Twenty years after CCTV shot the classic TV series "The Dream of Red Mansion", one of the most successful TV series based on a historical novel, CCTV has decided to shoot another one.

This time, actors and actresses for the leading roles will be selected through a TV contest. Because the novel is so famous, most people are wondering who will play the lead characters like Bao Yu and Dai Yu.

The lead characters in the novel are aged about 18 rendering actors and actresses over 20 unsuitable to play the parts, prompting CCTV to launch a nationwide search.

Anyone around 20 years old can enter the contest. Those chosen will be trained in literature and performance.

Some may call looking for actors and actresses from among ordinary people through a TV contest is an attempt to cash in on the popularity of shows like the "Super Girl Contest". But CCTV insists it's the best way to discover new talent.

"The Dream of Red Mansion", is a well-known classic novel written by Cao Xueqin. It tells the story of a large family in the mid-eighteenth century.

There are hundreds of characters in the novel through which the society of the time is vividly reflected.

(China Daily August 23, 2006)