First Sino-Kazakh film portrays last years of famed musician

When actor Hu Jun received the call inviting him to play the role of the musician in the film, he says he was shocked. Most of Hu's best-known screen characters are muscular heroes such as the legendary Qiao Feng in the martial arts TV series Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

But the producer Jonathan Shen soon shook off his concerns.

"Hu was born into a musical family. He learned to play the violin when he was young," says Shen, during a Beijing preview event on Monday.

The film is inspired from a speech made by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Kazakhstan in 2013, Shen says.