Zhang is one of China's few internationally recognised film directors. He shot to fame in the late 1980s with a the successful Red Sorghum (1987) and Raise the Red Lantern (1991).

According to state media reports the director has said he is pulling the films because of bias in the West against productions from communist China.

In a letter to festival directors Zhang said Cannes organisers had given his work political overtones.

"Everyone has their own opinion about whether a film is good or bad," he said.

"But what I cannot accept is that the West has for a long time politicised Chinese films. If they are not anti-government, they are just considered propaganda."

"I hope this bias can be slowly changed."

Zhang had problems with Chinese censors in 1995 after his film To Live was shown without their permission at the Cannes Film Festival.