SHANGHAI, Nov. 23(AP) -- Tom Cruise kept a low profile on Wednesday, eluding the hordes of reporters staking out his hotel in Shanghai while he shoots scenes for "Mission Impossible 3."

"Hide-and-seek with brother Tom," said a headline in the Shanghai Morning Post above pictures of Cruise's white van pulling away from the plush Four Seasons hotel where the star is staying. Cruise wasn't shown in any of the pictures.

Cruise arrived in the city early Monday aboard a private jet, Shanghai media reported. He was reportedly spotted strolling near his hotel on Monday evening, but has otherwise stayed clear of the media and fans.

Newspapers said Cruise would begin filming scenes on Thursday in Xitang, a village of old tile-roof stone houses perched along waterways about an hour outside the city center.

He is expected to stay in Shanghai for up to 10 days, newspapers said.

Cruise's management couldn't immediately be contacted and Yvonne Mu, a public relations officer with the Four Seasons, declined to give details about his stay.

Cruise is the latest international star to film in Shanghai, recently featured in "The Painted Veil," starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, as well as "The White Countess," with Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson.

Cruise is both starring in and co-producing the third installment in the "Mission Impossible" series, which has also filmed scenes in Rome and at an 18th-century palace north of Naples, Italy. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the film is due to be released on May 5, 2006.