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.
