Jia Hongsheng was a Chinese actor who became known in the late 1980s and early 1990s for roles in movies like The Case of the Silver Snake (1988), Good Morning, Beijing (1991), A Woman from North Shaanxi (1993) and Weekend Lover (1995). His performances were praised by critics and he developed a rebellious image that made him popular among artistic youth and the "Sixth Generation" of Chinese directors.

Suzhou River is a 2000 Chinese romance film written and directed by Lou Ye, a tragic love story set in contemporary Shanghai. The film, though stylistically distinct, is typical of "Sixth Generation" Chinese filmmakers in its subject matter of contemporary China's gritty urban experience. Co-produced by the German Essential Films and China's Dream Factory, the film stars Zhou Xun in a dual role as two different women and Jia Hongsheng as a man obsessed with finding a woman from his past.