THE Chinese film director Chen Kaige, best known for Farewell My Concubine, has become a figure of fun — all because of a steamed bun.

Mr Chen has drawn ridicule for his threat to sue a 31-year-old internet prankster who used clips from his latest movie, The Promise, shown last week at the Berlin Film Festival, to make a searing spoof of the £25 million extravaganza. Hu Ge said that he was so disappointed after seeing The Promise that he decided to have a little fun with the convoluted epic of a girl transformed into a princess.

The young Shanghai sound engineer had no notion when he posted his 20-minute spoof The Steamed Bun Murder on the internet that he was about to become the most talked-about man in China.

Mr Hu told The Times: “I saw the movie and thought it was pretty bad so I made the parody to amuse myself. I didn’t expect so many people to watch it. I’m no cyber hero and I don’t want to be famous.”

His satire, unprecedented in China’s carefully monitored media, has attracted millions of viewers, almost certainly many more than paid to see The Promise. The film has proved to be something of a box-office flop, although distributors say it has earned £15 million.

Chinese collapse in gales of laughter as they watch Mr Hu’s spoof. The Steamed Bun Murder not only parodies the most expensive film made in China, but also pokes fun at state television. He uses a poker-faced presenter and stuffy communist terminology in his tongue-in-cheek report of the investigation into the humble bun murder.

Countless blogs debate the merits of The Promise and its parody. Most urge Mr Chen, famed for such art-house films as Yellow Earth, to recover a sense of humour. Mr Hu has emerged as the underdog and China’s first cyber hero.

Mr Chen, in Berlin, appeared unmoved and said: “We have determined to sue and solve the problem completely.”

Mr Hu had no sense of morality, he said. It is not clear whether Mr Chen can win if his case goes to court. Copyright law allows the proper use of others’ works to “introduce or comment on the certain works or an issue”.

Mr Hu has issued an apology for any harm that he may have caused Mr Chen’s film, but ticket sales have climbed.

An editorial ran on the China Radio website: “It’s the hallmark of a new era in China when small potatoes are free to satirise public figures in a way that’s short of actual malice.”

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