In September of 2006, director Lou Ye was barred from making movies for five years because the film incorporated footage of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and wasn't approved by Chinese officials. The Chinese government also demanded that all copies of the film be confiscated.
Lei Hao first turned down the film because it required full frontal nudity and a lesbian scene, and her boyfriend at the time, Deng Chao, refused to let her do it. They broke up soon after and she decided to accept the role. After the film was released, she received a lot of negative backlash about it, but she ignored it.
Was the only Asian film selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in 2006.
Features Lei Hao's only career nude scenes.