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Daniel Lee introduces a Chinese classic to the world of movies.

When he was a child, Daniel Lee’s dad would relate stories to him from a favourite 14th century masterwork considered to be one of China’s four greatest classical novels. Lee has never lost his love for Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms and has made it a point over the years to become familiar not only with the hefty and formidable tome – which comprises some 800,000 words, 1,191 characters, and 120 chapters – but, also, much of the culture associated with it.

As he observes, “Many Chinese idioms still commonly used today can find their roots in stories in the novel. Also many books are published and read that translate a variety of ingenious and effective military strategies and leadership tactics showcased in the novel into guides for modern businessmen. And, as the novel was translated into other Asian languages, its popularity has extended into other Asian countries, and consequently the rest of the world through the popular comics and the prevailing video game series based on stories of the Three Kingdoms.”

At the same time, the filmmaker asserts with no small amount of confidence that, until now, no film has been based on this literary work whose “unforgettable exemplars of martial and civil virtues, brilliant military tactics and strategy, as well as tales of loyalty and treachery, wisdom and intrigues, courage and viciousness hold a place among the Chinese people comparable to the tales of King Arthur in Western culture”. So he can happily claim that his film Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon is the first to rest on this semi-fictional novel covering the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty (206-220CE) and the bloody era of disunity known as the Three Kingdoms (220-280CE).

However, in response to my query whether he had felt pressured to get Resurrection of the Dragon out in cinemas before John Woo’s Three Kingdoms-related US$75 million Battle of the Red Cliffs, Lee is quick to state, “I always think that the world of the Three Kingdoms is so vast, there is certainly room for more than one film about it. Anyhow, I am in support of any genuine efforts to introduce the Three Kingdoms legend to more people in the world. I focused on making Resurrection of the Dragon a good film and have not thought much about other things.”

With a reported US$25 million budget and an impressive cast led by megastar Andy Lau, movie legend Sammo Hung (who has double duty as the movie’s action director) and fashion model turned rising international acting star Maggie Q, this is in scale the largest production Lee has directed so far. But, he shares, “I have wanted to make a film about the Three Kingdoms for years, and started conceiving this film more than 10 years ago.”

Although he might consider The Romance of the Three Kingdoms the best Chinese novel ever written, Lee nonetheless is not someone film fans would really expect to see at the helm of an epic movie based on the literary masterpiece. For one thing, few of his previous works have been epic in either scale or ambition. For another, the settings of films like Black Mask (1996), Moonlight Express (1999), A Fighter’s Blues (2000) – which, incidentally, was Andy Lau’s 100th movie, and the first film on which Lee and Lau worked together – and Dragon Squad (2005) – whose stars include Sammo Hung and Maggie Q – are far from historical or all that specifically (or traditionally) Chinese.

The Canadian university-educated Lee readily admits, “I have never attempted, nor do I think it would be natural or feasible, to isolate one or two ‘traditional Chinese subjects’ and make a film out of them.” Yet he is still very much Chinese in his thinking and values. “I have deep affections for Chinese art, history and literature,” he divulges. “I am also very fortunate to have had the chance to study Chinese calligraphy and martial arts under great masters ever since I was a child.”

At the very least, such passions and knowledge stand him in good stead to deal with criticisms about Andy Lau’s character, Zhao Zilong, sporting a costume resembling samurai, rather than Chinese-style, armour. “First of all,” Lee outlines, “we have to understand that Chinese civilization is much older than Japanese civilization. The Chinese and the Japanese had cultural and commercial relations that date back to 200CE. Chinese culture flowed out of China and into Japan to influence Japanese culture in several waves and many areas from language, religion, architecture and city planning to costumes. [So] I don’t think it is at all surprising if one finds elements in Chinese designs reminiscent of the Japanese, or vice versa.”

As to the matter of Margaret Denise Quigley’s suitability to be in a Chinese period piece like Resurrection of the Dragon, Lee is fully aware of concerns that Maggie Q does not look like a pure Chinese. “We didn’t find it a problem at all,” he asserts, “as historically inter-ethnic marriages were a strategy of matrimonial alliances, commonly adopted by China’s rulers to establish peace with the aggressive neighbouring, non-Chinese tribes.” For him, she is a spectacular young actress with the presence and the strength to play the heir to the ruler of the most powerful of the Three Kingdoms and commander of an army of thousands.

“In terms of the overall production design of the film, it was not 100% historical authenticity which we were after,” adds Lee. “As there were only fictional descriptions in Luo’s novel and very limited reliable historical data on the costumes and weapons of the Three Kingdoms era, it did leave a lot of room for the imagination. While insisting on retaining the Chinese cultural integrity of the designs, we decided to do a revamp of all the known elements derived from careful research and to develop a visual style that conveys the feelings and moods of the Three Kingdoms period.

“The final outcome might differ from the historical looks in an average [viewer’s] opinion, and would naturally surprise existing fans of the Three Kingdoms epic, [who] might already have their own preconceived visions of what each character, especially Zhao Zilong, looked like. Resurrection of the Dragon is in no way meant to be an exact representation of Luo’s novel, which was based largely on oral traditions and fictions itself. Instead it has incorporated more creative manifestations and personalization of the stories in order to explore the character of the legendary Zhao Zilong, both as a warrior and as a man.”

In pursuing this particular creative path, Lee intends to neither slight literary purists nor the ancient literary classic whose influence is so strongly embedded in Chinese culture. He calls the book’s stories exciting and imaginative and is well aware they have educated and entertained readers for centuries. “It is not only my wish that Resurrection of the Dragon could help to introduce the Three Kingdoms legend to those who were not familiar with it,” he discloses, “but it is also my hope that it can help millions of existing fans to see the extraordinary epic through fresh eyes and make new discoveries.”

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon will open in local theatres on April 3.