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James Bond has beaten many a dastardly foe and evil genius in his long career, but until this month, when Casino Royale makes its Chinese debut, the suave British secret agent has never breached the Bamboo Curtain.
Getting Bond on to Chinese screens has been a tough call, as 007's espionage in other jurisdictions or "third countries" has meant he has continually fallen foul of China's beady-eyed censors.
As well, Bond's "license to kill," maverick attitude, fondness for violence and sex are anathema to the kinds of values China likes to embrace in its movies.
But times are changing and Casino Royale has been given the go-ahead.
"The censors took some time to approve it and they approved it with no cuts," said Li Chow, Sony Pictures' general manager in China.
"Everyone has seen James Bond movies on pirated DVDs, so expectations are very high. The fact that it's the first Bond makes it much more important - after 45 years, 21 films, this is, finally, the first one in China."
With his fast cars, flashy watches and razor-sharp suits, Bond was a true icon of capitalism.
But these days the lifestyle he follows is the one most young men in China want to follow.
"Chinese people like Bond because they like everything he represents - fast cars, beautiful women. He's cool," said Chow.
The fact that so many of Bond's escapades took place during the Cold War era has made it difficult for officials in Communist China to embrace a man who is effectively an enemy spy.
The censors were reportedly won over by the absence of Cold War references in the film, and the studio emphasised the fact the film is about fighting a common enemy - the terrorist.
The new Bond, Daniel Craig, co-star Eva Green and director Martin Campbell will be among the Bond team at the premiere on January 29 in Beijing and the following night in Shanghai. Both events promise to be glittering occasions.
The distributors are also expecting it to be the biggest foreign movie in China this year, and are sending an unprecedented number of prints to cinemas.
The distributors had hoped for a day-and-date release - when a film is released in many markets around the world at the same time - back in November when it first opened, but this had to be abandoned after Casino Royale was forced to give way for a "blackout" to help boost domestic films.
China usually has "blackouts" two or three times a year, when they put a freeze on the release of foreign films in order to promote patriotic domestic fare and propaganda movies. Last year there were five blackouts.
- INDEPENDENT
