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"Fu Dalong also spent months preparing for the role and learning to sing Peking Opera. He is the kind of actor that would immerse himself in the role during shooting."

According to her, no substitute actors or performers were used during the course of the film.

To attract younger audience members to watch a movie about Peking Opera, Hu invited musician Shu Nan to compose a theme song with parts for modern instruments.

"Shu managed to combine modern rhythms with traditional Peking Opera with seamless harmony, which is a difficult thing to pull off," says Hu.

Cinematographer Chen Dan, 37, who shot A Hero or Not and Sky Hunter, brought a post-1980s perspective of Peking Opera to the film.

Hu not only hopes the film will help younger people to learn about Peking Opera, but also that overseas Chinese may gain a better insight of what the essence of Chinese culture is all about.

According to the director, the film was screened in New York and Los Angeles on April 22, and will later be screened in Paris and Sydney for overseas Chinese audiences-at Hu's own expense.

"Peking Opera was actually born out of a blend of local opera styles that lie at the very root of Chinese culture. This film is a call for us all to unleash our creative and artistic spirits," she says.

"I'm hoping to see more films and television works about traditional Chinese culture in the future."

Contact the writer at liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn