Director Sheng zhiming[Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Actor Tong Dawei[Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Director Sheng Zhimin of the thriller The Zodiac Mystery asked parents to not take their children to the movie.

"China has no rating system yet, so please make sure your children don't watch the movie," he said at the film's premiere on July 11.

The Zodiac Mystery is the first film to deal with astrology in China, although the topic has been popular with young people for a while.

Some of the thrilling scenes in the film may disturb children and pregnant women, Sheng said, such as scenes with characters eating raw crabs and breaking an arm.

The film boasts a stellar cast including Tong Dawei, Liu Yan and Qin Hao.