Born in Xi’an in 1950, Zhang was a cinematographer before he became one of the leading directors of China’s Fifth Generation. His early films with the actress Gong Li are rich in colour and in stories of women under pressure from tradition. He later made large-scale martial arts epics and directed the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Filmography
- Red Sorghum (1987)
- Ju Dou (1990)
- Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
- The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)
- To Live (1994)
- Not One Less (1999)
- The Road Home (1999)
- Hero (2002)
- House of Flying Daggers (2004)
- Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
- Coming Home (2014) (2014)
- Shadow (2018)