Epic effort

The producers of the Fengshen trilogy have acquired more than 30 horses from abroad including Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary, and have kept them in a ranch of 1,800 square meters in Qingdao. Bill Lawrence, a US horse trainer who worked on Steven Spielberg's 2011 film War Horse, is now training the horses for the Chinese films.

The young people who will play warriors or princes are being trained to shoot arrows from horsebacks. No stand-ins are being used for such roles, says the director.

"Previously, most of the cast members that I worked with were big stars. This project also marks my first time working with newcomers on a large scale," Wuershan says.

This might have been the only way to realize his dream project, as celebrities charge more in film fees and their schedules are busy, with less time for preparation.

"I am too stressed to fall asleep each night before the day when a youngster begins to shoot for his or her first sequence. Fortunately, they are all living up to my expectations, "he says.

As the story takes place around more than 3,000 years ago but the novel was shaped in recent centuries, the films' sets and costumes are a mix of different dynastic styles. The director draws inspiration from bronze artifacts of the Shang (c. 16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (c. 11th century-256 BC) dynasties at museums, the shuilu (water and land) paintings between the 13th century and 15th century, and landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

"Chinese culture features an enduring history. I wish that such legacies are not only displayed in museums or seen in some foreign films featuring a few Chinatown-set scenes but showcased in an epic which can go abroad," he says.

Around 800 carpenters from Shexian county in Anhui province and Dongyang city in Zhejiang province were recruited to make wooden sculptures for King Zhou's lavish palaces. The main royal palace, which totally took 35,000 hours to design and build, has installed more than 3,000 oil lamps. At least 40,000 pieces of props, including weapons, costumes, carriages and vessels are being made.

"The novel has values that could be passed down generations," says Wuershan, adding that he wants to connect audiences of different ages through the films.