One of the most anticipated Chinese films of 2008, "Mei Lanfang" is set to be released in mid December. The epic production is a biographical account about the late Peking Opera master. The film was in pre-production for three years. Then came seven months of filming. "Mei Lanfang" is the latest offering from aspiring director Chen Kaige. He's best known for "Farewell My Concubine." This time he's fighting to come back from the failure of his last film, "Promise".

Zhang Ziyi

Mei Lanfang, the most famous Peking Opera performer of all time, is being featured in an epic film. Mei is considered among the four outstanding actors to play "Dan" or female roles. Mei began his career on stage at the age of ten. During the long performing career that followed, he acted in and promoted many new plays. He is credited with contributions to advance many aspects of the opera. He was an innovator of singing styles, dialogue, dance, music, and costume. His fresh, elegant performing style set the standard for the Mei school. It remains the prevailing standard in Peking Opera today.