The breakout star plays the cunning yet vulnerable daughter of ruthless Chinese businessman, Master Cheung, who sends her across the seas on a mission to oversee the work of his men in the Goldfields all while a local murder investigation unfolds.<\/p>\n
She said the opportunity to play a strong female lead role was exciting and one she thought may not be possible in the local film and television industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was at drama school I felt like maybe because I\u2019m Chinese, I\u2019m a young woman, I was still doubtful or not sure if there was a place for me to play a key role in Australian television,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got the script, I thought \u2018wow, what a complex character\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the mystery of it is really gripping. I was reading through it, and I was like \u2018oh, what\u2019s going to happen?\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had all these predictions and the way that it unfolds is really beautiful actually and touching, heartfelt and tragic. That\u2019s why I think its special and I\u2019m excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Li said she felt \u201ctotally transported\u201d back in time to the show\u2019s 1857 setting when filming on the iconic Sovereign Hill main street.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looked incredible,\u201d she said. \u201cIt definitely felt like I was immersed in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cThe actual street and the town that they\u2019ve preserved or rebuilt is incredible. I spent some of my time walking up and down when I had free time, just walking in there imagining what it would be like.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaying in that time period gives you so much of the character. There was so much research that I did, and the circumstances of Chinese women during that time\u2026 just thinking about the journey it would\u2019ve taken for [Lei] to get to Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n Exploring racism towards Chinese and Indigenous people, and sexism towards women during that time, Li said the show confronts the country\u2019s violent past and brings up questions about what it means to belong.<\/p>\n \u201cI think not a lot of people knew that a fifth to a quarter of the population by the end of 1860 in the mining community was Chinese,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s really significant and I feel like a lot of history has been erased. I think this show puts that at the forefront and sees it with not a whitewashed lens, which I think is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/10\/NGMSet-300x200.jpg\")