Zhang Yimou: 40 Years in the Industry

The clueless me only became aware of esteemed filmmaker Zhang Yimou‘s after I saw House of Flying Daggers 十面埋伏 back in the early 2000s. I felt he did a fantastic job of directing it and that he was able to continue what he started with Hero to open a bigger door for succeeding Chinese movies to go mainstream in Hollywood. House of Flying Daggers was the third highest grossing foreign-language film in North America that year, Hero was the top grossing foreign film.

Zhang Yimou Birthday 2018 40 year anniversary

Zhang Yimou has been directing movies since 1978 and has worked with numerous actors and actresses that almost everybody who’s anybody posted a birthday greeting. Deng Chao, Hu Jun, Shawn Dou Xiao, Wu Lei and Guan Xiao Tong were some of the celebrities who even shared photos taken with him. It’s cute that Guan Xiao Tong’s picture was literally from when she was still a child.

Many celebrities also participated in a birthday video for Zhang Yimou’s 68th birthday yesterday, April 2! It’s definitely heartwarming to watch.