Chinese director Stanley Tong Photo: Li Hao/GT

Chinese actor Yang Yang Photo: Li Hao/GT

Director Stanley Tong and actors starring in Vanguard attend the premiere press conference for the movie in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Li Hao/GT

China's Hong Kong director Stanley Tong, who has been making action films for about three decades and has cooperated with kung fu star Jackie Chan since the beginning of his career, met with media in Beijing on Thursday to talk about his new work Vanguard, starring Chan, actors Yang Yang and Allen, and actresses Miya and Xu Ruohan.

Vanguard, the ninth film Tong and Chan have worked on together, is set to debut in Chinese mainland theaters on Saturday, Chinese New Year's Day this year. The two's previous hits include Rumble in the Bronx (1995), CZ 12 (2012) and Kung Fu Yoga (2017). 

According to Tong, Vanguard is the first time he has tackled the issue of international security. It tells the story of Vanguard, a team of international security forces, who set on a journey to five different countries in Europe, Asia and Africa to rescue some Chinese who have been kidnapped by terrorists.

Tong told media that as a child he dreamed of traveling all over the world, which is why he usually sets his films in exotic environments. He noted that he hopes that the splendid images taken in the countries in the film will capture Chinese moviegoers' attention.  

Insisting on bringing something new to Vanguard, Tong noted that they used high-tech equipment such as a Flyboard Air, as well as fancy gold sports cars that cost $120 million each. Most importantly, Tong and Chan tried to guide and train new action film stars so they could become adept in acting and some Chinese martial arts.

Having confidence in Yang, who used to study dance at the College of Military Culture, National Defense University PLA, Tong invited him to play the team leader of Vanguard. Both Tong and Chan praised Yang. 

Tong said he would like to cooperate with Yang in more films in the future. He looks forward to making Vanguard into a series of films as the premise can be adapted to a number of stories such as rescuing scientists and protecting art works, as well as shaped into an international version by incorporating members from different countries. 

"Yang is one of a few young Chinese actors who have spared no effort in pursuing a better performance. We have stuntmen for filming scenes but Yang insisted on doing his own stunts and tried many times to perfectly perform some difficult movements," Chan said at the press conference.  

At the press conference, Yang talked about the difficulties and challenges he encountered while filming Vanguard. The actor recalled the three thrilling times he jumped off some tall buildings and how he injured his hand when filming in India. The 28-year-old star noted that cooperating with his idol Chan and playing a soldier were especially meaningful for him and made for valuable career experience.   

Tong said he hopes audiences can resonate with the positive values imbedded in the movie. He noted that mainstream movies have become increasingly successful in recent years. Vanguard includes stories about family and the bond among workmates. Tong also hopes foreigners can come to naturally understand positive Chinese values through seeing his films. 

Vanguard will debut on Saturday in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to Tong. The release of this action film in North America and other English-speaking countries is expected to come in April or May.