The costume design for Qin Keqing (played by Tang Yifei), a minor role in A Dream of the Red Mansions, was released recently and stirred much debate.

Li Shaohong, one of the country's most productive women directors, is facing growing doubts over her casting decisions for the adaptation of A Dream of the Red Mansions, an 18th-century novel by Cao Xuqin. Fierce criticism over the costumes and debates over her ability to create a worthy program have been raging for months.

She appears to have been playing musical chairs with some of the key roles in the show, and netizens have been up in arms ever since a series of costume pictures was released two months ago.

Angry fans claimed the costumes were too sexy, too opera-like and even too ghostly for a classic's television adaptation, especially when compared with those of a widely popular 1987 TV drama based on the same story. Believe it or not, some even complained to the government, asking it to fire the director, which actually it has no right to do.

Director Li Shaohong is confident that she will make a good adaptation.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Li admitted she had read the online comments, printed some of them and discussed the issue with her Oscar-winning designer, Tim Yip.

"I found some of the suggestions helpful," she says.

"But I do think some of the netizens are just using our show as an outlet for their personal unhappiness in life, and some are making brutal statements just to gain attention."

Li asks fans to have more faith and to be open-minded with her attempts to be innovative.

"Do you think it makes any sense if I just copied the 1987 version or just made slight changes?" she asks. "If I did that, people would say it was because I had no imagination at all.

"People who like my previous TV series, please trust me. I am making a quality show."

She says producers had spent 4 million yuan ($570,000) on the costumes and 1 million more on lighting.

She also believes the book is so well known that anything about it will raise heated discussion. Thus she is determined to do it her way.