Of all the characters in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lou Guanzhong's Chinese literary epic set in the warring states period, Zhao Zilong has hardly been the most popular. Zhao was a general who led Shu state through many successful wars, but his fame has always been eclipsed by his higher-ranking compatriots such as Liu Bei (Shu's ruler), the fighting machine Guan Yu and the meticulous tactician Zhuge Liang.
Zhao has finally found himself centre stage, thanks to director Daniel Lee Yan-kong, whose Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon - the latest adaptation of Lou's novel - revolves around Zhao's military prowess.
'Zhao Zilong remains undefeated until the Fengming Shan battle, late in his life,' says Lee. 'When he is trapped in battle, he looks back on his life and his achievements. His life is a good reflection of the wisdom of the book: what goes up must come down.'
Lee's love of Romance of the Three Kingdoms goes back to his childhood, when his father, whom he describes as a great narrator of Chinese literary classics, lavished him with stories from the book, such as The Battle of the Red Cliff or tales of the mind games Zhuge plays with his rival, Sima Yi. But it was not until he was studying communications at university in Canada that he first read it. He has been hooked ever since, and has even written a book that analyses the novel.
'If I could only make one movie in my life, [an adaptation of] Three Kingdoms would be the one I would have aspired to make,' says Lee. Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon focuses on Zhao's final military engagement, as the general (played by Andy Lau Tak-wah) attempts to save his state from an invading force from the Wei state, led by Cao Ying (the fictional granddaughter of Wei monarch Cao Cao, played by Maggie Q). The film also stars veteran action film star Sammo Hung Kam-bo (right, with Lee).
Lee didn't start his film career making action-driven historical epics; returning to Hong Kong after graduation in 1984, he began as a scriptwriter at ATV. He later joined the movie industry as an artistic director and worked with Ann Hui On-wah on several films. In 1994, he completed his first film as director, What Price Survival?, and was invited by Tsui Hark to make another action movie, Black Mask, starring Jet Li, later that year. He then made the romantic cop thriller Moonlight Express, starring the late Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing and Japanese actress Takako Tokiwa, in 1999.