Jia Zhangke, the most recognized contemporary Chinese director of literary film, proved his box office potential beyond industry credit with his latest film "24 City", which has earned more than one million yuan in three days since its cinema screening on March 6.

The box office earnings of "24 City" has so far become the highest of all Jia Zhangke's films.

"24 City", following Jia's cutting edge focus, sketches the lives of three women who went through ups and downs along with the modernization of an aviation factory they work for.

The film received rather divided opinions from the audience. Those identifying themselves with the lives of the main characters widely hailed it, but some cinemagoers just couldn't follow the way the director arranged the storyline.

Jia Zhangke said, rather than making profit, the screening of the film was aimed to show a piece of unadapted history in front of the mass audience who have gotten used to fictional stories displayed by commercial blockbusters.

"24 City" advanced to the final competition of 2008 Cannes Film Festival but failed to win any prize. It was voted by movie critics as one of the ten best films of the year 2008 by "Film Comment", an influential film industry magazine in North America.

(CRI March 10, 2009)