CHINA: Little Meow

Chinese Cinemogul Yen is not given to Hollywood hyperbole like "sensational" and "terrific." When he first signed the slinky, unknown actress Li Lihua, he told his friends simply: "I am setting out a beautiful tree that money drops from." He was right. Li's first movie packed them in. Last week her latest, The Barber Takes a Wife (TIME, Aug. 4), was breaking all Shanghai box-office records, giving every promise of being the biggest cinematic smash China had ever seen.

Li, who is known to her fans as Little Meow, spends five hours a...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!