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Filming of director Chen Kaige's biopic of the late Peking Opera master, Mei Lanfang, began on Saturday in Beijing.

Filming of director Chen Kaige's biopic of the late Peking opera master, Mei Lanfang, began on Saturday in Beijing, one day earlier than had been announced, Sina.com reported.

Actors Chen Hong, Sun Honglei and Wang Xueqi attended a ceremony in the Beijing Film Studio. But leads Leon Lai and Zhang Ziyi never showed.

The film production team once announced shooting would start on July 15. The report said the director held the ceremony ahead of schedule to avoid any disturbance from the media.

However, a press conference will still be held on July 19, the report added, and will feature lead actors Leon Lai, Zhang Ziyi and Gillian Chung.

Born in 1894, Mei Lanfang was considered to have pioneered the tradition of males depicting female characters in Peking opera.

Director Chen Kaige has assembled a star-studded cast including Japanese star Masanobu Ando.

Veteran actor quits Mei Lanfang role

Veteran actor Feng Yuanzheng, who was invited to star as Mei Lanfang's cousin in director Chen Kaige's new film Mei Lanfang quit his role on Thursday, a report said.
 
The Chinese star said he had to resign because of a tight work schedule, but rumours suggest the real reason was low pay and a relatively long shooting period, the Information Times reported.

At the same time, the Mei Lanfang production team also denied a rumor Zhang Ziyi will be paid as much as US$2 million for her role, the report added.

However, it added the team didn't reveal how much they will pay the international acclaimed actress, famed for her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha, but said Zhang Ziyi had cut her fee in support of the Chinese production.

Feng Yuanzheng, a multi-talented actor, is known among Chinese for his role in a TV series Don't Talk to Strangers, in which he played a jealous husband.
 
(CRI.cn July 15, 2007)