SOUTH KOREA: Zhang Ziyi in Seoul to promote new movie "The Banquet."

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi came to South Korea to promote her new movie 'The Banquet' on Tuesday (September 19). Zhang, who first became famous in South Korea for her role in the movie 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in 2000 and is well-known in South Korea, was greeted by more than 100 journalists at a press conference held in Seoul. 'The Banquet,' which will open in South Korea on Sept. 21, unveils the story of an ensuing battle over the emperor's throne after his mysterious death in ancient China's imperial court. The actress, who made her American debut co-starring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in the Hollywood film 'Rush Hour 2,' said she wanted to try a different style through the movie's director Feng Xiao Gang. "I think each Chinese director should try filming a Chinese Kung fu movie. Everybody has his or her own different style, and that's why I decided to take the role in "The Banquet." I want to try different styles of different directors and in this case, I wanted to experience it from director Feng Xiao Gang," she said. For Director Feng, the movie was a challenge of his talent. "This is not a real story, it is fiction. This is my first time filming a movie of historical themes so it is a challenge for me, as you know, I am more familiar with modern themes," Feng explained. Co-star Daniel Wu was surprised at the number of fans that were in Korea. "Yesterday when I attended the party there were so many fans and I didn't know I had fans in Korea. I was very surprised," he said. Wu added that he was a fan of Korean movies, especially Park Chan-wook, the acclaimed filmmaker who won an award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 for 'Old Boy.'

ITN Source | September 21, 2006

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