Gong Li's auction action

With recent parts in Miami Vice and Memoirs Of A Geisha, as well as just finishing shooting a role in Hannibal Rising - yes, the story of how Dr Lecter became Hannibal the Cannibal - Gong Li should have plenty of new Hollywood stories to tell this weekend when she drops by Hong Kong for a short promotional trip ahead of the release of her reunion film with director Zhang Yimou, Curse Of The Golden Flower, in which she plays an empress (above). She'll join co-stars Chow Yun-fat and Jay Chou Jie-lun for the film's charity dinner and premiere, where three eye-catching prop items from the movie (a jade bracelet, a hairpin and a sword) will be auctioned. It's a very brief visit, though, as she departs on Sunday.