Confucius premieres in Guangzhou

The highly anticipated premiere of "Confucius" has been held in the southern city of Guangzhou. Top Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-Fat and award winning actress Zhou Xun from the mainland, were both at the screening.

Wearing ancient scholarly robes, Chow plays China's great philosopher from some 2-thousand 5-hundred years ago. The film focuses on Confucius' life between the ages of 51 and 73. A contemporary of Socrates, Confucius is known as a great teacher, thinker, and statesman.

Chow Yun-fat, actor, said, "The plots in the film are related to our world like relationships between humans, nations and societies. If we translated the scripts into English and modernized his thoughts, I think foreigners would understand it."

Zhou Xun, actress, said, "It's my honor to be part of the movie. Now the film is completed and ready to release. My expectation for the movie has never changed since starting filming through until its release."

The movie cost 22 million yuan, or more than 3 million US dollars. According to director Hu Mei, it's a celebration of the Chinese sage's 2-thousand 5-hundred and 60th anniversary. She hopes the film will allow people to consider Confucius' legacy, and theories which emphasize social harmony and respect.

The biopic is due for release in China and Asia on January 22nd. It will show on 2 and a half thousand screens, more than half the movie theatres in China.

It's set to challenge director James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar" which hit record highs at the box office on its opening day in China.