She made Farewell My Concubine, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival in 1996, and she's now producing the Tomson Golf Club / Villa / International Club development in Pudong.

As such, she is one of the key people creating the future of Shanghai, and she sees it very much in cinematic terms.

The development of the club is like making a film, she said. We have found our leading actor and actress, we have a director and a producer, but the film is still not made yet.

Tomson, a major real estate developer from Taiwan, is one of the largest investors in Shanghai. Mrs Tong says the international club being built next to its existing golf course and villa development in Pudong will be the biggest in the world in terms of floor space; more than 40,000 square meters.

"We have laid high value and high hope on this international club, she said. The idea and goal is to create a place where people can spend their leisure time, without running around the city. The club will include more than 80 different functions."

The international club scene in Shanghai is beginning to get a bit crowded. There's the Shanghai American Club on Huangpu Lu near the Bund, the G's Club on Hengshan Lu is due to open before the end of the year. Then there's the Shanghai Links Shanghai American Club, which includes plans for a clubhouse on the Bund. But Tomsons plans far exceed those of any other existing club. Hence the decision to put it all in Pudong, Mrs Tong said.

"We chose Pudong because when we first came to Shanghai, there was not enough space in Puxi to build such a huge development, such a huge concept. Pudong is ideal for this kind of idea."

The first phase of the club is due to open in June 2000, and the entire project, costing US$50 million, is scheduled for a grand opening in June 2001.

The Tomson Group has a twenty year plan for the development, of which they are on year five.

An investment of this magnitude requires a serious long-term commitment to China and to Shanghai. Mrs Tong says she is unfazed by the current economic slowdown in China, or by the Asian financial crisis outside.

"On the surface it seems like it hasn't affected China at all, but we think it is hidden under the surface, and someday it will come up to the top," she said. "But we are really well prepared for that."

She sees Shanghai as the safest place to invest right now.

"If you want to talk about politics, you go to Beijing, if you want to talk about business you go to Shanghai," she said. "Our belief is that if China goes well, then Shanghai will definitely go well. We are very optimistic about the development of Shanghai, otherwise we would never have made such a huge investment and such long-term plans."

Mrs Tong was originally an actress and starred in over 70 movies before she began her career as a producer.

"Farewell, My Concubine" is her most successful production, but "Temptress Moon", also directed by Chen Kaige and starring Gong Li made a mark as did "The Last Lipstick of Yan'an" a chronicle on the first part of Madame Mao's life.

Three years ago she bought the rights to the book "Life and Death in Shanghai", and hopes to make it before the turn of the century.

But before she begins work on that, she has an international club to produce.

She sees it as a place that will cover all the requirements of expatriates living in Shanghai.

"We wanted to create another living space, a new city, a totally thought-out development area," she said.

"I see it as a place where you can come early in the morning stay all day. For instance, for the housewives, they can come in the morning and get a facial, massage, go swimming, and then go to lunch, do some shopping, and then go to the library, have dinner meet friends, in the evening go see a film, and then go home."

The club's general manager Ken Driscoll, said membership numbers and fees had not yet been decided, but there will definitely be a limited number available.