Cao also shared an anecdote behind Zhang's Golden Bear award at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival for Red Sorghum, a film starring Gong Li that was adapted from two novellas by Nobel laureate Mo Yan.

In 1988, overseas trips were still a rare opportunity for most Chinese. Europe was still divided into East and West by the Iron Curtain, and Berlin was a city of two halves. Zhang — who didn't expect to win such a major honor — changed some money and decided to take the opportunity to go shopping in East Berlin shortly before the award ceremony but received a notification from the Chinese Embassy in West Berlin, telling him to return to the festival as soon as possible.

"Zhang suspected that he might have won an award, but he never imagined it would be such a major triumph," recalls Cao, adding that it was the first time a Chinese-language film had won a top honor at one of Europe's most prestigious international film festivals.