On October 15, at Peking University, the Indonesian Embassy in China hosted a film screening during Indonesian Culture Week, featuring Boundless Love, a Chinese-Indonesian co-production. Created by employees of CHN Energy, the film is based on the real-life love story of Fang Bing, a Chinese employee at PT. GH EMM INDONESIA under CHN Energy, and his Indonesian wife, Hana. It artistically portrays China-Indonesia economic cooperation and cultural integration, highlighting the bonds between peoples fostered by the Belt and Road Initiative.
Indonesian Embassy Minister-Counselor attends the screening.
The film centers on the romance between Chinese engineer Chen Chang and Indonesian woman Nova, telling a story of enduring love spanning half a century. It was screened at the Pingyao International Film Festival on October 18, 2018, and released in the mainland of China on October 29, 2019. During its theatrical run, Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun attended the Beijing premiere and delivered remarks before watching the film alongside audiences from both countries.
On August 7, 2021, the film made its television debut on CCTV-6 and was rebroadcast several times. Following its theatrical and television releases, Boundless Love was repeatedly selected by diplomatic missions and cultural platforms for major events, including the 2023 Chengdu Indonesia Culture Week-Film Festival, ASEAN-China Week 2024, and the 2025 Indonesian Culture Festival marking the 75th anniversary of China-Indonesia diplomatic relations.
On February 12, the Indonesian Embassy in Cambodia held a special screening in Phnom Penh. Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona and Indonesian Ambassador to Cambodia Santo Darmosumarto attended, along with more than 250 representatives from diplomatic circles, the creative industries and universities. In addition to the screening, the event featured an industry forum covering topics such as co-production and content exchange.
The Indonesian Embassy in Cambodia described the event as part of efforts to strengthen economic and socio-cultural diplomacy in Cambodia. This marks a new role for the co-production, which is set against the backdrop of Belt and Road energy cooperation. No longer confined to telling a story between China and Indonesia, the film is now reaching audiences on screens in a third country, sharing Indonesia's landscapes and way of life, showcasing bilateral cooperation, and exploring the connections between people.
According to the event organizers, the screening received an enthusiastic response. One university student in Phnom Penh wrote in a message: “I initially thought this was a foreign film about a distant world, but after watching it, I felt it was telling a story about people around me.”
On October 11, the film had its first commercial big-screen release in Indonesia at the Nanyang Film Festival. Local media described it as one of the festival's most significant and eagerly anticipated highlights. The screening ended with prolonged, enthusiastic applause. During post-screening discussions, audience members repeatedly mentioned familiar details of everyday life and emotional expressions in the film, saying that this Chinese-produced co-production captures the emotional rhythms of Indonesian people. Many said it was the first time they had seen everyday life in their own country portrayed so sensitively on the big screen.
The Cambodian special screening of Boundless Love
The film does not directly explain the achievements or significance of the Belt and Road Initiative or energy cooperation. Instead, it tells the story through the love and everyday lives of ordinary people from the two countries, weaving their interactions into familiar experiences and cultural encounters to create an emotional connection with audiences. This locally grounded approach has taken the film beyond the uses its producers initially anticipated.
To date, it has featured repeatedly on Indonesia's cultural diplomacy agenda, serving as an important window through which the public can learn about people-to-people exchanges between China and Indonesia. As Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun said after watching the film that Boundless Love bears witness to the deepening friendship between the two countries based on a true love story. It is a milestone that will have a far-reaching impact on exchanges between the peoples.
