BEIJING, March 3 - China's top film maker Zhang Yimou said Hollywood director Steven Spielberg's resignation as an adviser to the Beijing Olympics was "quite regrettable", but would not affect the Games, the China News Service said.

Zhang and Spielberg were working on the direction team for the opening and closing ceremonies for the August 8-24 Games, widely expected to be a spectacular affair showcasing China's rich culture.

The absence of the three-times Oscar winner, who pulled out last month, would not have any effect on the Opening Ceremony, Zhang was quoted as saying by the China News Service.

Zhang, most famous for his Oscar-nominated films "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Hero", said preparations for August 8 opening ceremony had reached the stage of "large scale rehearsals with more than 10,000 performers".

The 56-year-old gave little else away as he spoke to reporters on entering the Great Hall of the People for the opening of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an advisory body to China's National Parliament.