Han Han promotes his directorial debut Hou Hui Wu Qi in Beijing. Provided to China Daily

Magnificent arrival

Lights! Camera! Action!

Guo, one year younger than Han, started his writing career after winning the same contest as Han. While Han's public image is of an intellectual and opinion leader, Guo is often portrayed as a young man who has indulged in an excessive lifestyle, just like the characters in Tiny Times, a film trilogy Guo adapted from his best selling books.

The first two Tiny Times films were released in 2013 and grossed 800 million yuan ($126 million). Although critics call it shallow and flamboyant, teenage girls flock to the theaters. The third installment will premiere on July 17, only one week before Han's film.

The two writers have been compared so often that a journalist accidentally called Han "Guo" when asking a question. People burst into laughter, and Han joined in, before answering the question as if he was Guo: "I am thrilled that the third installment of Tiny Times will soon premiere, and I know Han's film will come out one week later. I fully welcome competition, and I believe the market will accommodate diverse films."

The serious answer followed: "Actually I appreciate Guo's efforts, as well as that of other new directors, such as Xu Zheng and Zhao Wei (both actors-turned-directors who made hit films recently). Their success brings me opportunities."

Directing a film has been Han's dream since he was a little boy. His love of cinema was cemented by four films his father brought home on tape: Speed, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and True Lies.

In the trailer of Hou Hui Wu Qi, available online and playing on a billboard in Times Square, a group of young people talk about going out to see the world. The 1-minute trailer ends with a man shouting to someone who keeps preaching at him to: "Shut up!"

"I hated any preaching when I was growing up, so my film will never do that," he says.

The last question concerned the three titles Han is known for: a writer, racer and a director. Which title does he most identify with?

"Something I found early on is that whether you succeed in something depends not on how much time you spend on it - I spent 12 frustrating years trying to learn to swim - but whether you have the knack for it," he says. "I have proven my knack for writing and racing, and I feel the call for directing. Maybe it will turn out like swimming, but it would still be nice to try."