 The public responded with enthusiasm upon its initial release, largely due to Ruan Lingyu's popularity in Shanghai in the early 1930s.After Stanley Kwan's revival of Ruan Lingyu's story through the biopic "Center Stage" (1991) starring Maggie Cheung as Ruan, widespread public interest in the Chinese classic cinema was reinvigorated .Four years after the original release of "Goddess", Yonggang Wu remade the film as "" with changes made to the cast, the setting, and parts of the storyline.