Following their collaborations on the international art house hits Red Sorghum and Ju Dou, director Zhang Yimou and actress Gong Li reteamed for this big-budget fantasy. Stepping in front of the camera this time, Zhang stars as a Qin Dynasty chamberlain who makes the mistake of falling for one of the emperor's concubines. As punishment, he is transformed into a Terracotta Warrior and awakens 3,000 years later, where he encounters an actress who is a dead ringer for the woman who captivated him so many years ago.