Editing Zhang Yimou (section)

=== Film ===

==== Beginnings ====
When [[Gaokao]] was reinstated and the [[Beijing Film Academy]] reopened its doors to new students in 1978, Zhang, at 28, was over the Cinematography Department’s admission age limit of 22 and lacked the required academic qualifications.<ref>{{cite book |author=Zhang Yimou |date=2008 |script-title=zh:《青年文摘》 |trans-title=Youth Literary Digest |language=zh |location=Beijing |publisher=China Youth Press|pages=122–125 |script-chapter=zh:《考上电影学院，改变了我一生》|chapter=Going to Film Academy, Changed My Life |isbn=978-7-5006-6468-0}}</ref> With the help of relatives in Beijing, Zhang appealed to the faculty members as well as prominent artists, such as Bai Xueshi, [[Huang Yongyu]], and Hua Junwu, then the Ministry of Culture's general secretary. Hua presented Zhang’s photography portfolio to [[Huang Zhen]], Minister of Culture, who, impressed by Zhang’s talent, instructed the academy to admit him as a two-year auditing student. After two years, Zhang managed to become an official student and completed the full four-year program.<ref>{{Cite web |title=张艺谋超龄报考北电碰壁 华君武推荐至文化部长——中新网 |url=https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/2010/12-03/2697850.shtml |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=www.chinanews.com.cn}}</ref> He graduated with the BFA class of 1982, which also included [[Chen Kaige]], [[Tian Zhuangzhuang]], and [[Zhang Junzhao]]. The class went on to form the core of the [[Cinema of China#Rise of the fifth generation|Fifth Generation]], who were a part of an artistic reemergence in China after the end of the Cultural Revolution.<ref name=Farquhar/><ref name=notablebiographies/><ref name=NYTimesCrow>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/117624/Zhang-Yimou/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228012804/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/117624/Zhang-Yimou/biography|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 December 2007|title=Zhang Yimou|author=Crow, Jonathan|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=2007|access-date=1 September 2010}}</ref>

Zhang and his co-graduates were assigned to various state-run studios, and Zhang was sent to work for the [[Guangxi]] Film Studio as a cinematographer. Though originally intended to work as director's assistants, the graduates soon discovered there was a dearth of directors so soon after the Cultural Revolution, and gained permission to start making their own films. This led to the production of Zhang Junzhao's ''[[One and Eight]]'', on which Zhang Yimou worked as director of photography, and Chen Kaige's ''[[Yellow Earth]]'', in 1984. These two films were successes at the Hong Kong Film Festival and helped to bring the new Chinese cinema to the attention of worldwide audiences, signaling a departure from the earlier propagandist films of the Cultural Revolution.<ref name=Farquhar/><ref name=NYTimesCrow/> ''Yellow Earth'' is today widely considered the inaugural film of the Fifth Generation directors.<ref name=NYTimesCrow/><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://chinesecinema.ucsd.edu/essay_ccwlc.html | title = A Centennial Review of Chinese Cinema | access-date = 21 August 2008 | date = 10 October 2003 | author = Zhang Yingjin | publisher = The University of California, San Diego | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080907160026/http://chinesecinema.ucsd.edu/essay_ccwlc.html | archive-date = 7 September 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.llc.ed.ac.uk/cinema-china/briefhistory.html| title = A Brief History of Chinese Film| access-date = 21 August 2008| publisher = The University of Edinburgh-Cinema China '07| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080606005732/http://www.llc.ed.ac.uk/cinema-china/briefhistory.html| archive-date = 6 June 2008}}</ref>

In 1985, after moving back to his home town of Xi'an, Zhang was engaged as cinematographer and lead actor for director [[Wu Tianming]]'s upcoming film ''[[Old Well (film)|Old Well]]'', which was subsequently released in 1987. The lead role won Zhang a Best Actor award at the [[Tokyo International Film Festival]].<ref name=NYTimesCrow/>

==== 1980s ====
1988 saw the release of Zhang's directorial debut, ''[[Red Sorghum (film)|Red Sorghum]]'', starring Chinese actress [[Gong Li]] in her first leading role. ''Red Sorghum'' was met with critical acclaim, bringing Zhang to the forefront of the world's art directors, and winning him a [[Golden Bear]] for Best Picture at the [[38th Berlin International Film Festival]] in 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1988/03_preistr_ger_1988/03_Preistraeger_1988.html| title = Berlinale - Archive - Annual Archives - 1988 - Prize Winners | publisher = [[Berlin International Film Festival]] | access-date = 21 August 2008}}</ref>

''[[Codename Cougar]]'' (or ''The Puma Action''), a minor experiment in the political thriller genre, was released in 1989, featuring [[Gong Li]] and eminent Chinese actor [[Ge You]]. However, it garnered less-than-positive reviews at home and Zhang himself later dismissed the film as his worst.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wzrb.com.cn/node2/node142/userobject8ai220559.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=11 September 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011158/http://www.wzrb.com.cn/node2/node142/userobject8ai220559.html |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref> In the same year, Zhang began work on his next project, the period drama ''[[Ju Dou]]''. Starring Gong Li in the eponymous lead role, along with [[Li Baotian]] as the male lead, ''Ju Dou'' garnered as much critical acclaim as had ''Red Sorghum'' and became China's first film to be nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/cteq/red_sorghum/ |title=Red Sorghum: A Search for Roots |access-date=28 August 2008 |author=Neo, David |date=September 2003 |magazine=[[Senses of Cinema]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802224322/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/03/28/red_sorghum.html |archive-date=2 August 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Ju Dou'' highlighted the way in which the "gaze" can have different meanings, from voyeurism to ethical appeal. In 1989, Zhang became a member of the jury at the [[16th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1989">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1989 |title=16th Moscow International Film Festival (1989) |access-date=24 February 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316085017/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1989 |archive-date=16 March 2013 }}</ref>

==== 1990s ====
After the success of ''Ju Dou'', Zhang began work on ''[[Raise the Red Lantern]]''. Based on [[Su Tong]]'s novel ''[[Wives and Concubines]]'', the film depicted the realities of life in a wealthy family compound during the 1920s. [[Gong Li]] was again featured in the lead role, her fourth collaboration with Zhang as director. ''Raise the Red Lantern'' received almost unanimous international acclaim. Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' noted its "voluptuous physical beauty" and sumptuous use of colours.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19920327/REVIEWS/203270303/1023 |title =Raise the Red Lantern :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews | author = Ebert, Roger | newspaper = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date = 12 March 1992| access-date =21 August 2008}}</ref> Gong Li's acting was also praised as starkly contrasting with the roles she played in Zhang's earlier films. ''Raise the Red Lantern'' was nominated in the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] category at the [[64th Academy Awards|1992 Academy Awards]], becoming the second Chinese film to earn this distinction (after Zhang's ''Ju Dou''). It eventually lost out to [[Gabriele Salvatores]]'s ''[[Mediterraneo (film)|Mediterraneo]]''.

Zhang's next directorial work, ''[[The Story of Qiu Ju]]'', in 1992, once again starring Gong Li in the lead role. The film, which tells the tale of a peasant woman seeking justice for her husband after he was beaten by a village official, was a hit at film festivals and won the [[Golden Lion]] award at the 1992 [[Venice Film Festival]].<ref>Kleid, Beth (14 September 1992). "MOVIES." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', p. 2.</ref>
[[File:Zhang Yimou 03.png|thumb|Zhang Yimou director]]
Next, Zhang directed ''[[To Live (1994 film)|To Live]]'', an epic film based on the novel by [[Yu Hua]] of the same name. ''To Live'' highlighted the resilience of the ordinary Chinese people, personified by its two main characters, amidst three generations of upheavals throughout Chinese politics of the 20th century. It was banned in China, but released at the [[1994 Cannes Film Festival]] and won the [[Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)|Grand Jury Prize]], as well as earning a Best Actor prize for [[Ge You]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/archives/1994/awardCompetition.html|title=Festival de Cannes: Awards 1994|work=Festival de Cannes | publisher = [[Cannes Film Festival]] | access-date = 21 August 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19941223/REVIEWS/412230303/1023 To Live - by Roger Ebert]</ref> ''To Live'' was officially banned but still shown in theaters in [[China]].<ref>''Zhang Yimou''. Frances K. Gateward, Yimou Zhang, [[University Press of Mississippi]], 2001, pp. 63-4. "Though officially banned, the film is widely available on video, and some theatres somehow still manage to show it."</ref>

''[[Shanghai Triad]]'' followed in 1995, featuring Gong Li in her seventh film under Zhang's direction. The two had developed a romantic as well as a professional relationship, but this would end during production of ''Shanghai Triad''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960216/REVIEWS/602160304/1023| title = Shanghai Triad| author = Ebert, Roger| newspaper= [[Chicago Sun Times]] | date = 16 February 1996|access-date=21 August 2008}}</ref> Zhang and Gong would not work together again until 2006's ''[[Curse of the Golden Flower]]''.

1997 saw the release of ''[[Keep Cool (film)|Keep Cool]]'', a [[black comedy]] film about life in modern China. ''Keep Cool'' marked only the second time Zhang had set a film in the modern era, after ''The Story of Qiu Ju''. As in ''The Story of Qiu Ju'', Zhang returned to the [[neorealism (art)|neorealist]] habit of employing non-professional actors and location shooting for ''[[Not One Less]]'' in 1999<ref>{{Cite journal| journal=Persimmons | year=2001 | volume=1 | issue=3 | title=Not One Less | url=http://www.chinesecinemas.org/notoneless.html | last=Kraicer | first=Shelly | access-date=9 September 2009 | pages=85}}</ref><ref name="philly">{{Cite news| title=In a Chinese village, the teacher is 13 | last=Rea | first=Steven | work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | date=24 March 2000}}</ref><ref name="losingamuse">{{Cite news| work=[[The New York Times]] | title=Losing a Muse and Moving On | last=Feinstein | first=Howard | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/movies/losing-a-muse-and-moving-on.html?pagewanted=all | date=6 February 2000 | access-date=9 September 2009}}</ref> which won him his second [[Golden Lion]] prize in Venice.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/chinese-best-at-venice-fest-1117755601/|title=Chinese best at Venice fest| author = Rooney, David| magazine = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date =13 September 1999|access-date=21 August 2008}}</ref> Shot immediately after ''Not One Less'', Zhang's 1999 film ''[[The Road Home (1999 film)|The Road Home]]'' featured a new leading lady in the form of the young actress [[Zhang Ziyi]], in her film debut. The film is based on a simple throw-back narrative centering on a love story between the narrator's parents.

==== 2000&ndash;present ====
[[File:ZhangYimou-Hawaii.JPG|thumb|Zhang Yimou at the [[Hawaii International Film Festival]] in 2005]]
''[[Happy Times (2000 film)|Happy Times]]'', a relatively unknown film by Zhang, was based loosely on the short story ''[[Shifu: You'll Do Anything for a Laugh]]'', by [[Mo Yan]]. Starring popular Chinese actor [[Zhao Benshan]] and actress [[Dong Jie]], it was an official selection for the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/26/movies/film-review-where-happiness-comes-in-small-dollops.html|title=FILM REVIEW: Where Happiness Comes in Small Dollops|first=A.O.|last=Scott|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=26 July 2002|access-date=15 April 2024|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411000000/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/26/movies/film-review-where-happiness-comes-in-small-dollops.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Zhang's next major project was the ambitious [[wuxia]] drama ''[[Hero (2002 film)|Hero]]'', released in China in 2002. With an impressive lineup of Asian stars, including [[Jet Li]], [[Maggie Cheung]], [[Tony Leung Chiu-Wai]], [[Zhang Ziyi]], and [[Donnie Yen]], ''Hero'' told a fictional tale about Ying Zheng, the King of the [[State of Qin]] (later to become the first [[Qin Shi Huang|Emperor of China]]), and his would-be assassins. The film was released in North America in 2004, two years after its Chinese release, by American distributor [[Miramax Films]], and became a huge international hit. ''Hero'' was one of the few foreign-language films to debut at number 1 at the U.S. box office,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E4DA1F3EF933A0575BC0A9629C8B63|title= Kung Fu Power for 'Hero' at Box Office|newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |date= 30 August 2004| access-date=21 August 2008}}</ref> and was one of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at the [[75th Academy Awards|2003 Academy Awards]].

Zhang followed up the huge success of ''Hero'' with another martial arts epic, ''[[House of Flying Daggers]]'', in 2004.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501040419-610119,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814221731/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501040419-610119,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 14, 2007|title=Zhang Yimou Interview| magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |author = Gough, Neil| date =12 April 2004|access-date=21 August 2008}}</ref> Set in the [[Tang dynasty]], it starred [[Zhang Ziyi]], [[Andy Lau]], and [[Takeshi Kaneshiro]] as characters caught in a dangerous love triangle. ''House of Flying Daggers'' received acclaim from critics, who noted the use of colour that harked back to some of Zhang's earlier works.<ref name="meta">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/houseofflyingdaggers|title=House of Flying Daggers|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=14 January 2009}}</ref>

Released in [[China]] in 2005, ''[[Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles]]'' was a return to the more low-key drama that characterized much of Zhang's middle period pieces. The film stars [[Japanese people|Japanese]] actor [[Ken Takakura]], as a father who wishes to repair relations with his alienated son, and is eventually led by circumstance to set out on a journey to [[China]]. Zhang had been an admirer of Takakura for over thirty years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/18/content_504306.htm|title= Zhang Yimou's new film makes domestic debut| newspaper = [[China Daily]] |date=18 December 2005| access-date=21 August 2008}}</ref>

2006's ''[[Curse of the Golden Flower]]'' saw him reunited with leading actress [[Gong Li]]. Taiwanese singer [[Jay Chou]] and Hong Kong star [[Chow Yun-fat]] also starred in the period epic based on a play by [[Cao Yu (playwright)|Cao Yu]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2006/12/21/movies/21flow.html|title=Curse of the Golden Flower - Movie - Review| author = Catsoulis, Jeannette |newspaper =[[The New York Times]] |date=21 December 2006 |access-date=21 August 2008}}</ref>

Zhang's recent films, and his involvement with the 2008 Olympic ceremonies, have not been without controversy. Some critics claim that his recent works, contrary to his earlier films, have received approval from the Chinese government. However, in interviews, Zhang has said that he is not interested in politics, and that it was an honour for him to direct the Olympic ceremonies because it was "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".<ref name=nytimescrit>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/sports/olympics/08guru.html| title= Gritty Renegade Now Directs China's Close-Up|author=Barboza, David| newspaper = The New York Times|date=7 August 2008|access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref> In 2008, he won a [[Peabody Award]] "for creating a spell-binding, unforgettable celebration of the Olympic promise, featuring a cast of thousands" at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.<ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/beijing-olympics-opening-ceremony-and-zhang-yimou 68th Annual Peabody Awards], May 2009.</ref> On 24 May 2010, Zhang was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by [[Yale University]], and was described as "a genius with camera and choreography".<ref>[http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=7589 Citations for Recipients of Honorary Degrees at Yale University 2010] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609063247/http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=7589 |date=9 June 2010 }}</ref>

Zhang's 2011 ''[[The Flowers of War]]'' was his most expensive film to date, budgeting for $90.2 million,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?big_expectations_for_zhang_yimous_the_13_women_of_nanjing_16652.aspx | title = Big expectations for Zhang Yimou's The 13 Women of Nanjing | publisher = Asia Pacific Arts | date = 18 April 2011}}</ref> until his 2016 [[The Great Wall (film)|''The Great Wall'']] surpassed it with a budget of $150 million.<ref name="budget">{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/great-wall-why-stakes-are-sky-high-matt-damons-150m-chinese-epic-956396 |title='The Great Wall': Why the Stakes Are Sky-High for Matt Damon's $150M Chinese Epic |author=Patrick Brzeski |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=15 December 2016|access-date=29 December 2016}}</ref> After the mixed reception and financial disappointment of ''The Great Wall'', Zhang returned in 2018 with the critically acclaimed ''[[Shadow (2018 film)|Shadow]]'',<ref>{{Citation|title=Shadow (2019)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shadow_2018|language=en|access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref> which received 12 nominations at the 55th Golden Horse Awards and won four, including Best Director.<ref>{{Cite web |title=台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival |url=https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/awards/nw/?serach_type=award&sc=10&search_regist_year=2018&ins=50 |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=www.goldenhorse.org.tw |language=zh-TW}}</ref>