A film depicting the life of the ancient Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius has become a highly anticipated epic blockbuster. The movie wrapped up shooting in Beijing on Wednesday, and a ceremony was held to release the first trailer.

Renowned actor Chow Yun-Fat, who plays Confucius, and other leading actors, including Chen Jianbin and Zhou Xun, appeared at the ceremony. Chow said he took the role because Confucius is portrayed in the film as a man with much human interest.

The biopic was jointly produced by the China Film Group and Beijing Dadi Century.

The first trailer is called "Sentiment". Without any dialogue, it uses music and pictures to portray the middle-aged Confucius. The artistic sample shrouds the film in mystery by not providing any clue about the story line.

The film focuses on Confucius's life experiences from the age of 51 to 73. The great philosopher was born in the ancient Chinese state of Lu, today's Qufu City in Shandong Province. He was a great educator, philosopher, a renowned politician, and became know as the founding father of Confucianism.

"Confucius" is set to premiere during the 2010 Spring Festival in China and Southeast Asian countries. The plot will be revealed in the second trailer, which will be released before the premiere.

(CCTV September 4, 2009)