His death was widely reported by Chinese media that mentioned Chung Kuo, arousing further interest in the film in China. Some elderly Chinese, however, still cannot accept the film.

For instance, in an article that was published by the Beijing Evening News earlier this month, Ren Yuan, a 72-year-old professor with the Communication University of China, wrote: "(Chung Kuo) not only failed to present China and its people truthfully, but also harmed Chinese people's dignity".

But this is an isolated case and filmmaker Liu believes the Chinese government should also buy the footage that Antonioni left on the cutting floor, as it is a valuable record of Chinese history.

"As a leftist who was friendly with Red China, Antonioni made a 'pink' film about China," says Cui Weiping, a professor of film criticism with the Beijing Film Academy. "It not only provides rare footage of China in the 1970s, but can also serve as a case study of Chinese diplomacy at that time."