Leading actors of Jian Dang Wei Ye: Zhou Xun (first from the left), Tang Wei (third from the left) and Liu Ye (first from the right) [CFP/China.org.cn]

 

A press conference for the CPC anniversary film "Jian Dang Wei Ye" was held in Beijing on Wednesday, September 1, to reveal its partial list of actors, according to the production company, China Film Group Corporation.

Tang Wei, the leading actress from Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution", will play Tao Yi. Tao was known as one of the "Zhounan Three Elitists" along with Xiang Jingyu and Cai Chang at Zhounan Girl's Normal School in Changsha. Fan Zhibo and Dong Xuan will portray the other two "elitists."

Huang Jue will portray Li Da, the representative of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China (NCCPC). While Zhou Xun, best actress from the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards, will play Wang Huiwu, Li's wife. This is the second time for Zhou and Huang to act as a couple since the romantic film "Baobei in Love" in 2004.

Another couple, Chen Gongbo and his wife Li Maizhuang, will be portrayed by Tong Ruixin and Hong Kong actress Michelle Ye.

Director He Ping will also join the cast as He Shuheng, another representative of the first NCCPC, and will collaborate with Liu Ye who will portray a young Mao Zedong. "Not only my family name is the same as the character, but you can look at his photos, and I nearly was his special type cast," said He.

Li Chen, from the recent Chinese blockbuster "Aftershock," will portray Zhang Guotao in the historical film. Zhang was a founding member and leader of the Chinese Communist Party during the late 1920's and 1930's. He wrote several memoirs on the CPC that have provided valuable information on its early history.

Wang Danrong, who is also the film's sound engineer, will portray the political leader Dong Biwu, and coincidentally enough he looks exactly like the historical figure.

Besides the above-mentioned actors, eight young actors, including Wang Xuebing, Zhang Yishan, Huang Xuan, Zhang Yi, Qi Yuwu, Zhou Jie and Wang Bojie, will portray NCCPC representatives and friends of Mao Zedong.

The film is set for release next year to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.