Zhang Yimou, a prominent Chinese director, was born on November 14, 1950 in Xi’an. His parents came from different social backgrounds: his father was an officer in the National Revolutionary Army and his mother was a doctor. During the Cultural Revolution, Zhang Yimou was forced to leave school and start working on a farm and in a factory.
In 1978, he entered the Beijing Film Academy, where he received a degree in cinematography. Zhang Yimou received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982. In 1988, he made his directorial debut with the film Red Sorghum, for which he won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Zhang Yimou’s major works include Zhu Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, The Story of Qiu Zhu, Viu, Shanghai Triad, Not One Less, Shadow, House of Flying Daggers, and The Great Wall.
Zhang Yimou received honorary doctorates from Yale University in 2010 and Boston University in 2018. In 2022, he became an honorary professor at the Beijing Film Academy.
Zhang Yimou is known not only as a director, but also as a stage director of theatrical productions, including operas and ballets. In 2017, he staged the groundbreaking ballet 2047 Apology.