2008 China’s cultural figures

Chen Kaige

Chen Kaige

Showing the life of Mei Lan Fang, the great man in the history of Peking Opera, the film “Forever Enthralled” (Mei Lanfang) has brought its director Chen Kaige into the spotlight again and won high praise and box-office earnings, as he published the new book named “Mei Fei Se Wu” to tell his experiences and stories behind the curtain about the New Year’s film.

With the success of the film “Farewell My Concubine”, which won a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival (1993), as well as Best Foreign Language Film from the Golden Globes (1994) and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (1993), Chen Kaige reached the peak of his film career. However, over a decade later, “The Promise” pushed him into the whirl of criticism, as he has born a great deal pressure after the movie had been embarrassingly parodied on the internet.

We fellows who enrolled Beijing Film Academy in 1978 have a fortune to witness the reform and open-up from the beginning. This year, I directed the film “Forever Enthralled” in order to express one message that we all live in a great time; otherwise one’s genius could hard be explored. It’s always an extremely serious question to how to pursue my own career in the changing circumstances. I used to have little time to write books. The book “Mei Fei Se Wu” was written out of my heart. I believe a writer or a director needs the ability to put up with loneliness. At the moment of experiencing glory and hardships, I would like to make mutual encouragement with you all, as the Spring Festival is approaching. I hope we can keep on producing more marvelous movies and exploring in the cultural sense what spirit our Chinese people rely on.

Profile

Chen Kaige, a Chinese-born American director, was born in Beijing on Oct. 12th, 1952, whose ancestry originates from the city of Changle, Fujian in southeast China. Topping the fifth generation of directors in mainland China, Chen is the sole Chinese director who has ever won a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, he was conferred for outstanding achievement at the 47th Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece.

Chen’s parents were both famous personas in Chinese cinema and his father is renowned director Chen Huaikai. Chen served in the army from 1970 to 1974. In 1976, he went for a job in Beijing Movie Developing& Printing Plant. Two years later, he was admitted as Director at the Department of Beijing Movie Academy. After finishing his college life, Chen served in Beijing Film Studio as a director on “Yellow Earth”, in 1984. This generated a huge influence on Chinese cinema with its diction and made contributions to the fifth generation of Chinese directors in terms of global cinema.

Chen’s main works include “The Big Parade”, “King of the Children”, “Life on a String”, “Farewell My Concubine”, “Temptress Moon”, “The Emperor and The Assassin” and “Together”.

Zhang Jigang

Zhang Jigang

2008 witnessed a full range of Zhang's achievements.

On August 8, as Vice Chief Director, Zhang Jigang gave the order to begin the countdown to commence the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics from the chief podium.

On September 6, at the same location, but this time as the Chief Director, he gave the command to begin the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics.

The dance performance, "Burning Dance Moves," of which Zhang was the Art Director, made its splendid debut in early December.

At the end of December, the large-scale Peking Opera, "Red Cliff," under his direction, had been shown for 10 days in a row at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

From the "Thousand-hand Guan Yin" to the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, from dances to Peking Opera, the respect and pursuit of human nature's beauty reflected in Zhang’s works have touched many people.

What he said In 2008 when the world gave the floor to China for 41 days, we demonstrated our sincerity, objectiveness and beauty and showed a traditional and new, noble and plain nation to the world, as the world perceives the peaceful shake of China with the praise for its love for humanity.

The opening and closing ceremonies of two Olympic Games are not enough to rebuild symbols of Chinese culture. Our profound and colorful culture need generations of people to inherit.

I would like to devote myself to cultural development with others and make my contributions to the rise of Chinese people.

Profile

Zhang Jigang, director of the Song and Dance Ensemble affiliated with the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Over the past 30 years, he has created 300 works including dance performances, operas, musicals and acrobatics. His productions have been staged in 30 countries and regions, and he was a winner at the international Golden Clown awards and many other international awards. In 1994, Zhang directed the opening ceremony of Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled in Beijing and began his career on performing arts for people with disabilities.

In 2000 and in a joint effort with first-class musicians, dance choreographers and stage designers, Zhang Jigang made a performance called "My Dream" for the China Disabled Peoples' Performing Arts Troupe. The most widely received piece was the "Thousand-handed Goddess of Mercy," or Qianshou Guanyin in Chinese, an award-winning dance performed at the 2005 Spring Festival Eve gala show.