The Chinese romantic epic The Knot (Yun Shui Yao) premiered in Beijing today. The director said hopes were high that the movie would win audiences' hearts in this cold winter season.

This movie is co-presented by China Film Group Corporation, Hong Kong's Emperor Classic Films Company Ltd. , Taiwan's Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Co.,Ltd. and CCTV's Movie Channel. It is directed by Yin Li, who was famed by making several TV series and movies, including Zhang Side which recently swept the best film, best director and best leading actor awards at China's leading Hundred Flowers Awards weeks ago.

The story of a pair of lovers separated by the Taiwan Straits in the 1940s is a co-production between filmmakers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Two mainland rising stars, Chen Kun and Li Bingbing, have leading roles in the movie alongside famous names such as Vivian Hsu, Chang Gua Ahleh, Isabella Leong, Yang Kuei Mei and Chin Han from Taiwan.

The movie was shot across China, including Tibet which the director and actors said was the hardest and most challenging part for them, Fujian, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

The plot is based on Taiwan's Zhang Kehui, the movie's original script writer, and some of his Taiwan friends' true stories. Zhang, born in 1928 in Taiwan's Penghua, is also the vice chairman of the national committee of CPPCC and chairman of central committee of Taiwan Democratic Self-government League.

To reproduce the 1940's Taiwan, the crew asked for experts' ideas and advices on the local customs of Taiwan and chose the Antic Street of Zhangzhou of Fujian as the principal location, because this street has retained part of the Taiwan local customs and flavor. It is also the first Chinese movie to fully use digital intermedia to complete its post-production, generating ideal effects for the local street conditions.

"The story is very touching," director Yin Li said. "Nowadays love is like fast-food. But I hope this movie can remind people what love really is and move those audiences who have their own love stories to cherish true love."

The movie is scheduled to hit Chinese cinemas on December 1.

According to the movie company, this movie will send 500 copies to cover cinemas in China, just a little shy of Zhang Yimou's much-anticipated Curse of the Golden Flowers. Several previous testing screenings collected the audience's cheers and tears.

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Zhang Rui, November 27, 2006)