Xu Jinglei (left) and Stanley Huang in the film Dear Enemy (SINA.COM)

Xu Jinglei's new romantic film is slated for release on December 23.

The production team behind the Chinese film Dear Enemy has announced that the film will be released on December 23 in an effort to tap into the lucrative holiday market. The film is directed by and stars Xu Jinglei, with other stars including Stanley Huang, Christy Chung and Gigi Leung.

The inspiration behind Dear Enemy comes from Xu's discontent with her previous piece Go Lala Go!, after she decided that she could do better in the genre of workplace romance.

The new film takes place within the competitive setting of investment banks. Xu spent one year writing the script and during this time she turned to a friend who had more than ten years work experience in investment banks.

The film is facing off against blockbusters such as Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War, and Tsui Hark's The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.

"I am not afraid of this competition. The genres of those films are martial-arts or war, while mine is a modern romance," Director Xu said.

In order to ensure the quality of the film, Xu has cut out half of the commercials.

(CRIENGLISH.com November 1, 2011)