Zhang Ziyi ([ʈʂáŋ tsɹ̩̀.ǐ]; Chinese: 章子怡; born 9 February 1979), sometimes credited Ziyi Zhang,[1] is a Chinese actress, model, and former dancer. Known for playing independent and strong-willed characters,[2] she is the recipient of various accolades. Born and raised in Beijing, Zhang was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama in 1996. That year, she made her acting debut in the television film Touching Starlight (1996). After her breakout role in Zhang Yimou's The Road Home (1999), which won her the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Hundred Flowers Awards, she gained international recognition for her performance in the wuxia martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).
Zhang Ziyi was born in Beijing to Zhang Yuanxiao, an accountant and later economist, and Li Zhousheng, a kindergarten teacher.[8][9] She has an older brother, Zhang Zinan, who was her manager. Zhang began her nine-year study of folk dance when she was 8; at 11, she joined the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy at her parents' suggestion.[10] While at this boarding school, she noticed how mean the other girls were to each other while competing for status amongst the teachers. Zhang disliked the attitudes of her peers and teachers so much that, on one occasion, she ran away from the school.[9] In 1994, she won the performance award in the National Taoli Cup Dance Competition. She also appeared in a handful of TV commercials.[11] In 1996, Zhang entered the Central Academy of Drama, majoring in acting.[12][13]
Career
1996–2000: Early career
In her freshman year, Zhang made her acting debut in the television film Touching Starlight.[14] In 1998, Zhang was offered her first major role by director Zhang Yimou in his film The Road Home, which would win the Silver Bear prize at the 2000 Berlin International Film Festival.[15] Zhang plays a country girl in love with the town's young teacher. She won the Best Actress Award at the 2000 Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance.[16]
2000–06: Wuxia epics and international breakthrough
Zhang then appeared in her first American film, Rush Hour 2 (2001) opposite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. On playing her first villain role, Zhang expressed that "the opportunity to sort of try and analyze the psyche of the character and get to know and pull out emotions I’ve never had to utilize before...was very exciting."[23]
Zhang in 2011 at the amfAR 25th Anniversary Gala Celebration
Zhang went back to the wuxia martial arts genre in House of Flying Daggers (2004), again by Zhang Yimou, where she starred along Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau. She plays the blind dancing girl Mei, who despite the lack of eyesight, is a skilled fighter.[29] In preparation for the part, Zhang spent two months living with an actual blind girl.[30] Her performance earned her a Best Actress nomination at the BAFTA Awards.[31] She also featured on the House of Flying Daggers soundtrack with her own musical rendition of the ancient Chinese poem Jia Rén Qu (佳人曲, The Beauty Song).[32]
Zhang next starred in Wong Kar-wai's romantic drama film 2046 (2004), which featured many top Chinese actors and actresses.[33] Critics praise Zhang for her "expressive" body language that was combined with her "reserved and complex emotions" in performance as a struggling prostitute.[34] Zhang won Best Actress awards at the Hong Kong Film Critics' Award and Hong Kong Film Academy Award.[35][34]
Zhang returned to China in 2006 for the Chinese wuxia film The Banquet, directed by Feng Xiaogang. The film is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.[45][46]
2007–12: Hollywood and China
In 2007, Zhang performed the voice of Karai in the American animated film TMNT (2007).[47] In the same year, Zhang starred alongside Liu Ye and Ge You in the first-ever opening short for the Chinese academy awards (Golden Rooster Awards) where director Dayyan Eng got top stars to spoof the action-movie genre in a humorous send-up on national TV in China.[48]
Her next American film was The Horsemen (2009), where she starred opposite Dennis Quaid.[51][52] Back in China, she played the titular character in romantic comedy Sophie's Revenge (2009); a comic book artist seeking to punish her unfaithful boyfriend.[53] She then starred alongside Aaron Kwok in the AIDS-themed film Love for Life (2011).[54]
In 2012, Zhang starred next to Cecilia Cheung and Jang Dong-gun in the Chinese-Korean co-production Dangerous Liaisons, an adaptation of the French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, narrating Shanghai of the 1930s.[55] Zhang was reportedly paid 20 million RMB (approximately $3.5 million) for the role.[56] The same year, she was cast in the coming-of-age film Forever Young directed and written by Li Fangfang. The film premiered in January 2018.[57]
Zhang and Tony Leung at the premiere of The Grandmaster at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival
Zhang reunited with Wong Kar-wai and Tony Leung for The Grandmaster (2013), which also marks her return to the martial arts genre after 7 years since The Banquet (2006).[59] The film was China's submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign-Language Picture. Critics praise Zhang's portrayal of Gong'Er as the "best performance she's ever delivered in the history of her career."[60] which led to her winning several "Best Actress" trophies across Asia.[61] The same year, she reprised her role as Sophie in My Lucky Star, a sequel to Sophie's Revenge.[62] Described as Zhang's "breakthrough comedy role", the film topped Chinese box office on the week of its release.[63]
In 2014, Zhang starred in John Woo's romantic epic The Crossing, based on the true story of the Taiping steamer collision and follows six characters and their intertwining love stories in Taiwan and Shanghai during the 1930s. Zhang plays a poor illiterate woman waiting for her soldier lover in 1930's Shanghai.[64]
In 2018, Zhang was cast in her first television series, Rebel Princess.[70]
In 2019, Zhang starred in the adventure drama film The Climbers.[71]
In 2021, Zhang made her directorial debut with a short titled "Shi" (Poem), one of the four stand-alone short tales of the film My Country, My Parents.[72] She won the best new director award at the 2022 Media Honors for the film.[73]
In December 2009, an Omega ad featuring Zhang near her home at the Park Hyatt residence in Beijing was splashed with black ink. In January 2010, Zhao Xinyu, a socialite and daughter-in-law of Ye Jianying, contacted the tabloid magazine Total Entertainment and claimed the ink-splashing had stemmed from Zhang's affair with real estate tycoon Yu Guoxiang. According to Zhao, she introduced Zhang, then engaged to Aviv "Vivi" Nevo, to Yu, who later started an affair with the actress and gave her 200 million yuan ($25 million) in jewels and artworks as gifts. When Yu's wife discovered the extramarital affair, Zhang believed that Zhao tipped her off. Zhao claimed the ink-splashing was orchestrated by her friend, unbeknownst to her, after the friend witnessed Zhang's elder brother, Zinan, threatening her over the phone. Zhao also claimed that Zhang had split up with Vivi due to disputes over the prenuptial agreement.[89][90][91]
Zhang sued Total Entertainment for defamation the day after the magazine report and Vivi issued a statement supporting Zhang.[92] In July, the owner of the magazine settled the case with Zhang and issued an apology. In August, the magazine was shut down.[93]
Donation Gate
In mid-January 2010, an online post reported that Zhang failed to honor her pledge to donate one million yuan ($146,000) to relief charities in the aftermath of the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake, as she donated 840,000 yuan, or 160,000 yuan less than promised. Netizens also noted that the funds she raised in Cannes for the earthquake were unaccounted for, leading to allegations of donation fraud. Zhang denied the accusations of charity fraud, but admitted to inexperience when she organized the donation drive. Her agent, Ji Lingling, claimed responsibility for the mistake and donated another 160,000 yuan to earthquake victims, bringing Zhang's total contribution up to one million yuan.[94][95]
Seduction Gate
In February 2010, Chow Yun-fat said at an event in Taipei that he was "seduced" during the filming of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, leading to media speculation that he was referring to Zhang, one of the three actresses Chow acted opposite in the film. Her agent, Ji Lingling, dismissed the speculation as "ridiculous".[96]
The series of three scandals above, each named in Chinese after Watergate, was collectively known as Zhang's "Triple Gates", marking the nadir of her reputation and career.[97]
Defamation cases
In 2012, an American website Boxun falsely reported that Zhang was paid $100 million to sleep with top Chinese officials. Zhang sued Boxun in a US court for defamation. In December 2013, Boxun settled the case after agreeing to pay an undisclosed amount to Zhang and issue a front-page apology.[98] Zhang also sued Next Media in Hong Kong and Taiwan over the similar reports by the group's two titles, Apple Daily and Next Magazine, both citing Boxun. She won the case in Hong Kong[98] but lost in Taiwan.[99]
Personal life
In the July 2006 issue of Interview magazine, Zhang spoke of her movies' contents and being careful about the roles she took on, especially in Hollywood:
After Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I got a lot of offers, but I turned them down because they were all victim roles—poor girls sold to America to be a wife or whatever. I know I have the ability to go deeper, to take on more original roles than that. That's why I really appreciated Geisha, because it allowed us to show the world what kind of actors we are and what kind of characters we can play—not just action, kick-ass parts.[100]
From 2004 to 2006, Zhang was in a relationship with Eric Fok Kai Shan, an heir of the Fok family in Hong Kong. Following this, Zhang entered into a relationship with Israeli American venture capitalist Aviv "Vivi" Nevo in 2007, which led to an engagement; however, the couple parted ways in 2010. From late 2011 to 2013, Zhang was in a relationship with Chinese host Sa Beining.[104]
In May 2015, Zhang married Chinese rock musician Wang Feng.[105] They have two children: a daughter (born December 2015)[106] and a son (born January 2020), both born in the United States.[107][108] On 23 October 2023, Zhang and Wang announced their divorce on Weibo.[109]
In 2010, the list started to include Chinese celebrities born in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries. Prior to that it only included celebrities born in mainland China.
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