The film's depiction of the battle has been described as containing historical inaccuracies and has garnered controversy in some countries, including South Korea.

[18][19][20][15] Wu Qianli, commander of the People's Liberation Army's 7th Company, returns home after the Chinese Civil War.

Having been allotted land for his service, he promises his parents he will build them a house, but his leave is cancelled when China enters the Korean War.

The film then jumps to Beijing on 4 October 1950 where the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party is meeting in Zhongnanhai to discuss the war situation.

Mao Zedong's son, Anying, serving under the pseudonym "Liu", helps distribute clothing to them before the company is ordered to the front lines.

The 27 November offensive begins with Chinese soldiers swarming the positions of the U.S. Army 31st Infantry Regiment at Sinhung-ni.

The Americans begin to retreat and Qianli shoots the U.S. commander, Colonel Allan MacLean, but then stops Wanli from executing him.

General Oliver P. Smith salutes them; his voiceover is heard saying that fighting against such strong-willed men, the U.S. was not ordained to win.

The screenplay was written by Lan Xiaolong, who previously wrote the novel Soldiers Sortie and its TV drama adaptation, and Huang Jianxin.

[28] The scene of the People's Volunteer Army boarding trucks to North Korea was filmed at Meishan railway station in Huzhou.

[43] The film remained atop the Chinese box office for a month, being displaced by No Time to Die during the weekend of 29–31 October.

[13] It also became the second highest-grossing film of all time in a single market, after Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) in the United States.

"[48][49] Conversely, Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave a two out of five rating, saying the film was a "sporadically thrilling, historically dubious account of a Korean war standoff, with all the subtlety of a rocket launcher.

"[6] Reviewing for Forbes, Scott Mendelson said "It’s arguably no more jingoistic, at least until the final montage, than (offhand) Pearl Harbor or We Were Soldiers."

Stanley Rosen, a political science professor from the University of Southern California, stated that the release and popularity of the film "is definitely related to the ongoing tensions with the US, and has been promoted that way—sometimes indirectly, but still very clearly".

[3] Rebecca Davis of Foreign Policy described the film's sequel and companion piece, The Battle at Lake Changjin II, as propaganda that "extol the virtues of sacrificing oneself for the Chinese Communist Party."

In addition, Kim Young-kweon of Voice of America noted that during the battle, US and UN forces suffered significantly less casualties than the Chinese.

[17] After the release of the movie, former Chinese journalist Luo Changping was arrested by police and held on the charge of "infringing the reputation and honour of national martyrs" after multiple police reports were filed over his online post in Sina Weibo, where he posted commentary questioning China's role in the Korean War, drawing criticism from thousands of social media users.

[62] Deutsche Welle reported that the film has raised anger in South Korea, with the public calling it "propaganda filled with historical inaccuracies."

[15] A sequel entitled The Battle at Lake Changjin II was released on 1 February 2022, the first day of Chinese New Year.

(长津湖之水门桥; zhǎng jīn hú zhī shuǐ mén qiáo; 'Water Gate Bridge of Lake Changjin').