BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai said his movie "The Grand Masters" was filmed to capture the beauty of Chinese people in a period of disorder and confusion.
In an interview with Xinhua, Wong said the movie showed how the masters of martial arts had preserved the tradition in a turbulent period of the Republic of China (1912-1949).
"The era was a turbulent one but you can find the quality of perseverance in some people," Wong said.
He said the movie is meant to be a departure from films that only revealed the ugly and the dark side of Chinese people during that period.
Wong's new film follows the story of Chinese kung fu master Yip Man, who created his own martial art school.
"There were thousands of masters like Yip Man made their endeavors in spite of their own sufferings at the time," Wong said.
Wong spent about 10 years shooting the movie, making it the most time-consuming production in Chinese film history.
The action film, starring actress Zhang Ziyi and actor Tony Leung, raked in 280 million yuan (about 45 million U.S. dollars) as of Sunday. It made its debut in Chinese theaters on Jan. 8.
Wong, 54, is best known for his films "Chungking Express" (1994) and "In the Mood for Love" (2000). He will head the jury of the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
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