This article is from WeChat official account:Mang Shi Char Siew (ID: wschashao), author: mediocre, head of FIG. source:” return “
In 1992, before the shooting of “Alive”, Zhang Yimou took Gong Li to climb the Great Wall.
After returning, he began to plan the movie “Wu Zetian”, which was carried out simultaneously with “To Live”, and planned to invest 100 million yuan, which was a sky-high price at the time.
Zhang Yimou asked Zhao Mei, Su Tong, Bei Cun and others to write the script at the same time. Zhao Mei said: “Wu Zetian in the script is almost tailor-made for Gong Li. The story is written until the year when Wu Zetian was 67 years old.”
The script was changed and then changed, and before the filming was completed, Zhang Yimou and Gong Li had separated.
In 2006, Gong Li, who had gained a foothold in Hollywood with “Memoirs of a Geisha”, suddenly returned to China to make a movie-“A City Full of Golden Armor”. At that time, she had broken up with Zhang Yimou for 11 years.
At the media meeting, the reporter asked Zhang Yimou why Gong Li was asked to act as the queen. He said: “This is a film prepared for Gong Li for ten years.”
“A long time ago, I vowed on the Great Wall that I would let her act as the queen once in my life.”
As soon as the voice fell, Gong Li’s eyes were wet.
one
Gong Li’s father, Gong Lize, was originally a professor in the Economics Department of Liaoning University, but was later transferred to the Shandong Institute of Finance and Economics to teach. His mother, Zhao Ying, is an accountant.
In 1985, Gong Li was preparing to apply for the drama major. Zhao Ying said to her: “You are more suitable for singing, and you may not have a high nose for acting in movies.”
Gong Li does not believe in evil: “Maybe I can pass the exam too.”
At that time, she applied for art academies and failed four times in two years. Her parents persuaded her to consider another way out. Gong Li said: “If I can’t pass the exam in this life, I will do nothing.”
A friend told Gong Li that if you want to enter an art school, you have to ask a professional teacher for guidance. Gong Li found Yin Dawei, the director of the Jinan Military Region’s Qianwei Song and Dance Ensemble. When she met, she grinned and revealed two tiger teeth. Yin Dawei said, “You are very similar to Yamaguchi Baihui.” Gong Li is also not modest: “Everyone says so.” /p>
< Gong Li and Yin Dawei>
As soon as she took her seat, Gong Li talked about her experience of failing the exam. Yin Dawei felt that she was different from the previous failing students, and her tone was relaxed as if she was telling another person’s story.
Yin Dawei asked as usual: “Why do you want to be an actor?”
Gong Li’s answer is very fresh: “Everyone says I look like Baihui Yamaguchi, I am me, I am Gong Li, I want others to say, ‘I look like Gong Li’.”
In the first class, Gong Li pinched her waist with both hands, her legs crossed, and one leg was still shaking. Yin Dawei saw her slap her with a riding whip.
Gong Li turned around and yelled: “What are you doing?” Yin Dawei said, “Sit, you have to sit and stand, you have to stand; you can’t be an actor if you have appearance without appearance. Today is the first lesson. You can go now. If you can stand my teaching method, it will be 8:30 tomorrow. I can’t stand it. Say goodbye now.”
Gong Li didn’t speak, and glared at Yin Dawei and got up and left. The next morning, she appeared in class on time.
More than a month later, Gong Li took the exam at the Central Academy of Drama. After the exam, she was left behind by the examiner.
At that time, Gong Li’s national college entrance examination scores differed by 11 points from the college admission standards. The admissions team Zheng Jiaji reported to the Ministry of Culture and requested special approval for the admission of Gong Li. Quickly received approval and approval, Gong Li stepped into the middle of the show without any riskdoor.
Many years later, Zhang Yimou and Yin Dawei met for the first time and bowed first to thank him for cultivating a talent for Chinese film.
two
In 1986, Zhang Yimou was about to start filming his directorial debut, and he fell in love with Mo Yan’s novel “Red Sorghum”.
Associate director Yang Fengliang brought a group of people to the Central Academy of Drama to look for the heroine, and basically set Gong Li’s classmate Shi Ke. At that time, many people recommended Gong Li, but she was filming the TV series “Stories in Summer Vacation” in Guangzhou.
Yang Fengliang called Zhang Yimou to come to make a decision. Zhang Yimou looked at the class photo and felt that Gong Li’s “head is like a grain of rice” and didn’t plan to wait for her.
The day before the crew left, Gong Li happened to be back. When the two parties met, Zhang Yimou felt that Gong Li’s eyebrows were clear and beautiful, and he was completely out of line with Jiu’er, who is sexy and has big breasts and fat buttocks in the novel.
When he was communicating with Gong Li, Gu Changwei was in charge of the video recording. When everyone came back to see, all the photos were emptied. There were only four or five seconds of real scenes. A group of people stared at the screen for a few seconds and discussed, and finally felt that it was Gong Li. Smell.
< Movie "Red Sorghum" >
The entire crew of “Red Sorghum” is almost a newcomer. Zhang Yimou organizes everyone to “talk about the show” every day. Whoever makes a wonderful talk will do it according to whoever’s idea. A group of people will talk until three or four in the morning and take a break to continue filming.
In the hot dog days, Zhang Yimou wandered around the ground every day, carrying water, digging ditches, and working hard with everyone, while Gong Li wore a big cotton-padded jacket to practice carrying water, riding a donkey, and sitting in a sedan chair. skin.
After the last shot of the film, Zhang Yimou buried his worn sneakers in the soil, vowing that if the film does not come out, he will never take the film road in his life..
That year, Gong Li was just in her sophomore year and was acting in a movie for the first time. She feels very lucky: “The film crew has a high level of education, artistic accomplishment, and artistic pursuit. Especially Zhang Yimou, the director style is really free and easy, and he is really generous. I think he is very clever and has a lot of tricks. He always has a way for others who can’t think of it.”
After that, “Red Sorghum” was screened at Peking University. The influx of students squeezed two-thirds of the glass windows in the screening auditorium. The film won the Golden Rooster Award, the Hundred Flower Award, and the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival by unanimous votes.
In the spring of 1988, Mo Yan was walking on the road and heard many people sing the movie’s theme song “Sister, You Go Boldly”.
In the play, the love between “My Grandma” Jiuer and “My Grandpa” Yu Zhanao shocked the world; outside the play, Zhang Yimou’s relationship with Gong Li also caused storms.
The love affair between Gong Li and Zhang Yimou was exposed. On the day “Red Sorghum” was screened in the Chinese opera, Gong Li’s ex-boyfriend Xiao Yang smashed a big hole in her bedroom door.
Zhang Yimou’s wife, Xiao Hua, also knew about the two of them. She found a letter written by Gong Li in Zhang Yimou’s pocket when she was washing clothes: “Xiao Yang hit me at school. After the trouble, the campus is now talking about this. I heard that the department wanted to talk to me. I was ready. When they came to me, I would tell them clearly. I think that as long as the matter is clear, no one would dare to touch me. .”
Xiao Hua took the letter to Zhang Yimou, and the two argued a few words. Zhang Yimou went out and returned home with a frustrated expression, smoking a cigarette and muttering to herself: “In China, this kind of thing can ruin a person. She said that her boyfriend threatened to come to Xi’an to settle accounts with me, and I told her Tell him not to use Xi’an, I will go to Beijing to meet him. As me, I have enough honor now, I don’t want to do it anymore…”
Seeing that Zhang Yimou’s mood was extremely depressed, Xiao Hua felt pity in his heart and advised him not to become tired. Zhang Yimou lay on the bed and mumbled: “She said she didn’t want to go to school anymore and wanted to give me a baby.”
three
The love affair between Zhang Yimou and Gong Li was “punished” by many media, and Gong Lize and Zhao Ying were a little bit unable to lift their heads in the compound.
When public opinion is boiling, in order to avoid the outside world and have an open space with Gong Li, Zhang Yimou, who looks down on the commercial film, takes over the Hong Kong film “The War of the Qin Warriors in Ancient and Modern”, and talks with Gong Li about Sansheng III through the film in love.
< Movie "The Love of Ancient and Modern Terracotta Warriors" >
“The Love of the Warriors in Ancient and Modern Times” is the last film Gong Li shot before graduation. She said in an interview with the media: “I am willing to be a housewife and marry a lover.”
In 1991, Zhang Yimou was planning to shoot “A Lawsuit in Qiu Ju”, and screenwriter Liu Heng felt that Gong Li was too beautiful to be able to post it with Qiu Ju, a village woman. He advised Zhang Yimou not to be fascinated by love: “No, as long as I think of Gong Li playing this Qiuju, I can’t write anymore, I’m going to play.”
Zhang Yimou said: “Excluding my personal relationship with Gong Li, there is also a business problem.” He persuaded Liu Heng to believe in the actor’s ability to shape.But my heart is also playing drums.
The crew went to experience life in the village of Long County, Shaanxi 2 months in advance. Gong Li changed her name to Qiu Ju. Every day, she went out with a bloated stomach, panting and taking a horoscope. No one knew she was an international star. Thought she was a real pregnant woman.
< Movie "A Lawsuit Against Qiu Ju" >
During filming, Gong Li washed the crew for three months. Lei Kesheng, who plays the village chief, said: “Qiu Ju’s burden is already heavy, and Gong Li is still taking care of everyone. Especially for Zhang Yimou, she does her best. She cuts American ginseng for Zhang Yimou every day, thin slices, everything is half a cup.” p>
In the Spring Festival that year, Gong Li, Zhang Yimou, and Lei Kesheng stayed in Long County to wait to shoot the snow scene. Lei Kesheng’s wife rushed to the county and the four made dumplings together. Gong Li’s dumplings are so different that Zhang Yimou was surprised. Gong Li said, “My mother taught me. She said a girl who can’t make dumplings can’t get married.”
In 1992, Zhang Yimou won the Venice Film Festival’s highest bonus lion award for “A Lawsuit by Qiu Ju”, and Gong Li won the Best Actress Award for the role of Qiu Ju. Zhang Yimou dressed in a black suit and Gong Li in a snow-white cheongsam. The two stood side by side on the podium holding the trophy high.
In an interview with the reporter, Gong Li said: “We have won glory for China, and we have won for Chinese films. I am proud that I am a Chinese and a Chinese film actor.”
four
After the filming of “Autumn Jujube”, Gong Li entered the crew of “Farewell My Concubine”.
Xu Feng persuaded Chen Kaige to shoot “Farewell My Concubine”. She made two requests. The male protagonist is none other than Leslie Cheung, and the female protagonist pushes Gong Li.
Chen Kaige said: “Gong Li is from Zhang Yimou…” Xu Feng replied: “I don’t know who is who, only who is more suitable for the role.”/p>
Chen Kaige sent 3 telegrams a day, and Zhang Yimou also encouraged Gong Li to “in order to maintain their artistic youth, actors must cooperate with various good directors.” Gong Li took the film appointment.
In 1993, Chen Kaige won Cannes’s highest award Palme d’Or with “Farewell My Concubine”. This was the first and only time for a Chinese film.
In the same year, Zhang Yimou started filming “Alive,” and deputy director Wang Bin asked Ge You to play the leading role. Ge You asked: “Who will play the female?” Wang Bin replied: “Of course it is Gong Li.”
During the filming period, every night after work is over, there will be a loud “movement” in the corridor, and the creators flock to Zhang Yimou’s room for discussion. The meeting generally lasted until the early morning of the next day. In the end, everyone was sleepy or snoring loudly. Only Zhang Yimou waved his arms vigorously.
In 1994, “To Live” was shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival. Zhang Yimou was restricted from leaving the country, but the festival still provided him with a seat with the huge words “Director Zhang Yimou” written on it.
Zhang Yimou, who cannot go to Cannes in person, can only entrust the heavy responsibility to the leading male and female actors, especially Gong Li, who has walked the Cannes red carpet three times.
At that time, Gong Li’s father, Gong Lize, was seriously ill. She wanted to cancel the trip, but Zhao Ying said: “Promise others can’t break their promise.”
When changing planes in Hong Kong, Gong Li received the news that her father had passed away.
Finally, “Alive” won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Grand Prix and the Best Actor Award.
After “Alive”, Zhang Yimou started filming the movie “Shake, Shake, To Grandma Bridge”. When the reporter visited the scene for an interview, Gong Li said a lot of Zhang Yimou’s good things.
At that time, Gong Li went to the Shanghai City God Temple for a fortune. The other party told her: Your career is going well, but it is best to get married before the age of 30.
Gong Li and Zhang Yimou mentioned their marriage, but Zhang Yimou didn’t agree, only to consider it.
When she returned home, Gong Li’s eyes were straight, and her mother Zhao Ying persuaded her: “It’s a good thing that he doesn’t marry you. You can’t force your relationship.”
Gong Li didn’t admit it. When the filming of “Shake Shake” was finished, she found her brother and had a solemn talk with Zhang Yimou.
Zhang Yimou said: “Isn’t marriage just a piece of paper? Why do you have to value this piece of paper?”
Three months later, “Shake Shake, Shake To Grandma Bridge” was nominated for Cannes. At that time the two had broken up. The reporter asked: “Whether “Shake, Shake, To Grandma Bridge” is the last movie you two collaborated on?”
Zhang Yimou was silent, Gong Li smiled and said: “He is a good director, of course we can cooperate again.”
After speaking, she flushed her eyes, wiped her eyes from time to time, and finally the tears rolled down, and she could only turn her back to the camera.
Five
One year after the two broke up, Gong Li and Singapore’s wealthy businessman Huang Hexiang held a wedding in Hong Kong. Some people said she got married with anger, while others didn’t know it and said she was disappointed.
Zhao Ying was taken aback by the sudden news. Gong Li said to her: “Huang Hexiang is very distressed. Don’t worry.”
After marriage, Gong Li is shooting a new movie, Huang Hexiang will fly over to see her every weekonce.
After marriage, Gong Li did not become a housewife, and Huang Hexiang has always supported her film dream: “Gong Li likes filming. For her, filming is a very important job and the most important part of her life.”
Marriage came to 2009, and the two finally broke up peacefully because of “gathering less and divorcing more, friendship is more than love”.
In the third year of the divorce, Gong Li’s new love affair was exposed. The news that “Gong Li lived with her 13-year-old French boyfriend for 6 years” appeared in the newspaper.
The reporter called Huang Hexiang to verify. Huang Hexiang responded: “This report is a bit inaccurate and hurts Gong Li… Gong Li is a very good person. She is a rare and outstanding film actor in China. It is not easy for the Chinese film industry to create a Gong Li. Please friends from the media, Qian Don’t hurt Gong Li!”
Gong Li said to her sister: “It’s no regrets to marry Huang Hexiang in this life.”
When Gong Li was in love with her French boyfriend, Zhang Yimou was going through the biggest ordeal.
After “Jinling Thirteen Hairpins” was released, it caused great controversy, and Zhang Weiping, an investor who had cooperated for 16 years, also broke with him. At the same time, the actor who was expelled from the “Jinling Thirteen Hairpins” crew reported Zhang Yimou’s super life.
At that time, Zhang Yimou suffered unprecedented suspicion and needed a literary film to announce the return of his creative mentality. He chose Yan Geling’s novel “Lu Fu Yan Zhi”.
Returning with the movie is Gong Li, who hasn’t worked together for seven years.
six
The difficulty of filming “Return” is not small. Feng Wanyu is the most difficult role Gong Li has ever encountered in her acting career. “This role is particularly difficult. If you don’t perform well, you may play a four-notch. You can’t act her as A neuropathy, you can’t play her into a particularly exaggerated person, because she’s a very special disease.”
While Zhang Yimou was busy changing the script, Gong Li spent a lot of time visiting elderly people with amnesia in nursing homes, spending time with them, and the notebook was full of words.
< Movie "Return" >
In 2014, because of “The Return”, the two set foot on the Cannes red carpet again after 19 years.
Gong Li was captured by the media in many tearful photos. After the movie was shown, she choked with tears and embraced Zhang Yimou amidst waves of applause. When going to the celebration party, Gong Li burst into tears on the phone.
When the reporter asked, Gong Li said: “Because I was very moved tonight, it was really unforgettable.”
For “Return”, Gong Li participated in many publicity activities. Yang Lan asked her, “What does this movie mean to Zhang Yimou”. Gong Li said: “It means he is still Zhang Yimou.”
Yang Lan asked again: “You used to long for a family and a marriage. What do you think of marriage now?”
Gong Li said the words Zhang Yimou said to herself many years ago: “Marriage is just a piece of paper. The emotional maintenance of two people is actually useless.”
seven
Zhang Yimou and his first wife Xiao Hua are each other’s first love. In junior high school, the top student Zhang Yimou went home and lied, saying that he couldn’t read the words on the blackboard. When he checked his eyesight, he deliberately pointed in the wrong direction and was transferred to Xiao Hua’s back table as he wished.
In 1971, the two ended their three-year life of jumping in line, and both entered the factory as workers. Zhang Yimou saved his savings for a whole year and bought Xiao Hua a catty of soy-yellow wool and an alarm clock worth seventeen and five cents. Until the divorce, the alarm clock was still on Xiao Hua’s bedside.
In 1975, Xiao Hua’s workshop got a place for college, Zhang YimouAfter learning, I was a little worried and said to her, “Why are you going to school, and what can you learn in the current school? What will it be like after three years of study? By then, our relationship will definitely be over.”
Xiao Hua said that he was not that kind of person, and Zhang Yimou looked melancholy, “This is not your subjective desire to change, but the objective environment. You think, you and your classmates get along day and night, and you have more common languages. You will not change…”
Xiao Hua was angry at first, and then he felt “He was afraid that I would leave him, which still touched me.” She promised Zhang Yimou never to mention it again.
In 1977, when the college entrance examination was resumed, Xiao Hua could not forget his promise to Zhang Yimou, and once again missed the opportunity to go to school.
One year later, 28-year-old Zhang Yimou wanted to apply for the photography department of Beijing Film University. He was rejected because he was 6 years old. Xiao Hua’s brother-in-law sent his work to Huang Zhen, Minister of Culture, and Zhang Yimou was specially approved. Admission.
Many people in the factory expressed concern about their marriage prospects. Before going to school, Zhang Yimou specially obtained a marriage certificate with Xiao Hua.
After half a year of enrollment, Zhang Yimou began to care about Xiao Hua’s clothes. Xiao Hua was an English teacher in the countryside, and he was afraid of dressing too trendy. Zhang Yimou criticized him for being rigid and unable to appreciate beauty, which disappointed him.
After graduation, Zhang Yimou was “distributed” to the Guangxi factory. At that time Xiao Hua was pregnant, and the two could only be separated from each other. With limited mobility during pregnancy, Xiao Hua’s only pleasure is to write to Zhang Yimou, looking forward to his reply.
Later, Zhang Yimou was appreciated by Wu Tianming and went to report at Xiying Studio. The factory arranged for Xiao Hua to work in the library, and the couple finally reunited. Daughter Zhang Mo has already gone to the nursery school, and she again thought of going to school.
Zhang Yimou still disagrees: “I haven’t been at home for a long time. You go to school and give this home and the end to a nanny who doesn’t know the details. Can you rest assured?”
When Zhang Yimou went to Guangxi, Xiao Hua asked him if he had ever thought of looking for a wife to be a colleague, and working together with two people would be good for his career.
Zhang Yimou reassures her: “On the surface, it seems like this, but I don’t want it. How can a husband and wife talk about art and career all day? It’s tired enough to talk outside. What I need at home is meekness. Wife, a comfortable family.”
But when “Red Sorghum” got the prize from Berlin, Zhang Yimou still empathized with Gong Li and talked about divorce with Xiao Hua. He said: “My feelings can’t go back.”
Faced with the feeling of being unable to return, neither Gong Li nor Xiao HuaHesitating, one became a good actor and the other became a good mother. As sung in “Red Sorghum”: “Sister, go forward boldly, don’t look back.”
Some reference materials:
[1] “Chinese Beauty Gong Li”, Li Erwei, Nanfang Daily Press
[2] “The Past You You”, Xiao Hua, Jiangsu Literature and Art Publishing House
[3] “Crazy for You”, Yin Dawei, China Youth Publishing House
[4] “Living·Zhang Yimou”, Wang Bin, People’s Literature Publishing House
[5] “Interview with Yang Lan: An Interview with Gong Li”
[6] “Xiaoshuo: Talk to Zhang Yimou”
This article is from WeChat official account:Mongshi Char Siew (ID: wschashao) author: mediocre