New movie celebrates a Chinese cultural icon

The biopic The Calligraphy Master is about the legendary life of Qi Gong and his influence on generations of Chinese people. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The 78-year-old is known for his biographical movies based on historical personalities, such as Deng Xiaoping (2003) and Zhou Enlai (1992), which topped that year's box office.

"After so many years of directing movies on political leaders, I wanted to make a switch. Chinese intellectuals of the 1930s are attractive subjects for their upright personalities," says Ding.

But in the world's second-largest movie market with 618 domestic titles last year, biopics remain a genre that draws limited interest from investors.

The Calligraphy Master, for instance, took three years to raise money, and the script was revised eight times. Instead of finding investment from bankers or online companies, Ding persuaded some famed calligraphers to donate their artworks and sold these by promoting them to collectors.

Zhang Shaogang, a popular TV host who plays the role of a middle-aged Qi in the movie, says it may help audiences escape busy modern life and relax a bit.

Ding Zhen, one of the directors of the film, says: "It's a restrained and comparatively slow-paced movie. We are not pushing to dramatize Qi's life, as he was mild-tempered and easily forgave those who harmed him."

Although a media preview on Sunday was met with applause, the crew still remains concerned about the market potential of such biopic productions.

Zhang says most trade analysts he contacted appeared pessimistic about The Calligraphy Master's box-office prospects. Such apprehensions come amid the China release of Hollywood blockbuster Mission: Impossible－Rogue Nation on Tuesday, and several upcoming homegrown big-budget movies.

"We hope the audience can get close to Qi's mind and soul, and look back at their own lives," says Ding Yinnan. "Qi represents the Chinese moral spirit to protect the country's traditional culture, which deserves respect and remembrance."

Some scholars also gave the movie positive reviews.

Yin Hong, executive vice-president of Tsinghua School of Journalism, believes the characters, three actors playing Qi at different ages, make the master calligrapher look lifelike on screen.

"The movie shows the Chinese philosophy of life," Yin says.