43 Facts About Zhang Yimou

Zhang Yimou directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which received considerable international acclaim.

Zhang Yimou's films are particularly noted for their rich use of colour, as can be seen in some of his early films, like Raise the Red Lantern, and in his wuxia films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.

Zhang Yimou was awarded an honorary doctorate from Yale University in 2010 and from Boston University in 2018.

Zhang Yimou was born on 14 November 1950 in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province.

Zhang Yimou's mother, Zhang Yimou Xiaoyou, was a doctor at the 2nd Hospital affiliated Xi'an Jiao Tong University who graduated from Xi'an Medical University.

Zhang Yimou has two younger brothers, Zhang Weimou and Zhang Qimou.

Zhang Yimou has an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Boston University and one from Yale University.

Zhang Yimou graduated with the BFA class of 1982, which included Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Zhang Junzhao.

In 1985, after moving back to his home town of Xi'an, Zhang Yimou was engaged as cinematographer and lead actor for director Wu Tianming's upcoming film Old Well, which was released in 1987.

In 1989, Zhang Yimou became a member of the jury at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival.

Happy Times, a relatively unknown film by Zhang Yimou, was based loosely on the short story Shifu: You'll Do Anything for a Laugh, by Mo Yan.

Zhang Yimou followed up the huge success of Hero with another martial arts epic, House of Flying Daggers, in 2004.

Zhang Yimou had been an admirer of Takakura for over thirty years.

However, in interviews, Zhang Yimou 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".

On 24 May 2010, Zhang Yimou was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Yale University, and was described as "a genius with camera and choreography".

Zhang Yimou reprised his version of Turandot in October 2009, at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, and plans to tour with the production in Europe, Asia and Australia in 2010.

In 2001, Zhang Yimou adapted his 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern for the stage, directing a ballet version.

Zhang Yimou has co-directed a number of outdoor folk musicals under the title Impression.

Zhang Yimou led the production of Tan Dun's opera, The First Emperor, which had its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on 21 December 2006.

Zhang Yimou was chosen to direct the Beijing portion of the closing ceremonies of two Olympics: the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, and 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Zhang Yimou directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, alongside co-director and choreographer Zhang Jigang.

Zhang Yimou directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Zhang Yimou was a runner-up for the Time Magazine Person of the Year award in 2008.

Zhang Yimou is good at mastering simple colors, clear but not trivial or complicated.

The films created by Zhang Yimou can meet the needs of the times and social development in terms of artistic expression, incorporating some of his own thinking and exploration, with a focus on macro social themes and contemporary thinking.

Zhang Yimou became a worker at a cotton mill in Xianyang, while Xiao was assigned to a factory in Xingping County.

In 1978, the national college entrance exam was reinstated in China and Zhang Yimou applied to the Beijing Film Academy.

The age limit for the Cinematography Department was 22, and 28-year-old Zhang Yimou was initially rejected.

On March 31,1983, their daughter Zhang Yimou Mo was born while Zhang Yimou was filming One and Eight in Guangxi.

Zhang Yimou said that my relationship with my wife was a misunderstanding that arose from our time in the countryside.

In 1995, soon after shooting Shanghai Triad, their 7th collaboration during their relationship, Zhang Yimou announced their break-up amidst rumors of Gong's affair with then managing director of British American Tobacco in China, Ooi Hoe Seong.

Zhang Yimou Jun had been a backup candidate for The Flowers of War cast, but was dismissed after revealing her participation in the production on Weibo in December 2010.

Zhang Yimou was investigated by the authorities for violating China's one-child policy.

On 29 November 2013, under the public pressure, Zhang Yimou admitted in a statement that he and his wife, Chen Ting, have two sons and a daughter, and that they would cooperate with Wuxi's family planning authorities for an investigation and accept any legal consequences.

In 1996, when Zhang Yimou's film Keep Cool faced a funding crisis following Gong Li's withdrawal due to her breakup with the director, which led other investors to pull out, Zhang Weiping stepped in with an investment of 26 million yuan.

However, Zhang Yimou left the company in 2012 after an acrimonious split, stemming from years of business and creative disputes and precipitated by the critical and commercial underperformance of The Flowers of War.

Since 2015, Zhang Yimou filed three lawsuits against Zhang Weiping and his New Pictures company to recover unpaid earnings.

In 2015, Zhang Yimou sought 15 million yuan in box office revenue share from A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop.

Meanwhile, his wife, Chen Ting, disclosed on Weibo that during the two men's 16-year collaboration, Zhang Yimou had only been paid 12 million yuan in total.

Zhang Yimou accused Zhang Weiping of falsely claiming to the family planning authorities that Zhang Yimou earned an annual salary of millions of yuan, allegedly to increase fines imposed for violating the one-child policy.

Zhang Yimou Weiping refused to comply, resulting in his placement on the list of judgment defaulters.

In 2020, Zhang Yimou filed the second lawsuit against Zhang Weiping, seeking 2.59 million yuan in unpaid labor fees.

Zhang Yimou won the case and the court dismissed Zhang Weiping's appeal.