Jet Li versus Jackie Chan!

For the first time in over a decade, film-goers see the two biggest Chinese kung fu movie stars grip on each other when the most expensive Chinese action film blockbuster debuts in mid-April.

With an investment of 70 million U.S. dollars, the film Forbidden Kingdom has been the biggest Chinese film ever.

It tells a story of a kung fu-obsessed young American, Jason (acted by Michael Angarano), who travelled through time and space to ancient China after getting a magic stick in a pawn shop in Chinatown.

Jason was destined to return the magic stick to and salvage the Monkey King, a legendary figure in Chinese mythology, who was imprisoned in Wuxing Mountain. On the road to the mountain, he was escorted by the Silent Monk (acted by Jet Li) and Lu Yan (acted by Jackie Chan) and experienced hush attacks from the evil force.

The highlight of the movie was when Jet Li and Jackie Chan ran into each other at a small inn as the two triggered off a fierce duel.

"We two have been dreaming of cooperating with each other for 15 years. After 15 years, we finally have the chance to fight each other. We are very happy. All of us, including martial art director Yuan Heping, are under pressure and designed many actions. But when we began to perform fighting, we found familiar feelings. Both of us have some 27 or 28 years of experience and it was easy for us," said Jet Li.

The two first met in Hong Kong in mid 1980's and planned to act together in a film ever since, Li noted.

Leading actress Li Bingbing (acting as the White Hair Witch) says she was deeply impressed by the performances of the two martial arts masters.

"I have been long admiring brother Li and brother Chan. They are excellent kings of kung fu. I learned a lot from them during our cooperation. Both of them performed fantastic martial arts fighting. They have real 'kung fu'," said the Chinese actress.

Jet Li, born Li Lianjie in Beijing, started practice the martial arts, or Wushu, as early as when he was eight.

Li won several national championships as a teenager before he gained instant fame for his role in the 1982 China-made movie Shaolin Temple. His career in Hollywood started in 1998 when he played a villain in the film Lethal Weapon 4.

He is now the most paid Chinese actor in Hollywood.

Jackie Chan is arguably the most famous Chinese kung fu movie actor, famous for his comedy-style kung fu fighting. Starting a career from early 1970's, he has played roles in over 100 films.

The film was directed by Rob Minkoff whose is famous for his animation films such as the Lion King and two Roger Rabbit shorts.

The investment of the Forbidden Kingdom surpassed that of the 2006 Chinese film Curse of the Golden Flower, directed by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou, which spent 360 million yuan (about 50 million U.S. dollars).