Cast member Zhang Jingchu arrives at the premiere of "Rush Hour 3" at the Mann's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California on July 30, 2007. [File Photo: Sohu.com]

Chinese mainland actress Zhang Jingchu has been confirmed as the female lead in a war movie "John Rabe". The production began shooting in Shanghai on Saturday.

The actress will play a women's college student whose family suffers due to the Japanese invasion of China during World War II.

It is reported that the director, Germany's Florian Gallenberger, was impressed by Zhang Jingchu's acting in "Peacock", winner of the Berlin Bear.

German actor Ulrich Tukur will play the title role in "John Rabe".

John Rabe (1882-1950) was a German businessman who worked as the Siemens Corporation representative in China's Nanjing from 1931 to 1938. He helped protect the lives of nearly 250,000 Chinese refugees from the Japanese invaders' massacre. He has been praised as the "Schindler of Nanjing".

The movie boasts a budget of about 20 million US dollars and an international cast of actors from China, Germany, France and the United States.