ON his first trip to China, actor Johnny Depp said this week that he’d be willing to consider a move to the Middle Kingdom (a direct translation of China in Chinese to English), citing the overwhelmingly warm reception from his fans.

    Dozens of them swarmed a Beijing hotel Monday for a glimpse of the star armed with “We love you Johnny Depp” signs as Depp arrived to drum up hype for his upcoming sci-fi thriller “Transcendence.”

    Among them were fans like Cai Kexin, 21, who traveled 16 hours by train from eastern coastal Zhejiang Province just to be in the same room with the star. “I cried when I found out he was getting engaged; I had to be here,” said Cai, adding that she skipped class to be in Beijing with Depp. She and many others were delighted when Depp showed off a tattoo on his arm inspired by the “I Ching,” a Chinese classical text.

    Depp said that while Hollywood has much to share with China, including its special effects and sci-fi expertise, American films can take lessons from China as well. “The level of art, the eons of culture … I most assuredly believe that we can learn a lot from China,” Depp said in reply to a question about Hollywood’s attempts to appeal to the Chinese market.

    “I could live here easily,” he said, adding, “It’s a warm experience.”

    Depp’s China arrival comes as Hollywood is attempting to regain ground in the world’s second-largest film market, where it’s been losing market shares. Up until 2012, Hollywood had stronghold on the market, with 51 percent of total box office receipts. But last year that changed, with China’s domestic films surging ahead to take in 12.7 billion yuan (US$2 billion), or about 59 percent of total box-office receipts, according to consulting firm Artisan Gateway.

    The star of movies including the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy, Depp — who plays a terminally ill scientist in “Transcendence” — is just the latest of Hollywood stars to fly to China to promote their films in person. Chris Evans, the lead actor in the upcoming film “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and Andrew Garfield, the star of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” both stopped in Beijing last week on promotional tours.

    Like Depp, other Hollywood stars who’ve lately made appearances in Beijing have also been keen to stress their affection for China. When Robert Downey Jr. visited last year for the opening of “Iron Man 3,” he attempted to bond with Chinese audiences by noting that he practices Chinese traditional medicine and has his own Chinese doctor.

    During the press briefing, the 51-year-old Depp entertained a gamut of questions from the Chinese media, ranging from “How do you maintain your acting skills?” to “Would you consider designing underwear?” Depp said he hadn’t previously considered underwear design, but that he thought he “could do a good job.” He said he thought he’d be particularly skilled at designing women’s shoes.

    Producers of “Transcendence” are hoping the film’s futuristic storyline, in which a scientist tries to create a machine with human emotions and intelligence, will resonate with Chinese audiences. “It’s totally conceivable that the next breakthroughs in artificial intelligence will come from China, so the story has a strong appeal and pull for Chinese audiences,” said Dan Mintz, chief executive of Beijing-based DMG Entertainment, which financed and produced the film with Alcon Entertainment in Los Angeles.

    The company is hoping to surpass their previous success with “Iron Man 3,” a co-production with Walt Disney Co. that became China’s second highest-grossing film last year, with 755.2 million yuan in box-office sales. To target the Chinese market, they’re planning a 3-D version of “Transcendence” to be exclusively released in China, as well as a synced debut with the United States on April 18 — a rare move, given high levels of concern about piracy among studios. (SD-Agencies)