A poster of John Woo's "Red Cliff," which is slated to premiere in Chengdu on July 3.

Director John Woo wants his new epic "Red Cliff" to have a memorable opening, and the construction of a massive set where the film will premiere started one week ahead of time.

The tourism hotspot Wuhou Memorial Temple in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, where "Red Cliff" will have its global premiere on July 3, welcomed on Wednesday the arrival of ten cargo trucks loaded with equipment, West China Metropolis Daily reports.

On the trucks were sound and stage lighting instrument worth over one million yuan (US$145,679), the newspaper says.

At the center stage, workers have repainted the old red wall, and in the following days they will install complex stage decorations and several LCD walls.

Because "Red Cliff" is about a historical battle in 208 AD during the Three Kingdoms period, rows of ancient battle drums will be displayed at the sides of the stage.

On the night of the premiere, the number of performers will excel 2,000, West China Metropolis Daily says. A hundred relief workers of the Sichuan earthquake will be invited to the event, and ten of them will walk the red carpet with film stars.

Wuhou Memorial Temple was chosen to host the premiere because it was built to pay tribute to Zhuge Liang, a legendary military strategist in the Three Kingdoms period who is one of the protagonists in "Red Cliff," portrayed by Takeshi Kaneshiro.

The film, to be released in two segments, also features Tony Leung, Chang Chen, Chiling Lin, and Zhao Wei.

(CRI June 26, 2008)