A new film featuring the legendary life of the shortest-reigning emperor Liu He and some modern archaeological findings is coming to China's box office.
Liu He was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty who was installed by the powerful minister Huo Guang in 74 B.C., but was removed from the position after just 27 days of reigning.
He was demoted to the rank of marquis and was later became commonly known as the Haihunhou, or the Marquis of Haihun.
The recent discovery of He's tomb has put him again into spotlight. His remains were found in a 2000-year-old coffin and was taken into examination earlier this year.
Among the finds were dental artifacts and some undigested food in the stomach. The emperor's entire set of teeth had been preserved well, except for some flaws in the front teeth. Some seeds of muskmelon were found in his stomach.
The film, which will be titled "Haihunhou Code," will begin at the discovery of artifacts at the Haihunhou tomb by some archaeologists and then shift to the life of He. The story will have a bidirectional narration, giving highlight to both the rise-and-fall story of the emperor and today's archaeology.
"Haihunhou Code" will be the first Chinese film to feature the Marquis of Haihun and the first to have archaeology as its core theme. To be also included in the story are concepts of history, tomb robbery, suspense, spying, acrobats and the difficulty of excavating and preserving relics.
The writers are working on the script, and shooting will start in May next year. It will hit China's box office in 2018.