▁little ▁dign ity ▁and ▁hope ." ▁Z hu ▁J ie , ▁the ▁actor ▁chosen ▁to ▁play ▁B oss ▁Si - De , ▁the ▁dying ▁tri ad ▁gang ster ▁and ▁the ▁father ▁of ▁the ▁tit ular ▁or phan , ▁was ▁another ▁local ▁actor ▁found ▁in ▁Any ang . ▁ ▁Of ▁the ▁three ▁leads , ▁only ▁Y ue ▁Sen yi , ▁who ▁plays ▁the ▁t ough ▁prost itute , ▁F eng ▁Yan li ▁was ▁h ired ▁from ▁Be ij ing . ▁Wang ▁noted ▁that ▁she ▁possessed ▁" sl ight ▁stub born ness " ▁but ▁a ▁" strong ▁spirit ," ▁such ▁that ▁she ▁could ▁play ▁the ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁prost itute ▁without ▁" con ve ying ▁mis ery ." ▁Ext ras , ▁mean while , ▁also ▁came ▁primarily ▁from ▁Any ang . ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁th ugs ▁that ▁surr ound ▁Si - de , ▁for ▁example , ▁were ▁local ▁crim inals . ▁Wang ▁noted ▁that ▁he ▁could ▁never ▁find ▁actors ▁who ▁could ▁walk ▁in ▁groups ▁the ▁way ▁that ▁real ▁crim inals ▁could . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁ ▁The ▁film ▁was ▁not ▁given ▁wide ▁distribution , ▁but ▁never theless ▁was ▁widely ▁pra ised ▁by ▁critics . ▁During ▁its ▁premi ere ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City , ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁MO MA ' s ▁New ▁Direct ors / New ▁Films ▁Series , ▁critic ▁El vis ▁Mitchell ▁gave ▁high ▁pra ise ▁to ▁Wang ' s ▁debut ▁work . ▁Mitchell ▁writes ▁that ▁the ▁film ▁" with ▁its ▁no - fr ills ▁hon esty , ▁is ▁an ▁arrest ing ▁achiev ement ..."