Zhang Yang uses a realistic style, and achieved great recognition for his 1999 independent production Xizao (洗澡; English translation: Shower), which was successful at Chinese box offices as well as international film festivals. This was followed in 2001 by Zuotian ("Quitting" in its American release). The actors in this unusual story about a real actor, Jia Hongsheng, and his struggle with drug addiction are Jia himself, Jia's parents, fellow inmates in a mental institution, the director, Zhang, and others playing themselves. The relationship between parents and their grown children is as central to this film as it was in Shower.
