Actor Leon Lai poses with a newly-installed wax figure of himself at the Madame Tussaudes museum in Shanghai on December 3, 2008. [Xinhuanet]

The fervor for Golden Palm-winning Chinese director Chen Kaige's new film "Forever Enthralled" has extended to the Madame Tussaudes wax museum in Shanghai.

Leon Lai, who plays Peking opera legend Mei Lanfang in the film, inaugurated a wax figure of himself in Shanghai on Wednesday.

The waxed Lai, clad in a white suit striking a typical Mei pose from the film, has been installed in a section dedicated to "Forever Enthralled", where visitors can learn about the film by playing interactive games.

Actor Leon Lai (left) and director Chen Kaige (right) pose with a newly-installed wax figure of Leon Lai at the Madame Tussaudes museum in Shanghai on December 3, 2008. [yule.sohu.com]

Lai and other crew members, including lead actress Zhang Ziyi and director Chen Kaige, were in Shanghai to attend the film's local premiere, following its global premiere in Beijing the day before.

The film will be screened in theaters on Thursday.

"Forever Enthralled" centers on the life of Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), known as one of the earliest Peking opera artists to promote the art form abroad.

It is the first film by Chen Kaige in three years. Chen won the Golden Palm award at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival for another Peking opera-centered film, "Farewell My Concubine".

(CRI December 5, 2008)