The play follows the story of the 16-year-old Yang Jianchuan, who volunteered to join the army and went through the battle along with his comrades.

Yang Di, director of the play, says that there are about 40 actors and actresses involved in the play and most of them are amateur theater lovers who joined in an acting club launched by the Culture Center of Xicheng District.

"We spent months training them to act and doing rehearsals from 6 pm to 11 pm weekly. It was a great challenge for those amateur actors and actresses but they did a great job," says the director, adding that the play pays tribute to the heroes who devoted their lives to protecting our motherland. The title of the play was from the popular Chinese song, My Motherland, which was featured in the Chinese war movie Shangganling in 1956.