Promoting culture via the big screen

The Great Wall, a $150 million Sino-US coproduction featuring Matt Damon and Andy Lau, could arouse the curiosity of global movie fans about China's history. Xu Fan reports.

As a lackluster year for the movie industry is about to end, the spotlight is now on an upcoming fantasy epic, The Great Wall. The $150 million Sino-US coproduction, believed to be the biggest budget film shot entirely in China, is also being seen as a new way to tell a Chinese story to the world.

Zhang Yimou, one of China's top directors, says the chance to use Hollywood storytelling skills to popularize Chinese history and culture is why he agreed to direct this film, also the biggest-budget movie he has done.