The most expensive Chinese movie ever is hoping to follow the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when it is released this week.

Hero, a fantasy epic set 2,000 years ago, stars a host of big Chinese names and cost $31m (�19m) to make.

Director Zhang Yimou: "We owe a debt to Crouching Tiger"

It is expected to be a hit when it is released at cinemas in China and Hong Kong on Friday, and has been chosen as China's contender for the best foreign film Oscar.

But it will not be eligible for any other Oscars this year because it is not being released in the US until next year - something that has angered fans.

Hero, starring martial arts golden boys Jet Li and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, uses similar special effects to the $15m Crouching Tiger, and has a comparably grand story.

It brings to life the story of emperor Qin, who struggled to unite China into a single empire in the third century BC and whose tomb is now guarded by an 8,000-strong terracotta army.

"We owe a debt to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which introduced a new phase in the craze for martial arts movies," director Zhang Yimou told the BBC's Damian Grammaticas.

"It also opened the door to commercial success for such movies.

Chinese cheer

"Thanks to that film, the process of raising funds, attracting stars and getting the film produced was relatively smooth."

Hero was recently premi�red at Beijing's Great Hall, where a huge sign read: "China's film industry - on forward! Cheer toward the Oscars!"

It only scraped into contention for the foreign Oscars prize after being shown on a single screen in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen for one week in October, just before the deadline.

But fans have accused its worldwide distributor, Miramax, of scuppering its chances for any other Oscars by scheduling its north American release in 2003.

To be eligible for this year's best picture and other main prizes, a film must have at least a one-week run in Los Angeles before the end of 2002.