1911

1911 (辛亥革命, "The fall of the last empire") is a Chinese historical drama you can watch online on iFILM. It's a sweeping account of how, in the autumn of that year, an armed rising in Wuchang set off the chain of events that ended centuries of Manchu rule.

Two men carry the story. Sun Yat-sen, the republic's thinker, crosses the globe raising money and recognition for the cause. And the field commander Huang Xing, who bears the actual fighting — the trenches, the doomed charges, the friends buried along the way. Jackie Chan plays him; the picture was billed as his hundredth film, and the part is heavy and dramatic rather than comic. Li Bingbing, Joan Chen and Jaycee Chan round out the cast, and Chan also shares the director's chair with Zhang Li.

The film never hides its patriotic framing, yet as a war fresco it holds up: the battle scenes are staged on a grand scale, and the rapid shuffle of capitals, generals and back-room deals captures the chaos of an empire coming apart. It suits anyone curious about Chinese history without textbook dryness. Stream 1911 online on iFILM.