The people who ran the studio weren't sure whether or not they liked the script for Yellow Earth.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Visions of China: Beijing Film Academy

It's ironic that Yellow Earth is still making money today. (Of course, the budget was so low, it was not difficult to turn a profit.) But back then we weren't even thinking about money.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Visions of China: Beijing Film Academy