Fighting for attention

For Zhan Lei, 37, one of the four actors playing Sun Wukong, taking part in Havoc in Heaven is the realization of a childhood dream.

"You name any line from (the 1986 TV series) Journey to the West, I can tell which episode it comes from," Zhan says. "Because I admire Sun Wukong, I want to be impeccable in the performance."

He used to display the most difficult martial arts skills onstage, but he says production of the film has made him realize that the skills need to fit the "role" to best reflect "the exceptional personality of the cultural icon".

In order to help Zhan and the other young performers achieve this goal, the production team enlisted the help of several veteran Peking Opera actors to guide them and ensure that every detail of their performance was well honed.

The combined effort has paid dividends. Wang Xiaoshuai, a famed film director, said following the film's premiere on Sept 18: "Thanks to the remarkable martial arts scenes, this film will be a new attraction for future generations, possibly drawing more young enthusiasts to Peking Opera."

The traditional art, as Cheng admits, although generally considered as a Chinese cultural treasure, needs to capture the attention of a younger audience, many of whom are distracted by, and diverted to, the myriad other entertainment options available.