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On Sept. 27, 1942, on Stonecutters Island in Hong Kong, an armed merchant ship, 135.6 meters (445 feet) long, 17.7 meters wide, and with a draft of 10.4 meters, set sail for Japan. Onboard were 1,816 British Commonwealth prisoners of war (POWs) — primarily Britons, but also Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Indians and Singaporeans — all of whom were captives from the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. They were housed in the ship’s three lower holds. Additionally, the ship carried 778 Japanese soldiers and 25 guards for the prisoners.1942年9月27日，香港昂船洲，一艘长135.6米、宽17.7米、深度10.4米的武装客货轮起航，前往日本。船上有1816名英联邦战俘——主体是英国人，也有加拿大人、澳大利亚人、新西兰人、印度人和新加坡人。他们都是1941年12月香港保卫战中的战俘，分布在船的三个底舱。此外，船上还有778名日本士兵和25名战俘看守。
The vessel, unmarked as a prisoner transport, was mistaken by the U.S. forces for a Japanese strategic vessel. Four days later, as it reached the waters near Dongji Island in Zhoushan, East China’s Zhejiang province, it was hit by torpedoes fired by the USS Grouper from Submarine Division 81 of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, resulting in the deaths of 828 prisoners. This serious violation of international conventions left a permanent scar on the submariners involved.这艘运送战俘的船只无任何标识，致使美军误以为是日方的战略船只，四天后，当它驶抵浙江舟山东极岛海域，被美国太平洋舰队潜艇部队第81分队的“鲈鱼号”发射鱼雷击中，造成828名战俘丧生。这个严重违反国际公约行为，使美军的潜艇兵终身走不出阴影。
Years later, even documentary director Fang Li himself might not have anticipated how closely he would become linked with the ship named the Lisbon Maru. “I never intentionally set out to make films. I was thrust into it,” he said in an interview with Caixin.He called the force that entrapped him a “historical complex.”“If we don’t rescue this piece of history now, it will be too late,” he said.![]()
Fang gives a radio interview in the U.K. as part of his efforts to find more survivors of Lisboa Maru and their descendants for his documentary “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.” He also published full-page advertisements in three major British newspapers as part of his search.
On Sept. 14, 2024, during a visit to the Qikeshu Creative Park, not far from Beijing’s 798 Art Zone, I sat down with Fang, the director of the new documentary “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.”Fang, 70, holds dual careers that seem worlds apart: he is a filmmaker as well as an expert in marine technology and earth exploration. His ventures, Laurel Film Factory and Laurel Industries, occupy a large section of the park. I mistakenly wandered into Laurel Industries first, finding myself amid his “big toys” — from a 75-kilogram unmanned helicopter to various ship models.70岁的方励有两个看起来完全不搭界的职业身份，一个是电影制片人，另一个是海洋技术和地球探测技术专家。他创办的劳雷电影工厂和劳雷工业位于园区左侧，占了很大一个方格。由于路况不熟，我一度误入劳雷工业——此处竟别有洞天，他所有的“大玩具”都在这里，从75公斤级起飞重量Discover燃油无人直升机，到各种船舰模型，在里面散步，耳边是造浪池的波涛声。
The interview was pushed back half an hour due to an urgent meeting Fang had as CEO, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival. During the wait, I explored his studio where the storyboards for “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru” were still on display, alongside a fisherman’s painting from Dongji Island titled “Boundless Love.”![]()
Fang interviews Dennis Morley, who survived the sinking of the Lisbon Maru, in the U.K. in 2018.
Born in Chengdu in 1953, Fang quickly opened up about his passions. “Filmmaking has been my hobby for 24 years, spurred by my love for photography and literature from a young age,” he said, challenging my preconceptions about the generation born in 1950s. He is a scientist with a knack for storytelling, who has been active in various social circles for decades, and is still energetically traversing the globe. If it weren’t for occasional reminders of his role as a director, he might prefer discussing technology. Unfazed by any question, Fang confidently stated, “James Cameron? I know everything he’s done inside out.”这个生于1953年的成都人，一落座便打开话匣子。“电影是我个人爱好，我干了24年，因为从小喜欢摄影、喜欢文学。科技我可是干了42年。”他打破了我对“50后”这代人的刻板印象——探索地球的科学家，比很多文科出身的，更擅长讲故事；在各种圈子里“上蹿下跳几十年”的元老级人物，直到今天还有精力满世界跑。如果不是因为偶尔想起自己是《里斯本丸沉没》导演，很有可能，他更喜欢和你聊科技。对于记者抛出的任何问题，他都不怯场：“詹姆斯·卡梅隆？他干的所有的东西我都烂熟。”
He has the credentials to back it up. According to Fang, his continuous work, despite his age, is key to his success: “Those older than me have stopped, and there aren’t many of my age left.”Whenever Fang appears at international tech expos, he’s widely recognized across several professional communities — from marine technology to geophysics and earthquake prediction — each familiar with China’s “Crazy Fang.”只要方励在某个国际技术展会上出现，基本上所有人都认识他。在海洋科技圈、装备圈、地球物理圈、资源勘探圈、地震预报和测绘圈（类似的圈子他列举了不下十个），几乎每个人都知道，“中国有个Crazy方”。
It is intriguing that Fang, who founded Laurel Film, once hosted Cinema World, a film industry magazine in China, where I served as an editor under his indirect guidance. Regrettably, I never met this legendary figure. My sole understanding of him was that he supported China’s several sixth-generation directors. “I often say that I don’t invest in movies, I spend money on movies because of their future value. As long as a film moves me, like “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru,” I will spare no effort to make it happen. My spending is not for monetary return.”“我经常说，我不是投资拍电影，而是花钱拍电影，因为它有未来价值。只要能打动我，就像《里斯本丸沉没》一样，我就会不顾一切去做。我投钱不是为了换钱。”
His discernment has proven astute, with films such as “The Orphan of Anyang,” “Day and Night,” and “Blind Mountain” later becoming representative works of young sixth-generation directors.Although “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru” marks Fang’s directorial debut, his passion for film actually goes back to childhood, when he was influenced by his grandfather and father — who were both photography enthusiasts. Later given the chance to attend university, this film and literature aficionado unexpectedly chose to study sciences. “I was conflicted for a long time. My friends thought I would study Chinese literature, but I ended up in geophysics,” Fang said.虽然《里斯本丸沉没》是方励的导演处女作，他的影像启蒙其实来自童年。爷爷和父亲都是摄影爱好者，他从小就喜欢上了这门艺术。后来有机会考大学，这个电影和文学爱好者却选了理科。“我纠结了很久。周围朋友都以为我要考中文系，结果考了地球物理系。”即便走了理科这条路，对文学和艺术的偏爱依然在他身上留下烙印。拿他创立的劳雷工业来说，这家公司把它最新的科技成果画在了外墙上：从无人海洋测量艇，到深海无人电动作业的机器人。所有进入七棵树创意园的人，都不会忽视这面涂鸦墙。
Despite this scientific detour, his passion for literature and art left an indelible mark, evident in his company, Laure Industries, which showcases its latest technological advancements in unmanned ocean survey boats and deep-sea electric robots painted on a graffiti wall at the Seven Trees Creative Park.Originally named Huang Fangli, after his father Huang Gongwang, an engineer educated in the U.S. who later worked at the railway sector in China, Fang Li grew up in a railway compound. From ages 12 to 20, he immersed himself in books and classical literature and numerous biographies.方励原名黄方励，后随母姓方。父亲黄公望早年留学美国，回国后在铁路部门任高级工程师。方励是在铁路大院长大的。从12岁到20岁，他泡在书里，躲在经典文学中，那里如此安静，不仅感情纯粹，还能躲避疯狂。托尔斯泰，屠格涅夫，雨果，哈代，大仲马和小仲马⋯⋯能读到这些作品，都是拜同住铁路大院的邻居所赐。在一个古今中外名著是禁书的年代，他得天独厚。
From 1987 to 1989, while studying for an MBA in the U.S., his spare time was consumed by documentaries. He watched every documentary he could find on World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Middle East conflicts. For Fang, a seasoned film buff who had seen documentaries on Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan’s film “Dunkirk” barely scratched the surface.“I have an innate curiosity about history,” he said.![]()
In Canada, Fang interviews William Banfield, a survivor of the Lisbon Maru who was rescued by Chinese fishermen.
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