Lee won an Oscar for best director for his magical epic, Life of Pi. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I'm a curious guy when it comes to the image world. I just have a bit of ambition to do something that has never been done."

While asked how newbie filmmakers can become quickly established or qualified, Lee's suggestion is to do the opposite.

"Don't let them go too fast. I started my career at 36. So no worries for you young guys," says the director, who began to shoot his first feature, Pushing Hands, in 1990, after being jobless for six years.

"A heartwarming project needs to wait until it's mature. Time has the power to polish skills and experience. Be patient," says Lee.

He also fears that Chinese financers' eagerness to earn money will damage the Chinese film industry.

A number of similar stories, sequences and characters will bore audiences and exhaust talent, he says.

"If the audiences are getting tired, it's not a matter of which genre to shoot but about whether cinemas will still draw people," he says.