Director Woo Ping Yuen holds up the legendary sword of destiny at the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny media event in Beijing[Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese-Malaysia actress Michelle Yeoh is the only lead star who reprises her role in the sequel. The film has Chinese-American kung fu star Donnie Yen, who plays Yeoh’s fiance in the movie.

Yeoh says: "Around 15 years ago I was told to teach a then novice Zhang Ziyi, who was only 20 years old in 1999. And now I have a similar-age newbie to teach. It is like destiny."

The novice Yeoh refers to is Liu Chengyu, born to a Chinese mother and an Italian father. The 19-year-old actress plays the role of Xueping, the daughter of Yu Jiaolong (Zhang Ziyi’s role in the first movie).

The big-budget sequel is produced by China Film Group, the international television network Netflix and US film studio The Weinstein Company.