Wudang Mountain gets starring role in Taiwan film

Hou Xiaoxian, a Chinese Taiwan film director, finished three days of shooting in Wudang Mountain in Hubei province on March 28. He is directing the film, Nie Yinniang.

He said, "although I have been to many places, Wudang Mountain is an absolutely beautiful scenic spot that combines ancient architecture with natural landscapes, very suitable for shooting."

The plot of Nie Yinniang is set in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Nie is a female assassin, trained to kill since her childhood. One day she went to stab a high-level official, but observed him playing with two children, so she waited half a day.

The master asked why it took so long and she said that seeing the children made it difficult for her to kill him.

The master said that she should kill her compassion and love before killing a person. An assassin should not be sympathetic, he insisted.

Accordingly, she stopped killing and spent the rest of her life in Mount Wudang.

Hou also revealed this is his first martial arts flick that is adapted from a legend in the Tang Dynasty.

The heroine uses magic and fighting skills as a swordswoman. Hou cast actress, Hsu Chi, as the heroine and she has cooperated the director twice before.

Hou reportedly planned to shoot a martial arts film seven or eight years ago. The actress, Hsu Chi, played a similar role in an ancient television series.

Japanese actor, Tsumabuki Satoshi, and Chinese mainland actress, Xu Fan, will also star in the movie, according to the director.

Most of the film will be shot in Hubei province. After Wudang, the cast will go on to Suizhou, Enshi and Shennongjia to shoot additional scenes.

It is also reported that the costumes and settings of the movie is expected to be luxurious, while costs may exceed $10 million.

Edited by Fu Bo and Tom McGregor

Wudang Mountain gets starring role in Taiwan film