Changsha's sky was dark above. But a stadium in Hunan's provincial capital glowed in the company of beautiful young women on Dec 4.

It was a ceremony announcing 12 winners, who'll appear in The Monkey King 3 - a film adapted from a chapter on a female-ruled place in the 16th-century Chinese classic Journey to the West.

The actresses are among 1,000 chosen from more than 30,000 hopefuls through a national campaign launched in August. The 12 will play supporting roles, while the others will serve as extras - that is, as the kingdom's subjects.