos with the movie poster prior to the highly anticipated screening.

The animated epic fantasy film was screened in 32 theaters in more than 20 cities across Japan on the day with Chinese and English subtitles. The Japanese subtitled version will be released in the country on April 4.

Moviegoers said they were impressed by the movie's integration of traditional Chinese culture with modern storytelling techniques as well as exquisite visual effects.

"The scenes are very beautiful. The story is fascinating. The film ended in a blink of an eye. I had some expectations about the quality of Chinese films, but after watching this film, it exceeded my expectations," said a moviegoer.

"By using Chinese history as the background, and applying the most advanced technology, the film expresses the themes of love, unity, and family affection to modern audiences. I look forward to more excellent films like this in the future," said Yutaka Kitamura, a Japanese film and music producer.

"It's amazing. What surprised me most was how the scenes and characters were presented with so many details. It left a deep impression on me," said a moviegoer.

According to the Japanese distributor of "Ne Zha 2", nearly half of the more than 30 screenings across Japan on Friday were full.

Several cinema websites showed that the movie's pre-sales were good, with tickets in Tokyo and many other places almost sold out for this weekend.

"Ne Zha 2", the sequel to the 2019 animated hit "Ne Zha", continues the tale of the iconic boy god from Chinese mythology, as Nezha and his ally Aobing struggle to rebuild their physical forms and secure their fate with the help of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren.

"Ne Zha 2" has surpassed Disney's Star Wars: The Force Awakens to secure its spot as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time globally.

According to data from ticketing platform Maoyan, the film's global earnings, including presales, have exceeded 15.019 billion yuan (about 2.09 billion U.S. dollars) as of Saturday.

The milestone was reached just 45 days after the film's release during the Chinese New Year on Jan. 29.

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" captivates moviegoers in Japan

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" captivates moviegoers in Japan

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" captivates moviegoers in Japan

Spring farming, aided by modern agricultural technologies, is picking up pace across China.

In Yulin City, located in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, rice seedlings are waiting to be transplanted. To expedite the planting process, local farmers have adopted modern and efficient agricultural machines to boost productivity.

"Currently, there are over 9,000 mu (about 600 hectares) of well-grown rice seedlings, with around 10,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) of orders yet to be cultivated. The entire process of seedling cultivation is expected to run until the end of March, and the transplanting of rice seedlings will likely be completed around mid-April," said Zheng Zhiwen, head of an agricultural company.

This year, Yulin plans to transplant over 1.72 million mu (about 114,600 hectares) of early-season rice. As of now, it has deployed over 120,000 sets of agricultural machinery to support early rice production. They have already completed planting on over 54,000 hectares of early-season rice, and are expected to finish all early rice transplanting by early April.

Elsewhere, Xiapu County of east China's Fujian Province is accelerating seedling cultivation operations through automatic seeding machine and smart workshops.

"From seedling cultivation and transplanting to drone-assisted crop protection and harvesting, we have basically achieved full mechanization throughout the entire process," said Sun Chaozhi, head of a seedling cultivation center.

Local farmers are employing rotary tillers enhanced with the homegrown Beidou navigation system to plow the soil in preparations for transplanting.

In north China's Guangping County, Hebei Province, local farmers are benefiting from the Yellow River water diversion project, making full use of this resource to irrigate and nourish their wheat fields.

In Xiantao City, located in central China's Hubei Province, the local power department has dispatched electricians to the fields to carry out thorough inspections of irrigation facilities, ensuring readiness for spring plowing by swiftly detecting and mitigating potential risks.

Spring farming aided by modern technologies pick up pace across China