South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi and Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu. [Photo/Mtime]

South Korea's Lee Joon-gi will soon grab eyeballs in China's rapidly booming movie market.

His upcoming romance, Never Said Goodbye, will open in Chinese mainland theaters for the Qixi Festival — China's Valentine's Day — which falls on Aug 9 this year.

Set in Shanghai and Sicily, Italy's largest island, the movie is about a romance between a South Korean man and a Chinese woman.

Besides Lee, the celebrity cast includes Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu, who shot to fame in Zhang Yimou's 2010 romance Under the Hawthorn Tree.

Lee, who is known to Chinese fans because of King and The Clown, says the joint production gave him a chance to learn more about acting and photography.

Speaking of experiences while making the film, Lee says: "The director showed me a lot of (cultural) things ... It helped me get used to a new working environment and the Chinese style of filmmaking."

Lee was in Beijing on Tuesday to promote the film.

Lin Yu-hsien, the Taiwan director of the film, says that the international crew, which comprised professionals from Italy, South Korea and Malaysia, makes the film "universal".

"Romance is an ever-green theme for the big screen, and it is also the easiest way to touch audiences," says Lin.