This photo shows a view at a special exhibition on the shooting process of Evil Unbound, a film about Unit 731, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
HARBIN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- "Evil Unbound," a film about Unit 731, held its world premiere on Wednesday in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, where this notorious Japanese germ warfare unit was once based, highlighting the atrocities committed by Japanese invading forces in China in World War II.
The movie tells the story of Wang Yongzhang, a local vendor, and others imprisoned in the "special prison" of Unit 731, where they were lured by false promises of freedom in return for cooperating with supposed health checks and disease prevention research, only to become victims of horrific medical experiments, including frostbite tests, gas exposure and vivisection.
"The real history is far more brutal than what the film can depict," said Jin Chengmin, curator of the Exhibition Hall of Evidence of Crimes Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, at the premiere.
People visit a special exhibition on the shooting process of Evil Unbound, a film about Unit 731, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 17, 2025.(Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
The crimes of Unit 731 are among the darkest chapters in human history, and its atrocities were meticulously covered up by Japanese authorities afterwards, he noted, adding that it is hoped this film will channel more attention to the understanding and study of Unit 731 and its history.
Unit 731, a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base, was established in the Pingfang District of Harbin, and served as the nerve center for Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during World War II.
Historical records suggest that between 1940 and 1945, at least 3,000 people were used in human experiments by Unit 731, while more than 300,000 people in China were killed by Japan's biological weapons.
A visitor takes photos at the entrance of the former site of the Unit 731 in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Dec. 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)
Zhao Linshan, director of the film, noted that the production team drew on a wealth of authentic historical materials. He expressed the hope the film will serve as a stark reminder to the world of this dark history and encourage people to truly cherish peace.
The film is set to premiere elsewhere in China on Thursday, which marks the 94th anniversary of the September 18 Incident that signaled the beginning of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
Prior to its official release, the film had already garnered considerable attention in China. As of Tuesday night, data from Chinese movie ticketing platform Maoyan indicated that 4.5 million users had expressed their wishes to watch the film -- with the value of its advance ticket sales having reached 108 million yuan (about 15.2 million U.S. dollars), and the number of screenings scheduled for its opening day totaling 217,000.
The movie will also be globally released from Thursday onwards, with screenings scheduled for countries and regions including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and the Republic of Korea, as well as China's Hong Kong and Macao.
Visitors take photos at the opening ceremony of a special exhibition on the shooting process of Evil Unbound, a film about Unit 731, in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Sept. 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
As the world's largest ruins of a germ warfare research site, the location that hosted Unit 731 is of outstanding historical and educational value. These ruins were included on China's tentative list of world cultural heritage sites in 2012.