As for why Gong Li finally replaced Shi Ke as the heroine of Red Sorghum, there are many rumors in this story, and the most reliable one should be this one. It is said that Shi Ke at that time was much better than Gong Li in status and resources. Although he is a classmate of Chinese opera, Shi Ke developed much better when he first debuted. In fact, there was no fierce competition between them in the casting of the film Red Sorghum, but Shi Ke gave up and quit first.
Shi Ke withdrew from the competition of Red Sorghum because she had good resources and received many invitations for works. She finally chose several big productions and works by more famous directors. At that time, Zhang Yimou, the director of Red Sorghum, was not a well-known director now. He was also a little-known new director at that time. Red Sorghum is his first masterpiece, but Shi Ke thinks that the prospect of this film is not very good.
Later, as we all know, "Red Sorghum" became an instant hit, reached the international stage, won the Berlin Golden Bear Award, gained the popularity of director Zhang Yimou instantly, and pushed Gong Li into the ranks of international movie stars. Although Gong Li is inferior to Shi Ke in image and resources, she has grasped the opportunity very well, and she has been making unremitting efforts personally. Everyone noticed Gong Li's superb acting skills. Besides Jiu-Er, Gong Li also appeared in famous films such as Farewell My Concubine and Alive, which is the best proof of her strength.