The next directorial effort from actress-turned-director Xu Jinglei has been announced as Days in the Palace, a legendary love epic.

Xu said the "traditional Chinese" themed film would draw its inspiration from Wu Zetian, China's only empress, and focus on her life in her 30s. "This period of time is most reflective of how a young girl becomes a mature lady," said Xu.

The inspiration for this subject matter was Xu's own understanding of a woman's spiritual growth, "When a woman reaches a certain age, she will begin to think of some philosophical issues," she said.

Although there have been countless productions about the empress before, Xu was confident her version would offer a different depiction.

"Everybody might have a different interpretation of Wu Zetian. I will approach the character from a feminine perspective. I will try to understand her thoroughly so that my film can be true to the original character and strike a chord with the audience," said Xu, who decided to employ a love theme to make the plot more captivating and touching.

Even though Xu has already garnered some fame as a director, she would still be taking the opportunity to hone her acting skills by including a role for herself, though she has not yet decided whether this would be the leading role.

Days in the Palace was reported to be in preparations, for stage setting, props and actor selection.

(Shenzhen Daily August 2, 2005)