As is the case of many other arthouse titles, which are notoriously difficult to secure funding for, Li initially failed to raise capital from investors.

A turning point emerged when Sun, the veteran actor known for respected TV dramas like the 2006 hit Jiqing Ranshao De Suiyue (The Years of Burning Passion), gave the nod to play the lead role. Star power then helped to convince investors of the project's worth.

"Sun is an excellent and noble actor. He said he was touched by the script and would be willing to shoot the film for reduced pay," Li recalls.

Except for Sun, the 9-year-old Wang Naixun and several supporting roles, the rest of the cast was played by locals of the shooting location in a village in southern Jiangxi province's Ganzhou city.

"It makes the roles seem as realistic as everyday life, as all the actors were playing themselves," says Li.

Despite the movie struggling to earn a lucrative slice of the blockbuster-dominated market, the film has gained popular acclaim with moviegoers and scholars alike.

Sha Guang, a Peking University-educated poet, says the movie tempted her into the movie theater though she has seldom visited a cinema in the past three decades.

"I was deeply moved by the teacher's spirit of sacrifice and the portrayal of a lower-class intellectual struggling to keep a hold on his faith and dreams," she says.