The two sides of a legend

Regrets

Qin said there are three things she regrets most in her life－never enjoying the sweetness of love, her son's disease and not getting to play a truly satisfactory character that was created by her.

These days, she spends most of her time trying to rectify that last regret. In 2014, she kicked off the production of The Beautiful Kokonor Lake, a film written by her that is based on the true story of an Australian meteorologist and his wife who were working on an artificial rainfall project on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The wife lost her life during a car accident while working on the project.

In the show, Qin plays the role of the wife. She is believed to be the oldest actress to play a leading role in a film. Qin, who was then already 92 years old, had to commute six hours every day during the filming on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The film was released in 2015.

Working at the high-altitude plateau was tough and Qin joked that she had to fake gasps to be a part of the crew, many of whom suffered from nose bleeds, dizziness and headaches.

When asked about the happiest days of her life, Qin replied it was the few months she spent in the remote city, after running away from her first husband. Singing and dancing in the sea of opium poppy, she said, was liberating.

Despite her age, Qin is still searching for more acting opportunities, saying there are at least another two roles she wants to sign up for. She is also working on the script for a new film in which she hopes to act in. Attending English classes, she said, is also on the agenda.