BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- "The Secret of China," a film inspired by American journalist Edgar Snow's book "Red Star over China," is set to hit Chinese theaters on Aug. 8, according to the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Association.

Based on historical events in 1936, the movie tells of Snow venturing into a town in northern Shaanxi Province, then known as the "red capital" of China, where he interviewed Mao Zedong and other leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The interviews, observations and experiences that Snow compiled later became "Red Star over China," a best-selling book that introduced the CPC to the rest of the world.

Starring Wang Pengkai and Kenan Heppe, "The Secret of China" was directed by Wang Jixing and produced by Emei Film Group based in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.