Actor Liu Ye stars Mao Zedong in the epic drama The Founding of an Army. [Photo provided to China Daily]

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of Chinese People's Liberation Army, an upcoming epic on the silver screen aims to relive the early history of Communist-led troops.

The Founding of an Army features Liu Ye starring as Mao Zedong and Zhu Yawen playing Zhou Enlai. The film's promoters released a preview clip of the shooting and some battle scenes from the movie, which will open across China on July 28.

The movie retells the landmark 1927 Nanchang Uprising, the first Communist-Kuomintang engagement during the Chinese Civil War.

Following the footsteps of The Founding of a Republic in 2009 and The Founding of the Party in 2011, the third installment of the "Founding of New China" trilogy again use star power as an appeal to modern audiences.

The stellar cast boasts around 40 popular actors, most of whom are heartthrobs to young fans.

Executive producer Huang Jianxin explains that the then-young revolutionary leaders, with an average age of 29, require a similar-aged cast to play them.

Han Sanping, the chief initiator and art director, believes the cast will stimulate interest among young moviegoers and prompt them to search online for more revolutionary history.

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