Light in the early, dark days of the pandemic

She was not in Xiangyang when the epidemic broke out, she says, and was worried about relatives and friends, keeping abreast of what was going on almost daily with the help of the internet.

After hearing from childhood friends that their communities had solved food supply problems and managed to take delivery of facial masks and hand sanitizers, she says she felt appreciated.

"Although we were encountering an unprecedented disaster, everything was put on a firm footing, making people feel relatively safe.

"As someone from Hubei, I'm honored to be in the movie. Through such a deeply meaningful story it's great to reflect the optimistic, brave spirit of Hubei people in the face of disaster."

Xue's directorial debut, Ocean Heaven, starring Jet Li as a sick father taking care of a 21-year-old son with autism, was something else that drew Jia to the project.

"Xue seems to have this almost magic talent of being able to unravel and explain the most delicate sides of humanity."

Xue's works exude strength and warmth, Jia says.

During shooting, her comedic talent spawned delightful splashes of improvisation. One of those was when the delivery woman delivers medicine to the home of the piano teacher, who has an epileptic seizure and collapses as he is taking out his mobile phone to pay her.