Director Yang Lei with a famous role model in Avatar. [Photo provided to China Daily]

China Filmmaker Summit, a program organized by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, China's top sectoral regulator, and the Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox, was recently held in the United States where some rising Chinese directors viewed advanced filming technologies.

Directors Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior franchise), Kim-ching Luk (Cold War), Zhao Xiaoding (Once Upon a Time), Zhao Tianyu (Love O2O), Lu Zhengyu (The One), Yang Lei (Legend of the Naga Pearls) and Liu Yulin (Someone to Talk to) participated in the program, which consisted of a four-day tour to many studios and filming sets in Los Angeles.

They interacted with veteran Hollywood filmmakers such as James Cameron, James Mangold, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Wes Ball and Shane Blake.

"Only with a soul, the movie comes to life," Yang, director of the fantasy movie Legend of the Naga Pearls, says of the interactions where the Hollywood veterans talked about the importance of stories and not just special effects.

One of the highlights of the tour was a visit to the filming set of Avatar 2.

The program has so far organized two batches of Chinese directors' tours to the US.

Last year, ethnic Mongolian director Wuershan, known for the fantasy franchise The Painted Skin, and scriptwriter Yu Baimei who shot to fame for The Breakup Guru, were on the tour.