His partner and the Executive Director of Turandot, Chen Weiya, admitted that Zhang did not know who won the "Chinese princess" pageant. Nevertheless, they are doing everything necessary to have a remarkable turnout at the box office.

Chen, who was also the assistant director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, is confident they will present a fantastic opera at the "Bird's Nest".

"Because it is directed by Zhang Yimou; because it is held at the Bird's Nest where we created the splendid Olympic Games; because it is the story of a Chinese Princess and was composed by a Western composer filled with emotion; and because it is the cultivation of Chinese culture and Chinese art I think everyone has a reason to watch and receive this cultivation and enjoy the charm of the art."

Zhang initially directed the opera about the love story of a Chinese princess named Turandot in 1998, in the Forbidden City. It subsequently toured South Korea, France, Germany, and Spain.

Some 100-thousand people are expected to attend the performance at the "Bird's Nest", and more than 4,000 sets of new costumes have been produced. The promoter said they plan to tour 30 performances in 20 cities around the world.