Chinese anti‑war film Welcome to Dragon Restaurant (Once Upon a Time in the Middle East) hit domestic theatres on August 11. Directed by Wen Muye and starring Shen Teng, the movie is set against the war‑torn Middle East. It depicts Chinese chef Xu Fu running a local Chinese restaurant and delivers anti‑war messages through kitchen‑centered storytelling instead of conventional battlefield plots.
Since its release, the film has earned solid box‑office returns and positive reviews. Multiple overseas entertainment media have covered the production. They noted that it portrays civilian suffering caused by war from the perspective of ordinary people and spoke highly of its creative combination of food and war‑themed narrative.
