 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
Zhang Yimou | |
|---|---|
张艺谋 | |
_(cropped).jpg) Zhang in 2023 | |
| Born | (1950-11-14)14 November 1950 (age 75)[citation needed] |
| Alma mater | Beijing Film Academy |
| Occupations | Film director,producer,cinematographer andactor |
| Known for | One of the representative figures of China's "fifth generation directors" |
| Notable work | |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingZhang Mo |
| Awards | § Awards and nominations |
| Zhang Yimou | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg) Zhang's name in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 张艺谋 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張藝謀 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Zhang Yimou (simplified Chinese:张艺谋;traditional Chinese:張藝謀;pinyin:Zhāng Yìmóu; born 14 November 1950[not verified in body]) is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of China'sFifth Generation directors, he is considered as one of the most successful filmmakers in the world.
After graduating from theBeijing Film Academy, Zhang was assigned as a cinematographer at the Guangxi Film Studio in 1982. He made his acting debut inOld Well (1987), for which he won the Best Actor at theTokyo International Film Festival, and made hisdirectorial debut withRed Sorghum (1988), which won theGolden Bear at theBerlin International Film Festival.[1]
Zhang directed theopening andclosing ceremonies of the2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games as well as theopening andclosing ceremonies of the2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Since 2004, Zhang has collaborated with local governments across China to promote tourism through the “Impression” series of outdoor live stage productions, beginning with "Impression Liu Sanjie" inYangshuo.[2] Despite his frequent official affiliations, Zhang has, at various points in his career, fallen foul of Chinese censors.[3][4]
One of Zhang's early recurring themes is the resilience of ordinary people, as inTo Live (1994) andNot One Less (1999). Beginning withHero (2002), which marked the Chinese film industry’s transition into large-scale commercial productions, his work increasingly engaged with grand narratives on politics and history, as inCurse of the Golden Flower (2006),The Flowers Of War (2011) andUnder the Light (2023). His films are also noted for their rich use of colour, as inRaise the Red Lantern (1991) andHouse of Flying Daggers (2004), and for their portrayals of women that propelled "Mou Girls" to stardom, such asGong Li,Zhang Ziyi andNi Ni. His highest-budgeted film to date is the all-starThe Great Wall (2016), which also became his greatest bomb. His highest-grossing film to date isFull River Red (2023),[5] which became the seventhhighest-grossing film of all time in China.[6]
Zhang was awarded an honorary doctorate fromYale University in 2010[7] and fromBoston University in 2018.[8] In 2022, he joined theBeijing Film Academy as adistinguished professor.[9]
Zhang was born on 14 November 1950 inXi'an, the capital ofShaanxi province.[citation needed] Zhang's father, Zhang Bingjun (张秉钧), a dermatologist, had been an officer in theNational Revolutionary Army underChiang Kai-shek during theChinese Civil War; an uncle and an elder brother had followed the Nationalist forces toTaiwan after their 1949 defeat. Zhang's mother, Zhang Xiaoyou (张孝友), was a doctor at the 2nd Hospital affiliatedXi'an Jiao Tong University who graduated fromXi'an Medical University. He has two younger brothers, Zhang Weimou (张伟谋) and Zhang Qimou (张启谋).[10] As a result of his family's ties to the Nationalist movement, Zhang faced difficulties in his early life.[11][12]
During theCultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, Zhang left his school studies and went to work, first as a farm labourer for 3 years, and later at a cotton textile mill for 7 years in the city ofXianyang.[12][13] During this time he took up painting and amateur still photography, selling his own blood to buy his first camera.[14]
WhenGaokao was reinstated,[clarification needed] and theBeijing 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 requisite academic qualifications.[15][better source needed] 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 toHuang 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.[16] He graduated with the BFA class of 1982, which also includedChen Kaige,Tian Zhuangzhuang, andZhang Junzhao. The class went on to form the core of theFifth Generation, who were a part of an artistic reemergence in China after the end of the Cultural Revolution.[17][12][18]
After graduating from the Academy, Zhang and his fellow graduates were assigned to various state-run studios. Zhang was posted to the Guangxi Film Studio as a cinematographer and remained formally affiliated with the studio throughout his career, during which he was appointed honorary studio director, before retiring from its state employment system in 2011.[19]
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'sOne and Eight, on which Zhang Yimou worked as director of photography, and Chen Kaige'sYellow Earth, in 1984. Both films were screened to critical acclaim at the Hong Kong Film Festival, marking a departure from the propagandist cinema of the Cultural Revolution and helping draw international attention to Chinese cinema.[17][18]Yellow Earth is today widely considered the inaugural film of the Fifth Generation directors.[18][20][21]
In 1985, after moving back to his home town of Xi'an, Zhang was engaged as cinematographer and lead actor for directorWu Tianming's upcoming filmOld Well, which was subsequently released in 1987. The lead role won Zhang a Best Actor award at theTokyo International Film Festival.[18]
1988 saw the release of Zhang's directorial debut,Red Sorghum, starring Chinese actressGong 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 aGolden Bear for Best Picture at the38th Berlin International Film Festival in 1988.[22]
Codename Cougar (orThe Puma Action), a minor experiment in the political thriller genre, was released in 1989, featuringGong Li and eminent Chinese actorGe You. However, it garnered less-than-positive reviews at home and Zhang himself later dismissed the film as his worst.[23] In the same year, Zhang began work on his next project, the period dramaJu Dou. Starring Gong Li in the eponymous lead role, along withLi Baotian as the male lead,Ju Dou garnered as much critical acclaim as hadRed Sorghum and became China's first film to be nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Foreign Language Film.[24]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 the16th Moscow International Film Festival.[25]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
After the success ofJu Dou, Zhang began work onRaise the Red Lantern. Based onSu Tong's novelWives 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 criticRoger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times noted its "voluptuous physical beauty" and sumptuous use of colours.[26] 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 theBest Foreign Language Film category at the1992 Academy Awards, becoming the second Chinese film to earn this distinction (after Zhang'sJu Dou). It eventually lost out toGabriele Salvatores'sMediterraneo.
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 theGolden Lion award at the 1992Venice Film Festival.[27]
Next, Zhang directedTo Live, an epic film based on the novel byYu 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 the1994 Cannes Film Festival and won theGrand Jury Prize, as well as earning a Best Actor prize forGe You.[28][29]To Live was officially banned but still shown in theaters inChina.[30]
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 ofShanghai Triad.[31] Zhang and Gong would not work together again until 2006'sCurse of the Golden Flower.
1997 saw the release ofKeep Cool, ablack comedy film about life in modern China.Keep Cool marked only the second time Zhang had set a film in the modern era, afterThe Story of Qiu Ju. As inThe Story of Qiu Ju, Zhang returned to theneorealist habit of employing non-professional actors and location shooting forNot One Less in 1999[32][33][34] which won him his secondGolden Lion prize in Venice.[35] Shot immediately afterNot One Less, Zhang's 1999 filmThe Road Home featured a new leading lady in the form of the young actressZhang 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.
Happy Times, a relatively unknown film by Zhang, was based loosely on the short storyShifu: You'll Do Anything for a Laugh, byMo Yan. Starring popular Chinese actorZhao Benshan and actressDong Jie, it was an official selection for theBerlin International Film Festival in 2002.[36]
Zhang's next major project was the ambitiouswuxia dramaHero, released in China in 2002. With an impressive lineup of Asian stars, includingJet Li,Maggie Cheung,Tony Leung Chiu-Wai,Zhang Ziyi, andDonnie Yen,Hero told a fictional tale about Ying Zheng, the King of theState of Qin (later to become the firstEmperor of China), and his would-be assassins. The film was released in North America in 2004, two years after its Chinese release, by American distributorMiramax 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,[37] and was one of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at the2003 Academy Awards.
Zhang followed up the huge success ofHero with another martial arts epic,House of Flying Daggers, in 2004.[38] Set in theTang dynasty, it starredZhang Ziyi,Andy Lau, andTakeshi 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.[39]
Released inChina 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 starsJapanese actorKen 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 toChina. Zhang had been an admirer of Takakura for over thirty years.[40]
2006'sCurse of the Golden Flower saw him reunited with leading actressGong Li. Taiwanese singerJay Chou and Hong Kong starChow Yun-fat also starred in the period epic based on a play byCao Yu.[41]
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".[42] In 2008, he won aPeabody 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.[43] On 24 May 2010, Zhang was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree byYale University, and was described as "a genius with camera and choreography".[44]
Zhang's 2011The Flowers of War was his most expensive film to date, budgeting for $90.2 million,[45] until his 2016The Great Wall surpassed it with a budget of $150 million.[46] After the mixed reception and financial disappointment ofThe Great Wall, Zhang returned in 2018 with the critically acclaimedShadow,[47] which received 12 nominations at the 55th Golden Horse Awards and won four, including Best Director.[48]
Starting in the 1990s, Zhang Yimou has been directing stage productions in parallel with his film career. In 1998, he directed an acclaimed version ofPuccini's operaTurandot, firstly inFlorence and then laterTurandot at the Forbidden City,Beijing, withZubin Mehta conducting, the latter documented in the filmThe Turandot Project (2000).[49] He reprised his version ofTurandot in October 2009, at theBird's Nest Stadium inBeijing, and plans to tour with the production in Europe, Asia and Australia in 2010. In 2001, Zhang adapted his 1991 filmRaise the Red Lantern for the stage, directing aballet version.[50]
Zhang has co-directed a number of outdoor folk musicals under the titleImpression. These includeImpression, Liu Sanjie, which opened in August 2003 at the Li River, Guangxi province;[51]Impression Lijiang, in June 2006 at the foot ofJade Dragon Snow Mountain inLijiang, Yunnan province;Impression West Lake, in late 2007 at the West Lake inHangzhou, Zhejiang province;Impression Hainan in late 2009, set inHainan Island; andImpression Dahongpao set on Mount Wuyi, in Fujian province. All five performances were co-directed by Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue.
Zhang also led the production ofTan Dun's opera,The First Emperor, which had its world premiere at theMetropolitan Opera on 21 December 2006.[52]In 2017 he directed an innovative ballet titled "2047 Apologue", where the 12 minute solo finaleThe Weaving Machine was choreographed by Rose Alice Larkings and including hundreds of LED lamps. Onstage as Rose Alice danced the 12 minute solo was an elderly Chinese weaver at her loom, highlighting the old crafts and industries which remain so important in a world of new technology.
Zhang was chosen to direct the Beijing portion of the closing ceremonies of two Olympics: the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens,Greece, and2018 Winter Olympics inPyeongchang,South Korea. He directed theopening andclosing ceremonies of the2008 Summer Olympics inBeijing, China, alongside co-director and choreographerZhang Jigang.[53] He also directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the2022 Winter Olympics and2022 Winter Paralympics.[54]
Zhang was a runner-up for theTime Magazine Person of the Year award in 2008.Steven Spielberg, who withdrew as an adviser to the Olympic ceremonies to pressure China into helping with the conflict in Darfur, described Zhang's works in the Olympic ceremonies inTime magazine, saying "At the heart of Zhang's Olympic ceremonies was the idea that the conflict of man foretells the desire for inner peace. This theme is one he's explored and perfected in his films, whether they are about the lives of humble peasants or exalted royalty. This year he captured this prevalent theme of harmony and peace, which is the spirit of the Olympic Games. In one evening of visual and emotional splendor, he educated, enlightened, and entertained us all."[55]
In terms of style and personality, he leans towards a director's thinking of sensation and intuition. This kind of director's thinking focuses on visual perception, emphasizing elements such as composition, color, and lighting, and using a vivid and intuitive visual style to reflect or express the subject's emotions.[56]
Zhang Yimou is good at mastering simple colors, clear but not trivial or complicated. Using appropriate color combinations to express the ultimate beauty that one wants to give to the audience in their subjective thoughts.[56] Taking red as an example, in "Red Sorghum", red represents fresh blood, savage plateau, and initial desire.[57]
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.[58]
Reception of Zhang Yimou's films has been mixed. While some critics praise his striking aesthetics and ability to break into the Western art market, some Chinese-based critics have attacked Zhang for pandering to Western audiences and portraying China as weak, exotic, and vulnerable.[59]
Zhang Yimou's first wife is Xiao Hua. Xiao was born in Xi’an in 1951 to an intellectual family whose ancestral home was in Beijing. At the age of four, Xiao was sent to live with her grandmother in Beijing, where she grew up. In 1965, she returned to Xi’an to attend the middle school and became a classmate of Zhang. After graduation, Zhang invited Xiao to join him in theDown to the Countryside Movement to settle in rural Shaanxi. Xiao agreed and they were sent toQian County for 3 years, when they began a relationship. In 1971, Zhang and Xiao returned to Xi'an. Zhang became a worker at a cotton mill inXianyang, while Xiao was assigned to a factory inXingping County. Starting in 1972, China allowed workers, farmers, and soldiers to apply for university. Xiao tried but failed the entrance exams for two consecutive years. In 1975, she was recommended for admission toShanghai Jiao Tong University. Zhang, having been deprived of the opportunity for college education due to his “anti-revolutionary” family background, discouraged her from attending, saying, "You’ll grow close to your university classmates, find common ground with them, and eventually look down on me." As a result, Xiao declined the opportunity.[60][61]
In 1978, thenational college entrance exam was reinstated in China and Zhang applied to theBeijing Film Academy. The age limit for the Cinematography Department was 22, and 28-year-old Zhang was initially rejected. Through Xiao's brother-in-law, eventually, Zhang managed to get his photography portfolio toHuang Zhen, then China's Minister of Culture. Huang appreciated Zhang’s work and approved his admission. Before heading to Beijing for his studies, he and Xiao had a modest wedding. After graduating in 1982, Zhang was assigned to Guangxi Film Studio as a cinematographer, rarely returning home. On March 31, 1983, their daughter Zhang Mo was born while Zhang was filmingOne and Eight in Guangxi. In October 1987, while doing Zhang’s laundry, Xiao found a love letter fromGong Li in his pocket. A few days later, Xiao received a call from Gong's then boyfriend, who told her: “I’ve met with Zhang Yimou. He said that his relationship with you was a misunderstanding that arose from your time in the countryside.” In 1988, Zhang and Xiao divorced.[60][61]
Zhang's personal and professional relationship with his museGong Li has been highly publicized. Their relationship started in 1986 on the set ofRed Sorghum, when Zhang was married to Xiao while Gong was in a relationship with another man, who violently assaulted Gong after finding out her relationship with Zhang.[62] 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 then managing director ofBritish American Tobacco in China, Ooi Hoe Seong (whom she married a year later).[63][64] According to Gong's mother, however, they split due to Zhang's reluctance to marry Gong after their 9-year relationship.[65] According to Zhou Xiaofeng, Zhang Yimou’s script consultant, producer Zhang Weiping deliberately sabotaged the relationship between the director and actress by spreading lies and rumors, including claims of her affair with Ooi. This alleged strategy aimed to exploit Zhang Yimou while sidelining his more tactful and decisive partner, ultimately leading to a feud between Gong and the producer.[66] 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, during which Gong stipulated in her contract that she would not meet the producer Zhang Weiping.[68]
In 1999, 19-year-old Chen Ting met Zhang when she auditioned for his filmHappy Times. The two began a secret relationship, and their first son, Zhang Yinan, was born in 2001, followed by their second son, Zhang Yiding, in 2004, and their daughter, Zhang Yijiao, in 2006. The couple married in December 2011 inWuxi,Jiangsu, where Chen lives, in order to securehukou for their children.[69] Their secret marriage and children were first revealed on the evening of January 11, 2012, through an anonymous text message sent to Chinese journalists, which also included the residential address of Zhang’s mother-in-law.[70] On March 11, 2012, the rumor gained wider attention when actress He Jun—who had been a backup candidate for the cast ofThe Flowers of War but was dismissed after disclosing her involvement on Weibo in December 2010—made similar allegations on Weibo.[70] It was suggested that He is a niece of the assistant to Zhang Weiping, Zhang Yimou’s former business partner until their split in 2012, and that Weiping allegedly orchestrated He’s revelation—a claim He denied. Further online allegations claimed that Zhang had fathered seven children with four different women. Zhang was subsequently investigated by the authorities for violating China'sone-child policy.[71] On 29 November 2013, under the public pressure, Zhang 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. The statement also suggested that certain individuals had used illegal means to expose Zhang's privacy.[72][73][74] On January 9, 2014, the Wuxi Family Planning Bureau fined the couple 7,487,854 RMB (roughly US$1.2 million) for violating China'sone-child policy. On May 31, 2021, as China promulgated athree-child policy, Chen posted a poster titled “The Three-Child Policy Is Here” on Weibo, with the caption “Mission accomplished ahead of time.” Zhang Yimou’s studio reposted her Weibo.[75]
Zhang Weiping (no relation) first met Zhang Yimou in 1989 while working in pharmaceutical procurement at a hospital in Beijing. At the time, Zhang Weiping’s elder brother worked in customs, and Zhang Weiping himself later worked for the German companySiemens as a customs broker. This position facilitated the development of a close friendship with Zhang Yimou, as the latter’s film reels frequently required customs clearance for overseas processing. In the 1990s, Zhang Weiping transitioned into business. In 1996, when Zhang Yimou’s filmKeep Cool faced a funding crisis followingGong 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.Keep Cool went on to gross 46 million yuan, becoming China’s highest-grossing domestic film of the year. Despite incurring a personal loss of nearly 10 million yuan due to weak overseas copyright sales, Zhang Weiping’s confidence in the potential of the Chinese film industry was bolstered by the film’s domestic box office success. From that point onward, Zhang Weiping became Zhang Yimou’s investor, producer, and business partner for 16 years. In 1997, they co-founded New Pictures and collaborated on 11 films. 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 ofThe Flowers of War.[76]
After the split, according toFate: Zhang Yimou the Lonely, a 2015 biography written by Zhou Xiaofeng, Zhang Yimou’s script consultant since 2006, Zhang Weiping orchestrated the revelation of Zhang Yimou’s secret remarriage and children, which violated China’s one-child policy.[68] 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 fromA 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. She also 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. In 2019, the court awarded Zhang Yimou only 2.46 million yuan from his original claim of 15 million yuan. Zhang Weiping refused to comply, resulting in his placement on the list ofjudgment defaulters. The same year, New Pictures was shut down. 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. In 2021, Zhang Yimou filed the third lawsuit against Zhang Weiping, citing “shareholder liability for harming the interests of company creditors.”[77]
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Red Sorghum | 红高粱 | |
| 1989 | Codename Cougar | 代号美洲豹 | Co-director withYang Fengliang |
| 1990 | Ju Dou | 菊豆 | |
| 1991 | Raise the Red Lantern | 大红灯笼高高挂 | |
| 1992 | The Story of Qiu Ju | 秋菊打官司 | |
| 1994 | To Live | 活着 | |
| 1995 | Shanghai Triad | 摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥 | |
| 1995 | Zhang Yimou | N/a | Segment ofLumière and Company |
| 1997 | Keep Cool | 有话好好说 | |
| 1999 | Not One Less | 一个都不能少 | |
| The Road Home | 我的父亲母亲 | ||
| 2000 | Happy Times | 幸福时光 | |
| 2002 | Hero | 英雄 | Also co-screenplayer writer, story credits and producer |
| 2004 | House of Flying Daggers | 十面埋伏 | |
| 2005 | Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles | 千里走单骑 | |
| 2006 | Curse of the Golden Flower | 满城尽带黄金甲 | |
| 2007 | Movie Night | N/a | Segment ofTo Each His Cinema |
| 2009 | A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop | 三枪拍案惊奇 | |
| 2010 | Under the Hawthorn Tree | 山楂树之恋 | |
| 2011 | The Flowers of War | 金陵十三钗 | |
| 2014 | Coming Home | 归来 | |
| 2016 | The Great Wall | 长城 | [78][79] |
| 2018 | Shadow | 影 | [80] |
| 2020 | One Second | 一秒钟 | |
| 2021 | Cliff Walkers | 悬崖之上 | |
| 2022 | Sniper | 狙击手 | Co-director withZhang Mo |
| 2023 | Full River Red | 满江红 | |
| Under the Light | 坚如磐石 | ||
| 2024 | Article 20 | 第二十条 |
| Year | English title | Chinese title |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Red Elephant | 红象 |
| 1983 | One and Eight | 一个和八个 |
| 1984 | Yellow Earth | 黄土地 |
| 1986 | Old Well | 老井 |
| The Big Parade | 大阅兵 |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Old Well | 老井 | Sun Wangquan | WonGolden Rooster Award for Best Actor |
| 1987 | Red Sorghum | 红高粱 | ||
| 1989 | Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior | 古今大战秦俑情 | Tian Fong | |
| 1997 | Keep Cool | 有话好好说 | Junk Peddler | |
| 2001 | The Grand Mansion Gate | 大宅门 | Li Lianying | |
| 2021 | My Country, My Parents | 我和我的父辈 | Television president | Cameo inAD MAN (Segment 3) |
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: prose paragraphs which, per usual, summarise for readers the most noteworthy of ZY's awards and recognition. You can help byadding missing information.(December 2025) |
Among other ways in which Zhang Yimou's achievements have been recognized, are two honorary doctorates fronm Western universities, one fromBoston University in 2008,[81] and another fromYale University in 2010.[82]
A genius with camera and choreography... From film to opera to live performance, your artistry amazes and entertains... We are delighted to bestow on you this degree of Doctor of Fine Arts.
| Beijing Film Academy: Class of 1982 |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Associated figures |
| |
| Major works |
| |
Awards for Zhang Yimou | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
