The seven-day National Day holiday, also known as the Golden Week, has become a perfect opportunity for new releases to make waves. A total of 12 new titles are scheduled to hit the big screens in China this week, with the most anticipated one being Zhang Yimou's "Ying".
The martial arts film, which debuted in China on Sunday, is a re-imagination of a classic story set in China during the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280 AD) about a "shadow" man – a body double for royals and aristocrats.
"Ying" stars Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai and Hu Jun.
The story was inspired by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's 1980 film "Kagemusha" (Shadow Warrior) and his own curiosity about the lives of body doubles in Chinese history, according to the director.
A poster of film "Ying" by Zhang Yimou. /Photo via Douban
Zhang said the film was different from his previous productions, which were mostly brightly colored, with this one adapting black and white tones, similar to traditional Chinese watercolor paintings.
The film made its world premiere in the Out of Competition event at the 75th Venice Film Festival in early September, where Zhang was presented the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award.
During the seven-day holiday of the National Day, several new films are expected to hit the cinema.
"Hello, Mrs. Money" and "Project Gutenberg" will debut, starring Hong Kong veteran actors Chow Yun Fat and Kwok Fu Shing, as well as Zhang Jingchu, who won international fame for her role in "Peacock", which snatched the Berlin's Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear in 2005.
A still of "Hello, Mrs. Money". /VCG Photo
"Hello, Mrs. Money" is adapted from a popular stage comedy of Mahua FunAge, a Beijing-based company. But the ratings were not encouraging.
With a 5.3-score on Douban.com, China's answer to Rotten Tomato, the film seems to have disappointed its fans, with many criticizing its money-worshiping values, as well as improper attitude towards women and LGBT communities.
A poster of "Project Gutenberg". /Photo via Douban
"Project Gutenberg" tells the story of police crackdown on a criminal group involved in counterfeit money operations. It is one of the rare Hong Kong crime films in the Chinese film industry.
Many fans of the 1990s Hong Kong films flocked to Douban.com after watching the film, saying that the texture and rhythm of the films were still exciting enough.
A poster of the film "Lost, Found." /Photo via Douban
"Lost, Found" starring top actresses Yao Chen and Ma Yili, will be released on October 5. Depicting the stories of two mothers, the film tries to adopt the female perspective on women's status in modern society. The two extraordinary actresses bring emotional depth to the film and push the story onto a much richer psychological ground.
On Monday, 3D animation film "The Adventure of Afanti" debuted in movie theaters in China. It is the latest adaptation of puppet animation "The Stories of Afanti" (1980), which remains one of the most impressive figures of the childhood memories of many Chinese.
Monday marks the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as the first day of a seven-day public holiday.
(With input from Xinhua)
(Sun Wei and Yang Ran also contributed to the story.)