Actor Jet Li (left) and director Tsui Hark promote the film The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate in Beijing on May 23 (CFP)

Jet Li is now returning to his kungfu roots in the first-ever Chinese 3-D kungfu film, The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.

Li says shooting the movie has been exciting for him.

"I have been shooting movies for over 30 years but I have never acted in a 3-D movie," Li said. "I don't know if I can still play kungfu if director Tsui Hark asks me to act in a 3-D kungfu movie ten years later, so I am lucky to have this opportunity and I am happy to join Tsui for this movie."

Being the first-ever Chinese 3-D kungfu film, The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate is inspired by the 1992 martial-arts film Dragon Inn, which revolves around a face-off between an imperial agent and warrior couple in a desert inn.

Director Tsui Hark says he believes the 3-D technology adds a lot to his story-telling.

"The visual effect is an important part of story-telling for a movie, so the 3-D technology brings us more power to tell the stories, and this is totally different from two-dimensional era," Tsui said.

The $35-million production is slated to hit movie theaters later this year.

(CRIENGLISH.com May 24, 2011)