Gong Li was born inShenyang,Liaoning,China, as the youngest of five children. Her father, Gong Lize, had been a professor of economics atLiaoning University until being transferred toShandong University a few years before theCultural Revolution. Her mother, Zhao Ying, originally a college teacher, followed her husband to Shandong and became an accountant at a state-run cotton mill.[6][7]
Gong grew up inJinan, the capital ofShandong. She studied in Jinan Sanhe Street Primary School (now Shandong Experimental Primary School). At school, she developed an interest in singing, dancing, and imitation. In Grade 2, she participated in her school’s performing arts troupe. Later, she and her classmates were invited to Shandong People’s Radio Station to sing children’s songs in praise of the oil workers inDaqing.[7]
Gong spent six years at Jinan No.2 Middle School. In 1983, she took her firstGaokao, applying to two art programs atShandong Normal University andQufu Normal University, but failed to gain admission. The following year, she applied to Shandong Art Academy and thePeople's Liberation Army Arts College, but was unsuccessful again. Her parents discouraged her from pursuing it further, but Gong persisted by working part-time while taking acting lessons from director Yin Dawei in Jinan. In 1985, encouraged by Yin, she applied to theCentral Academy of Drama in Beijing. Despite scoring 11 points atGaokao below the requirement, the academy petitioned for her special admission, which was eventually granted by the Ministry of Culture, the superior department then in charge of the academy. Gong was admitted to theCentral Academy of Drama in 1985 and graduated in 1989.[8][9]
In 1989, Gong starred inZhang Yimou’s second counterterrorism film,Codename Cougar, for which she won theHundred Flowers Awards for Best Supporting Actress, ushering in a new stage of exploring acting skills and style. On the same year, she took part in the1989 Tiananmen Square protests and according to her, Tiananmen taught her that she should have her own opinion, "not just follow blindly."[12]
1990–1999: Fifth generation filmmakers and international spotlight
Over the several years following her 1987 acting debut inRed Sorghum, Gong received international acclaim for her roles in several more Zhang Yimou films.[13][14]
Immune to political repercussions because of her fame, Gong Li began criticizing the censorship policy in China. Her filmsFarewell My Concubine andThe Story of Qiu Ju were initially banned in China for being thinly-veiled critiques of the Chinese government.[24] Regarding the sexual content inJu Dou, Chinese censorship deemed the film "a bad influence on the physical and spiritual health of young people."[13]
In many of her early movies, Gong represents a tragic victim and an abused soul (physically or emotionally), trying to release herself from an impossible maze of corruption, violence and suppression. InRaise the Red Lantern andShanghai Triad, an additional tragic element is added to her being as she unintentionally becomes the executioner of new innocent victims, making her realize that she has assisted the dark cynical system.[29]
In the early 2000s, Gong also starred in two films directed byWong Kar-wai,2046 andEros (both in 2004),[35] which were seen as "an important opportunity to get rid of the influence of Zhang Yimou".[36] She also attended the2004 Cannes Film Festival, where she was awarded the Festival Trophy for her contributions to film industry.
Despite her popularity, Gong avoided Hollywood for years, due to a lack of confidence in speaking English.[37] She made her English speaking debut in 2005 when she starred as Hatsumomo inMemoirs of a Geisha. Her performance was met with generally positive reviews.[38]Time's Richard Corliss to describe her as
Through three English-language films, Gong has gradually established herself inHollywood. Speaking of the Hollywood experience, Gong said it broadened her horizons, gave her a better idea of what she liked and allowed her to experiment with different acting styles.[40]
In 2006, Gong worked again with Yimou for historical epicCurse of the Golden Flower, for which She won the best Actress at the26th Hong Kong Film Awards.[41]Time named her performance as the Empress as the seventh greatest performance of the year. In the same year, she was voted No.1 in the poll of "Most Beautiful Persons in China" held by The Beijing News.[42][43]
She narratedBeijing (2008), an audio walking tour byLouis Vuitton and Soundwalk,[44] which won an Audie Award for Best Original Work in 2009.[45]
Gong in 2013
In 2010, Gong starred in theWorld War II-era thrillerShanghai as a spy who is disguised as the wife of a triad boss (played by Chow Yun-fat). She turned to documentaries and photographs about World War II, besides taking dancing classes three times a week, to ensure an accurate portrayal of the character.[22] During a press junket for the film, she stated that she was becoming more selective with the Chinese language projects offered to her.
She also emphasized in the interview:
It takes time to create a good role, and it is not easy to meet a good role and one you like, so I am not in a hurry, nor need I be in such a hurry.[46]
Shanghai was not a hit with critics, with critic Nick Allen writing that "Gong Li is put to a great amount of work as the most active member in the ensemble, but she has scant character aside from his intricate allegiances."[47] That year, she was named byCNN as one of "Asia's 25 Greatest Actors of All Time."[48]
In 2014, Gong was the president of the jury for the17th Shanghai International Film Festival, becoming the first woman jury president in the festival’s history.[49] Later that same year, she reunited with Yimou for the filmComing Home, which is set during the throes of theCultural Revolution; this film was their first collaboration since 2006.[50]
In 2019, Gong was cast inLou Ye's period dramaSaturday Fiction, where she plays an actress who is working undercover gathering intelligence for the Allies.[53] The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the76th Venice International Film Festival.[54] Gong learned shooting and hypnosis for the film.[55]Saturday Fiction was a box office failure due to the delayed release, but the artistic value of the film and Gong's performance gained rave reviews.[56] That year, she was also cast in thelive-action adaptation of the 1998 Disney animated filmMulan, as a powerful witch.[57] While the film, released in 2020, had a mixed reception, Gong's performance was widely praised by critics.Vanity Fair's chief critic,Richard Lawson, wrote in his review: "It is a pleasure as ever to watch Gong do her thing, slinking and thrashing around in a fabulous black witch’s cloak."[58]
The Hollywood Reporter commented:
the Chinese superstar marks her return to the spotlight with a pair of high-profile films: Lou Ye's period drama and Disney's live-action 'Mulan' remake.[59]
In 2020, Gong was cast inPeter Chan's biographical filmLeap, where she plays the hard-driving, real-life head coach of the Chinese women’s national volleyball teamLang Ping.[60]Leap grossed more than $100 million at the worldwide box office, and while the film received mixed reviews from critics, Gong's performance in the film was highly recognized. The performance swept all the major Hong Kong film industry awards in 2021, including theHong Kong Film Critics Society Awards and theHKFDG Awards. She was also nominated for best actress at theHong Kong Film Awards for the fourth time. The Hong Kong Film Critics Society described her performance as having an "astonishing aura" and wrote that "She fights with conviction in the face of a conservative educational establishment, former teammates and a new generation of young athletes."[61]
In 2021, Gong was invited to be the jury president of the 11thBeijing International Film Festival, becoming the first female jury president in the festival‘s history.[62]
In 2022, Gong was invited to serve as the Art Chairman of the 12th Beijing Film Festival, responsible for the selected films, assisting in the invitation and recommendation of outstanding films and guests.[63]
Gong's personal and professional relationship with directorZhang Yimou has been highly publicized. Their relationship started in 1986 on the set ofRed Sorghum, when Zhang was married to his first wife Xiao Hua while Gong was in another relationship. Gong's then boyfriend, surnamed Yang, violently assaulted her after finding out her relationship with Zhang.[64] In 1988, Zhang divorced Xiao for Gong. In 1995, soon after shootingShanghai Triad, their 7th collaboration during their relationship, Zhang announced their break-up amidst rumors of Gong's affair with Ooi Hoe Seong, then managing director ofBritish American Tobacco in China.[65][66] According to Gong's mother, however, they split due to Zhang's reluctance to marry Gong after their 9-year relationship. After their break-up, Zhang invited Gong to star in his filmsHero andHouse of Flying Daggers, but she declined both.[67] They reunited in 2006 for the filmCurse of the Golden Flower and in 2014 forComing Home.[68]
In November 1996, Gong married Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Seong at Hong Kong'sChina Club.[69][70] The marriage was plagued by persistent rumors of discord. In early 2008, Gong applied for Singapore citizenship. When overseas professional obligations prevented her from showing up at her scheduled August citizenship ceremony, she was harshly criticized for not making it a priority. On Saturday, 8 November 2008, Gong, in an effort to make amends, attended a citizenship ceremony held at Teck Ghee Community Club and received her Singapore citizenship certificate from Member of ParliamentLee Bee Wah.[71] Gong was reportedly considering renouncing her Singaporean citizenship after China blacklisted celebrities with foreign passports; however, there is no evidence that she went through with the renunciation.[72] In 2009, Gong and Ooi quietly divorced, though they did not make the news public until three years later.[73]
In 2006, Gong began a relationship with a French photographer, whom she met on thePrague set ofHannibal Rising. The relationship lasted for over 8 years.[74][75]
In 2016, Gong started dating the French composer and musicianJean-Michel Jarre. They married in 2019.[76]
Gong was appointedFAO Goodwill Ambassador on World Food Day 2000. "To launch an appeal against hunger is not a waste of time.[84]
Gong has been invited by theUnited Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to be Global Environmental Ambassador, and to urge the public to give up bad habits that are harmful to the environment and to reduce the discharge of carbon dioxide in 2008.[85]
Gong Li's Portrait on display at "The Transformative Power of Art" Exhibition, atthe United Nations headquarters in 2016.[86]
^No byline (10 February 1997), "Gong Li & Ooi Hoe Seong".People.47 (5):112
^Louie, Elaine (29 October 1996), "Chronicle: Gong Li".New York Times.146 (50595):B16
^"Gong Li becomes a Singaporean".The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 10 November 2008.Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved3 April 2015 – via AsiaOne.
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