BEIJING - An epic about 7th-century Chinese monk Xuan Zang will open in China on April 29, said a producer on Monday.

Xuan Zang tells the legendary story of the monk's arduous journey alone to India seeking Buddhist scriptures during the Tang Dynasty some 1,300 years ago, reports Xinhua news agency.

His trip became the basis for the classic novel Journey To The West.

Producers of the film also released posters showing Chinese star Huang Xiaoming in the lead role.

The cast also includes China actors Xu Zheng and Luo Jin, Hong Kong's Kent Tong and Taiwan's Vivian Dawson.

Hong Kong film-maker Wong Kar Wai is the artistic director and the director is China's Huo Jianqi.

The Chinese movie was shot over a year in deserts and snowy mountains to convey the harsh conditions Xuan Zang travelled under, to places such as the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang and the Tian Shan mountains.

Filming sites included the ruins of the Nalanda Buddhist monastery in Bihar, India, where the monk spent years with thinkers and educators of that time, reported the Press Trust of India.

A Hindi version will also be released on April 29 in India, it says.