Sitting alongside Jia, who served as the host for the master class, Zhang provided a full retrospective of all his pivotal works, as well as his latest espionage thriller Impasse and police-themed drama Jian Ru Pan Shi (As Hard as a Rock).

Somewhat surprisingly, Zhang said sincerely that he didn't dream of becoming a filmmaker, instead just hoped to lead a better life after China resumed gaokao, the college entrance exam. Luckily, he was enrolled by the Beijing Film Academy.

However, through the decades, in which he has experienced his share of ups and downs-for example there's the rarely-mentioned 1989 flop, Code Name: Cugar, and then there is his first box-office hit, 2002's Hero-Zhang admitted cinema had become a part of his life.

"Honestly speaking, many films receive very little feedback after they are released, and some stand little chance of being screened in theaters for more than one day. However, most young directors still have a fire burning in their hearts to carry on following their dreams," Zhang told the audience.

"We have many excellent young directors, but what the Chinese film industry lacks the most is good scriptwriters," he added.

Such an issue can be addressed, though, as the Pingyao Festival has attracted more and more youngsters, bringing an infusion of fresh blood to the industry. Jia says the festival has specially set up a section to gather seven prestigious academies from China and abroad to share with youngsters the knowledge of the latest technology and art trends.