[Photo provided to China Daily]

Produced by the Ministry of Culture, the film's artistic director is China's first lady, Peng Liyuan, who had played the title role of Xi'er in a 1985 operatic remake. The wife of President Xi Jinping coached the lead performers by personal demonstration, despite her hectic daily schedule.

Other veteran artists are also behind the film, its producers told reporters at a recent news conference.

The 91-year-old author He Jingzhi, who co-wrote with Ding Yi the original script for The White Haired Girl in 1945, read the film's script, too. The 85-year-old actress Guo Lanying, who led the star cast in a 1948 operatic remake, traveled from the southern city of Guangzhou to Beijing to coach the actors and actresses for more than 20 days.

Lei Jia, the actress who stars as Xi'er in the film, says her performance needs improvement when compared with how veterans played the role earlier.

The cast, including actors Wang Qifei, 78, and Wang Jing, 63, both of whom have worked on previous cinematic adaptations of the opera, had five rehearsals before the film's shooting began.

More than 600 special-effects scenes were shot in 15 locations to enhance the 3-D appeal of the film.