THE Merchant Ivory production, “The White Countess,?is due to finish filming in Shanghai soon in a production that rolled the city back to its 1930s heyday. It is due for worldwide release next September.

In a penthouse suite of the Hilton Hotel on Huashan Lu, the glitterati mingled and sipped champagne while looking back fondly over their time in the city.

“Since I left in the 1980s, the city has changed. The speed is definitely up, as well as the colour,?said Wang Luoyong, currently based in America and best known for his work in the musical “Miss Saigon.?

“The international flavours are back. There’s so much going on in Shanghai, so many possibilities. China’s in a great moment right now, if it keeps opening up - it’s in a great rehearsal,?said the native Shanghainese.

The foreign members of the cast will leave with a small piece of the city in their hearts.

“Shanghai is an extraordinary place, now it looks like Lower Manhattan,?said Madeleine Potter, in her fourth outing with the Merchant Ivory team. “The Bund is incredible, particularly the fact that it sits on a working river,?she said.

Sanada Hiroyuki, a star in “The Last Samurai,?contemplated the future of Sino-Japanese cinematic co-operation.

“There’s definitely a good future there,?he said. “But I feel sad about the history, a barrier still exists between the two countries after the Second World War. I want to break down that wall through the movie business.? “We should clear these barriers in our generation, we should learn more about history and think about the future with other Asian countries,?he said.

The film’s producer, Ismail Merchant, described the difficulties in making a film in a foreign country, but added that it was easy bringing the ?0s back as the city has retained so much history.