Zhao Dan
Crows and Sparrows was conceived over dinner by Shanghai Kunlun Film Co., Ltd's Chen Baichen, Shen Fu, Zheng Junli, Chen Yuting, and Zhao Dan, and the script was completed the next day. The Communist Party and the KMT were fighting for the three primary fights in China's political situation in 1948. The group of filmmakers discussed the precarious social environment over dinner and predicted that things would change dramatically, so they were prepared to shoot a feature film that would document the Kuomintang regime's demise and reflect the filmmakers' optimism for a new world. Over the course of the night, they met with a number of scriptwriters. Soon after, they discussed the script's outline, gave it the title, Crows and Sparrows, and handed it over to Chen Baichen to write. They also agreed to let Zheng Junli direct, as he had previously collaborated with Cai Chusheng on Spring River Flows East.