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IMDbPro

Yimou Zhang

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Yimou Zhang
A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's raid of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.
Play trailer2:33
Jin Ling Shi San Chai (2011)
4 Videos
32 Photos
Yimou Zhang was born on 14 November 1951 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. He is a director and writer, known for Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). He has been married to Ting Chen since December 2011. They have three children. He was previously married to Hua Xiao and Hua Xie.
BornNovember 14, 1951
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornNovember 14, 1951
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Won 2 BAFTA Awards
    • 170 wins & 151 nominations total

Photos32

Gong Li and Yimou Zhang in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
Chow Yun-Fat, Yimou Zhang, Ye Liu, Jay Chou, and Junjie Qin in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
Yujing Liang and Yimou Zhang in Lao jing (1987)
Yujing Liang and Yimou Zhang in Lao jing (1987)
Yujing Liang and Yimou Zhang in Lao jing (1987)
Yimou Zhang in Coming Home (2014)
Christian Bale and Yimou Zhang in Jin Ling Shi San Chai (2011)
Yimou Zhang in San qiang pai an jing qi (2009)
Yimou Zhang in San qiang pai an jing qi (2009)
Yimou Zhang in San qiang pai an jing qi (2009)
Yimou Zhang in To Live (1994)
Yimou Zhang

Known for:

Hero (2002)
Hero
7.9
  • Director
  • 2002
Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, and Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
House of Flying Daggers
7.5
  • Director
  • 2004
Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
Curse of the Golden Flower
7.0
  • Director
  • 2006
Gong Li in Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
Raise the Red Lantern
8.1
  • Director
  • 1991

Credits

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IMDbPro

Director

  • Jian Ru Pan Shi
    • Director
    • Completed
  • Xuan ya zhi shang 2
    • Director
    • Pre-production
  • Zheng Dang Fang Wei
    • Director
    • In Production
  • Full River Red (2023)
    Full River Red
    • Director
    • 2023
  • Snipers (2022)
    Snipers
    • Director
    • 2022
  • Cliff Walkers (2021)
    Cliff Walkers
    • Director
    • 2021
  • Haocun Liu, Wei Fan, and Yi Zhang in One Second (2020)
    One Second
    • Director
    • 2020
  • Jun Hu and Chao Deng in Shadow (2018)
    Shadow
    • Director
    • 2018
  • Matt Damon in The Great Wall (2016)
    The Great Wall
    • Director
    • 2016
  • Leon Lai, Bingbing Fan, and Chun Wu in Wang chao de nu ren: Yang Gui Fei (2015)
    Wang chao de nu ren: Yang Gui Fei
    • co-director
    • 2015
  • Stories Through 180 Lenses (2014)
    Stories Through 180 Lenses
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2014
  • Coming Home (2014)
    Coming Home
    • Director
    • 2014
  • Zhongguo tielu
    • Director (credit only)
    • TV Short
    • 2011
  • Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Jia Sun, Bai Xue, Xiting Han, Xinyi Zhang, and Yuemin Li in Jin Ling Shi San Chai (2011)
    Jin Ling Shi San Chai
    • Director
    • 2011
  • Shawn Dou and Dongyu Zhou in Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010)
    Under the Hawthorn Tree
    • Director
    • 2010
  • Ni Yan in San qiang pai an jing qi (2009)
    San qiang pai an jing qi
    • Director
    • 2009
  • To Each His Own Cinema (2007)
    To Each His Own Cinema
    • Director (segment En Regardant le Film)
    • 2007
  • Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
    Curse of the Golden Flower
    • Director
    • 2006

Writer

  • Full River Red (2023)
    Full River Red
    • Writer
    • 2023
  • Snipers (2022)
    Snipers
    • written by
    • 2022
  • Cliff Walkers (2021)
    Cliff Walkers
    • written by
    • 2021
  • Haocun Liu, Wei Fan, and Yi Zhang in One Second (2020)
    One Second
    • Writer
    • 2020
  • Jun Hu and Chao Deng in Shadow (2018)
    Shadow
    • screenplay by (as Zhang Yimou)
    • 2018
  • The Bright Red Lanterns Hung High (2008)
    The Bright Red Lanterns Hung High
    • libretto
    • Video
    • 2008
  • To Each His Own Cinema (2007)
    To Each His Own Cinema
    • Writer (segment En Regardent le Film)
    • 2007
  • Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
    Curse of the Golden Flower
    • Writer
    • 2006
  • Ken Takakura in Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005)
    Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
    • story
    • 2005
  • Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, and Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    House of Flying Daggers
    • Writer
    • 2004
  • Hero (2002)
    Hero
    • screenplay
    • 2002
  • Gong Li in Hua hun (1994)
    Hua hun
    • Writer
    • 1994

Producer

  • The First Shot
    • executive producer
    • In Production
    • TV Series
  • Wo he wo de jia xiang (2020)
    Wo he wo de jia xiang
    • general Executive Producer
    • 2020
  • Ri guang zhi xia (2019)
    Ri guang zhi xia
    • producer
    • 2019
  • 28 Suì Wèi Chéngnián (2015)
    28 Suì Wèi Chéngnián
    • producer
    • 2015
  • Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
    Curse of the Golden Flower
    • producer
    • 2006
  • Ken Takakura in Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005)
    Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
    • producer
    • 2005
  • Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, and Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    House of Flying Daggers
    • producer
    • 2004
  • Hero (2002)
    Hero
    • producer
    • 2002
  • Long cheng zheng yue (1997)
    Long cheng zheng yue
    • producer
    • 1997
  • Gong Li, Rosamund Kwan, and Ray Lui in Xi chu bawang (1994)
    Xi chu bawang
    • producer
    • 1994
  • Gong Li in Hua hun (1994)
    Hua hun
    • executive producer
    • 1994
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos4

Streaming Passport to China
Clip 4:35
Streaming Passport to China
U.S. Version
Trailer 2:33
U.S. Version
A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop
Trailer 1:55
A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop
Hero
Trailer 1:45
Hero

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Zhang Yimou
  • Born
    • November 14, 1951
    • Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
  • Spouses
      Ting ChenDecember 2011 - present (3 children)
  • Children
    • Mo Zhang
  • Other works
    Agricultural worker. (1971-1978) Worked in a textile plant in Shaanxi.
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Interviews
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was fined $1.2 million for having 3 kids, which violated China's family-planning laws at the time. Two years later, the family planning law was repealed and people are no longer fined.
  • Quotes
    For thousands of years, there's been a tradition of teaching us in China to think in terms of the collective experience, so we are rarely able to act in accordance with personal desires or emotions. Now young people, especially under Western influences, have become much more interested in themselves and their own values.
  • Trademarks
      Often works with the actress Li Gong
  • Nickname
    • Lao MouZi, loosely meaning "old schemer/strategist"

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