Jet Li plays the title role in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. File photos

The mummy has come to China. Or rather, the third installment in the popular film franchise, The Mummy, is set in China and its cast includes three well-known Chinese actors.

Though The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is not the only Hollywood blockbuster to feature Chinese elements in recent years, it is among the most prominent.

Kungfu maestro Jet Li plays the Dragon Emperor, who has been cursed by a witch, played by Michelle Yeoh, to suffer as a mummy - in an unending state of limbo between life and death. Hong Kong actress Isabella Leong plays Yeoh's daughter.

In one of the most exciting scenes, the emperor unleashes his terracotta army, which has been buried underground for nearly 2,000 years.

The plot draws upon the true history of Qinshihuang, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty. Discovered in 1974, the tomb located near the city of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has attracted visitors and archaeologists from around the world to see the 7,000 terracotta soldiers and hundreds of chariots and horses made for the emperor's tomb.

The booby traps featured in the movie's tomb scene were inspired by the legend that the real Qinshihuang tomb is full of traps the emperor ordered built to protect him from enemies even after death.

Director Rob Cohen is a passionate lover of Chinese culture. Li describes him as "outside American and inside Chinese".

The director stresses the film's mission is not too serious. "It is an entertaining film," he says. "Things the director thinks funny and appealing he adds them to the film. If you find fun and laugh, that's enough."

For his part, Li said he especially enjoyed being able to play a villain. He is best known for playing heroes in Asian movies. "I have played too many good guys," he told the TV show Access Hollywood. "It's very heavy, because the good guy has the responsibility of taking care of his family, wives, children, neighbors, dog. Being good is not easy." In contrast, he points out, "The bad guy is straightforward, selfish. I like the girl. It belongs to me. I like his car, give to me."

The film will premiere in theaters across China on September 2, with Chinese language dubbing and bilingual subtitles.

The film also stars Brendan Fraser, who continues his role as Rick O'Connell. He is joined in his adventures by his wife Evelyn, played by Maria Belloand, and son Alex, played by Luke Ford. In the film, the O'Connell family must save the world by stopping the ferocious Dragon Emperor from carrying out his diabolical plans.

(China Daily August 29, 2008)