The scene that Ann accompanies dying Kong enjoying the sunset atop the Empire State Building touched many Chinese audiences.

"King Kong has fully understood the Ann's affection to it, and the animal and human achieved real communication on that occasion," He Junli said after watching Peter Jackson's new version of King Kong, which was released on the Chinese mainland Thursday.

As the first imported foreign film in 2006, King Kong features a giant ape, King Kong, which lives in a jungle on "Skull Island," saves and loves an actress among a group of adventurers led by a US filmmaker Carl.

Kong is captured and brought to New York City for display by Carl and escapes, and with Ann in his hand, makes a fateful journey up the Empire State Building. At last, it is shot down from the skyscraper by biplanes.

A five-meter-high fake ape outside the Oriental New Century Cinema for the Beijing premiere Thursday evening fascinated many passers-by.

Jung Jung Kyo, who is from the Republic of Korea and studying in the University of International Business and Economics, took pictures with the huge gorilla after walking out of the cinema.

She said she had watched both the 1933 and 1976's renditions of King Kong.

"The ape has human kindness, with face expression even changeable. The humans, however, are bad. Why they kill King Kong?" she said.

Liu Shusen, vice president of the Huaxia Film Distribution Co Ltd, one of two Chinese companies authorized to distribute foreign films, said they imported King Kong for its high artistic quality and productive level and it can benefit home-made films.  

The overseas box office result is also a factor, he said. The ape-meets-girl tragic film has been being among top three on the North American box office list since its release there on Dec. 14, 2005.

"King Kong has common interest of the entire human being, so I believe it can strike the chord with Chinese audiences likewise," Liu said.

A girl surnamed Song, said watching King Kong was a release of sentiment, "The ape is pure-hearted to human, but it needs to beat brain to deal with human."

"The film represents the ape's affection to human, and I hope among the human ourselves, there is also such sincere sentiment, and we should protect animals," said He Junli.

According to the Huaxia, the 207-million-US-dollar King Kong, which stars actors Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts and Jack Black, earned 5 million-plus yuan (about US$630,000) of box office across the Chinese mainland on the opening day.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2006)