'Hunt Down', tale of stolen coffin, opens this week

As the first of its kind, a film showing Chinese law enforcement's efforts on cracking down against criminals who steal cultural relics will open across theaters on Nov 15.

The movie, Hunt Down, is adapted from best-selling novelist Hai Yan's story The Thief in Chang'an, which is inspired by Chinese police's recovery of the stolen outer coffin of Consort Wu, one of the wives of Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in April 2010.

Under the helm of Li Jun, the film stars actor Song Yang and actress Jiao Junyan as a duo of detective partners who team up to investigate the theft of the national treasure.

The cast also includes veteran actor Fan Wei and actress Chen Shu, respectively, playing a history professor and his wife, who is suspected of involvement in the theft.

The film held a premiere in People's Public Security University of China in Beijing on Nov 8, joined by stars Song and Chen as well as director Li Jun.

According to the producers, a real-life replica of Consort Wu's outer coffin was made, vividly recreating the details such as lotuses and animals carved on the antique item.

The outer coffin, made of stone to protect the inside wooden coffin, was smuggled overseas and took Chinese police six years to get it back.