This movie made in the early 1990's is actually nothing special, and this is not just for the non-Chinese audience, but it also applies to those Chinese audience as well.
The reason why this movie is plain is because it has the styles that were exactly copied from those social criticism movies made a decade ago in the early 1980's, the very beginning stage of the reforms in China.
The reason of presenting the hidden message in such a cautious way was because of the time, after all, it was not long ago the June 4th crackdown just happened, and in order to avoid being banned, the Chinese movie industry took a giant step back.
The reason why this movie is plain is because it has the styles that were exactly copied from those social criticism movies made a decade ago in the early 1980's, the very beginning stage of the reforms in China.
The reason of presenting the hidden message in such a cautious way was because of the time, after all, it was not long ago the June 4th crackdown just happened, and in order to avoid being banned, the Chinese movie industry took a giant step back.