The press conference for “The Great Wall” movie, directed by Zhang Yimou, was held in Beijing on November 15. This blockbuster marks Zhang Yimou’s debut in directing a movie entirely in English. Featuring a local and international cast including Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau and Zhang Hanyu, “The Great Wall” is a co-production of China Film Group Corporation, Le Vision Pictures, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures.

“The Great Wall” narrates the ancient story of an elite force defending mankind, showcasing a battle of life and death against the backdrop of the world-famous Great Wall of China. Jointly distributed by Le Vision Pictures, China Film Group Corporation and Wuzhou Film Distribution, the movie is set to be a highly anticipated year-end movie of 2016. Available in 3D, IMAX 3D, China Film Giant Screen 3D, Dolby Vision, Dolby Panoramic Sound and Auro formats, “The Great Wall” will debut in China on December 16 2016 and subsequently screen across the globe, including North American and European countries and regions.

Featuring the theme of the “Five Warriors” at the press conference, Zhang Yimou talked about his source of inspiration for the “invisible imperial guards”, sharing about how the “five warriors” theme was mostly inspired by traditional Chinese culture. He also mentioned that the five-army forces, represented by creatures, reflect the traditional Chinese culture of naming people after creatures. Citing the example of popular-in-Hollywood Chinese martial arts, he explained that these arts originated from “Five-Animal Play” (“Wu Qin Xi”), adding that all these elements are legacies of the Chinese culture.

Zhang Yimou said that while Chinese elements inject a sense of aesthetics and layers of details into the movie, these elements also serve as the core and basis on the movie’s storyline. He revealed that the movie is set in the Northern Song Dynasty whereby the sense of national identity was at its strongest. To defend the Great Wall, these selfless, fearless and nameless invisible imperial guards showed no fear of sacrificing themselves for the sake of the nation, and these very warriors are the most stirring element of the movie. Zhang said that he wanted to share the story of China to the world through the creation of a global blockbuster.

Besides the movie plot and setting which is permeated with traditional culture, the theme song of the movie, “Bridge of Fate” (“Yuan Fen Yi Dao Qiao”) also showcases Chinese culture with the usage of ancient Qinqiang opera styles.

The press conference for “The Great Wall” movie, directed by Zhang Yimou, was held in Beijing on November 15. This blockbuster marks Zhang Yimou’s debut in directing a movie entirely in English. Featuring a local and international cast including Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau and Zhang Hanyu, “The Great Wall” is a co-production of China Film Group Corporation, Le Vision Pictures, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures.

“The Great Wall” narrates the ancient story of an elite force defending mankind, showcasing a battle of life and death against the backdrop of the world-famous Great Wall of China. Jointly distributed by Le Vision Pictures, China Film Group Corporation and Wuzhou Film Distribution, the movie is set to be a highly anticipated year-end movie of 2016. Available in 3D, IMAX 3D, China Film Giant Screen 3D, Dolby Vision, Dolby Panoramic Sound and Auro formats, “The Great Wall” will debut in China on December 16 2016 and subsequently screen across the globe, including North American and European countries and regions.

Featuring the theme of the “Five Warriors” at the press conference, Zhang Yimou talked about his source of inspiration for the “invisible imperial guards”, sharing about how the “five warriors” theme was mostly inspired by traditional Chinese culture. He also mentioned that the five-army forces, represented by creatures, reflect the traditional Chinese culture of naming people after creatures. Citing the example of popular-in-Hollywood Chinese martial arts, he explained that these arts originated from “Five-Animal Play” (“Wu Qin Xi”), adding that all these elements are legacies of the Chinese culture.

Zhang Yimou said that while Chinese elements inject a sense of aesthetics and layers of details into the movie, these elements also serve as the core and basis on the movie’s storyline. He revealed that the movie is set in the Northern Song Dynasty whereby the sense of national identity was at its strongest. To defend the Great Wall, these selfless, fearless and nameless invisible imperial guards showed no fear of sacrificing themselves for the sake of the nation, and these very warriors are the most stirring element of the movie. Zhang said that he wanted to share the story of China to the world through the creation of a global blockbuster.

Besides the movie plot and setting which is permeated with traditional culture, the theme song of the movie, “Bridge of Fate” (“Yuan Fen Yi Dao Qiao”) also showcases Chinese culture with the usage of ancient Qinqiang opera styles.