The film was only able to find its audience and had a resurgence in popularity after the China Film Archive made a new print in the early 1980s. Today, it is considered one of the most classic masterworks in Chinese film history. In 2011, the film was enlisted in the list of the top best 100 Chinese films, by the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee. In 2005, the Hong Kong Film Awards Association named it the greatest Chinese film ever made. Sixth Generation film director Wang Chao also declared the film to be one of his favourites and Fei Mu the director he most admired. In 2002, the film was remade by Tian Zhuangzhuang as "Springtime in a Small Town".