Though the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-97) has been portrayed on big screens many times as a legend, a recent film on him chooses a sideways angle and tries to show something beyond the stereotypes.

This fresh view, seen in a nationwide release last week, is the image of a persevering tourist rather than a resourceful political leader. Deng's Climb depicts his four-day trip in July 1979 to Mount Huangshan, a celebrated scenic area in East China's Anhui province.

"I am shooting not a great person, but an old man," says director Chen Guoxing, who is known for his mainstream biographics and historical dramas.

"It's a great challenge for me because I have to develop an appealing film from a story far away from today's young generation that does not have very strong dramatic conflicts."

Nevertheless, some publicly released pictures recording that trip include Deng with several college students - China's college entrance exam had only resumed two years before, following a 11-year hiatus - from Fudan University, and a chance encounter with members of a Hong Kong martial-arts film production unit. Deng is also shown busily signing autographs for tourists.

These reflect Chinese society's subtle changes at the time and provide the director with elements to draw a big picture.

"We've gotten used to seeing Deng as a serious decision-maker when the country was at a crossroad," Chen explains.

"But, this time, we wanted to use a warm tone to reflect China's crucial issues through his interaction with ordinary people."

Many controversial issues stirring China at the time, such as the reform of the rural "household responsibility system" and the status of privately owned businesses, are tactfully blended into this screened trip that looks casual on the surface.

The unusual approach was challenging for 62-year-old actor Lu Qi, who has played Deng in more than 40 films and TV series since 1988.

"I cannot apply overwhelming expressions of emotions this time, but I have to switch to expressing his hidden inner powers," Lu explains.

"It's thus important to portray details softly, revealing the figure's love and patriotism like a bubbling stream."

The picturesque landscape of Mount Huangshan is the ideal backdrop to present such a touching story and sets off a journey for China's traditional biographic films, which are often criticized by audiences today for being stiff and didactic.

"State leaders' profiles can be close to ordinary people," the film's chief producer Yan Conghua says, adding that he does not want to do political reports or shout slogans.

He cites the Oscar-winning films The Iron Lady and The King's Speech as examples. He expects equally appealing biographic productions on political leaders to bloom in China.

"Today, it's incorrect to only emphasize social effects in such a genre of film," he says. "We should take their thoughts and market values into consideration at the same time."

Yan includes many popular actors as guest performers in the cast.

"It's a must to use a modern approach to present historical figures, and more new models will be explored," he says.

wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 02/12/2015 page9)