English posed a challenge, says Empire of Silver star

Fame came to Hao Lei early: Just a year after graduating from high school in 1997, she landed the lead role in the mainland TV series Don't Cry Seventeen.

But the Shandong-born star's career really took off when she moved to films. Hao's Summer Palace with filmmaker Lou Ye in 2006 was the only Asian film in the running for the Palme d'Or at Cannes that year, although it was banned in the Chinese mainland because of its controversial theme.

Last year, Hao got together with Taiwan director Christina Yao for her debut movie Empire of Silver. Opening this Thursday, the film, adapted from a romance trilogy Valley of Silver, tells the story of a prosperous banking family in Shanxi province. The family ran the banking system of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and early Republic of China, but collapsed as the Qing Dynasty weakened.