TFBoys member, Jackson Yee and Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu on stage at China's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival's opening ceremony in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, on Tuesday. Photo: IC

Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming on stage at China's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival's opening ceremony in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, on Tuesday. Photo: IC

China's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival kicked off with a star-studded opening ceremony in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, on Tuesday.

Jointly initiated by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association in 1992, the film festival is actually the combination of two festivals that take turns each year.

Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming hosted the ceremony.

"Holding the mic makes me a little nervous. Even though I may have appeared poised, I was actually sweating," the famous actor posted after the event on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

Huang's nervousness was understandable as the all-star event is not only one of the most anticipated film festivals in China, it also gathers the country's top actors from young rising stars to veteran performers. This year's big names included action superstar Jackie Chan, director Zhang Yimou, veteran actor Ding Yinnan and actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees National Goodwill Ambassador Yao Chen.

Jackson Yee, a member of China's hit boy band TFBoys and who only recently began dipping a toe in acting, also attended the opening ceremony and participated in a poetry reading presentation and a song with a choir made up of 32 young Chinese actors.

Yee made an extremely successful debut on the silver screen in the recent film Better Days. The film has grossed more than 1.49 billion yuan ($212 million) in the Chinese mainland since it was released on October 25.

After the ceremony, the young actor told media he was honored to attend the event and that he was thrilled to see some of his favorite actors such as Chen Kun and Zhou Xun.   

"I ran into Chen Kun today, and he pounded me on my chest, and told me he saw my performance in the film [Better Days] and I did a great job. I was very happy," said Yee.

Film screenings and forums will be held during the festival, with the closing ceremony scheduled on November 23, during which the Golden Rooster awards for best actor, actress, director and feature film, among others, will be announced.

The Hundred Flower Awards were established by then Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in 1962 and are voted on by audiences, while The Golden Rooster Awards, voted on by industry insiders, was established in 1981. The Golden Rooster Awards previously was an annual event, but starting in 2005, the two awards began taking place on alternate years. This changes starting next year, however, as it was announced at the opening that the Golden Rooster Awards is switching back to an annual schedule.