upon his return to china, li made his first non-documentary film, the critically acclaimed "blind shaft" (2003). the film's bleak story of two murderous con-men plying their trade in china's dangerous mines proved a major success in the international film festival circuit. critics particularly noted how li’s background in documentaries showed through in the film's cinéma vérité and italian neorealist style, in particular li's use of handheld cameras and an ambient sound soundtrack. in china, however, the film’s critical eye toward the notoriously dangerous mining industry proved controversial and "blind shaft" was banned by the beijing film bureau. however, neither the precise reasoning nor the length of the ban was made known to li.