Epic film about Mongolian conqueror premieres in Beijing

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"Genghis Khan", an epic film about the founder of the largest empire in history, had its cinematic debut on Monday in Beijing. Cast of the historical drama including William Chan, Lin Yun, and Hu Jun were all made it out to the premiere.

"Genghis Khan" is set in late 1100’s Mongolia, in the years before the man himself started his military campaign to conquer Eurasia. After the death of his father, Temüjin, who later on becomes known as Genghis Khan, returns to his home tribe, only to discover that it was destroyed by his father’s former compatriots.

The movie is produced by French director Jean Jacques Annaud and directed by Hasi Chaolu, who is of Mongolian descent. At the premiere in Beijing on Monday, the Chaolu said the movie is the first of its kind to feature a young Khan.

Main actors attend the premier of the film "Genghis Khan". /VCG Photo‍

"The legendary story of Genghis Khan has been told many times in films and TV dramas. But none of them focuses on his early life before he became the great Khan. This movie sheds light on him as a young man, his love story and all the difficulties he had to endure. I hope the audience can learn more about the Khan people and Mongolian culture through this film," said the director.

Hong Kong singer-actor William Chan stars as Genghis Khan. Actress Lin Yun, known for her role in Stephen Chow’s film "The Mermaid", plays Khan's fiancee. Veteran actor Hu Jun, known for his tough-guy roles, plays the villain – a former tribal leader whose father was beheaded by Khan’s father.

Chan said playing Genghis Khan was a big challenge for him.

Crew of the film "Genghis Khan" attend the closing ceremony of the 8th Beijing Int'l Film Festival. /VCG Photo

"I'm honored, but I was also under great pressure to play this character, because I'm not Mongolian, and the cast also includes two veteran Mongolian actors who had played this role before. I want to thank the director and the actors, they really helped me a lot while shooting the film. I also had to learn to ride a horse," said William Chan.

Renowned Inner Mongolian folk music band Hanggai also showed up to the film's premiere. The band, known for blending traditional music with rock, performed their new song "Ode to Heroes", which is from the film’s soundtrack.

"Genghis Khan" opens across Chinese mainland theaters on April 28.