Chen Kaige facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chen Kaige
陈凯歌
Chen at the 2013 Tokyo International Film Festival
Born	Chen Aige（陈皑鸽） (1952-08-12) 12 August 1952 (age 73) Beijing, China
Alma mater	Beijing Film Academy
Occupation	Film director screenwriter film producer
Years active	1984–present
Movement	Fifth Generation
Spouse(s)	Sun Jialin ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1986)​ Hung Huang ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 1993)​ Chen Hong ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	2, including Arthur Chen
Parent(s)	Chen Huai'ai (father) Liu Yanchi (mother)
Relatives	Chen He (nephew)
Awards	Full list

Chen Kaige (Chinese: 陈凯歌; born August 12, 1952) is a famous Chinese filmmaker. He is a key director from the "Fifth Generation" of Chinese filmmakers. Chen is known for his amazing visuals and telling big, epic stories. His movie Farewell My Concubine (1993) made him the first Chinese director to win the Palme d'Or. This is a very important award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Early Life and Education

Chen Kaige was born in Beijing, China. His family came from Changle, Fuzhou. He grew up with Tian Zhuangzhuang, who also became a famous director. Chen's father, Chen Huai'ai, was a well-known director. His mother, Liu Yanchi, was a talented screenwriter.

During the Cultural Revolution, Chen joined the Red Guards. He later regretted some of his actions during this time. These experiences influenced many of his films. For example, Farewell My Concubine shows parts of the Cultural Revolution. Also, Together explores father-son relationships.

In 1969, Chen worked in a farming area called Xishuangbanna. The next year, he joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA). After leaving the army in 1975, he worked at a film printing factory in Beijing. In 1978, Chen started studying at the Beijing Film Academy. He graduated from there in 1982.

A Director's Journey

After graduating, Chen Kaige began working at the Guangxi Film Studio. His first movie, Yellow Earth (1984), was very important. It helped define the "Fifth Generation" of Chinese filmmaking. The film used powerful visuals and a new way of storytelling. This changed how movies were seen in China. It explored China's deep cultural history.

Expanding His Film Work

Chen continued to make unique films. These included The Big Parade (1986) and King of the Children (1987). In 1987, he received a special award from the Asian Cultural Council. This allowed him to study at the New York University Film School. He even directed a music video for the band Duran Duran in 1989.

Later that year, he made Life on a String. This movie used old stories and beautiful scenery. It told the tale of a blind musician and his student. Chen also served as a judge at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival in 1989.

International Success

Chen's most famous film in the West is Farewell My Concubine (1993). It follows two Beijing opera stars through many changes in China. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the 1993 International Federation of Film Critics Award.

After this huge success, Chen directed Temptress Moon (1996). This was another historical drama with stars like Leslie Cheung and Gong Li. Critics liked it, but it wasn't as famous as Farewell My Concubine. His film The Emperor and the Assassin (1999) was also very well-known. It was an epic story about the legendary Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.

Later Films and New Directions

In 2002, Chen made his first English-language film, Killing Me Softly. It was a thriller, but it didn't do very well. In the same year, he directed Together. This was a touching film about a young violinist and his father. His wife, Chen Hong, started producing his films with Together.

In 2005, Chen directed The Promise. This was a big fantasy movie with many stars. It showed Chen moving towards more commercial films. In 2006, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 28th Moscow International Film Festival.

Chen continued to direct important films. These include Forever Enthralled (2008), about a Peking opera artist. He also made Sacrifice (2010), based on an old Chinese play. His 2012 film Caught in the Web looked at internet culture. It was chosen to represent China at the 85th Academy Awards.

His film Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2015) was a commercial success. Then, he directed Legend of the Demon Cat (2017). This was a large Chinese-Japanese movie based on a fantasy novel.

Since 2019, Chen has directed or produced several films that tell stories about China's history and achievements. One of these is The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021). This film became China's highest-grossing movie ever.

Besides directing, Chen has also acted in some movies. He appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987). He also acted in his own films, The Emperor and the Assassin and Together.

Personal Life

Chen Kaige has been married three times. His first wife was Sun Jialin. They married in 1983 and divorced three years later. His second wife was Hung Huang, who was the daughter of a diplomat. They divorced in 1993. From 1991, Chen was in a relationship with TV personality Ni Ping for six years.

In 1996, Chen married actress Chen Hong. She has been the producer for many of his films since Together (2002). They have two sons, Chen Yu'ang and "Arthur" Chen Feiyu.

Filmography

Year	Title	Chinese Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
1984	Yellow Earth	黃土地
1986	The Big Parade	大閱兵
1987	King of the Children	孩子王
1991	Life on a String	邊走邊唱
1993	Farewell My Concubine	霸王別姬				Palme d'Or winner at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival
1996	Temptress Moon	風月
1998	The Emperor and the Assassin	荊柯刺秦王
2002	Killing Me Softly	温柔地杀我
2002	100 Flowers Hidden Deep					Segment in the anthology film Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet
2002	Together	和你在一起				2002 Silver Seashell for Best Director at the San Sebastián International Film Festival
2005	The Promise	無極
2007	Zhanxiou Village					Vignette in the anthology film To Each His Cinema
2008	Forever Enthralled	梅兰芳
2010	Sacrifice	趙氏孤兒
2012	Caught in the Web	搜索				Fictional treatment of the human flesh search engine.
2015	Monk Comes Down the Mountain	道士下山
2017	Legend of the Demon Cat	妖猫传
2019	My People, My Country	我和我的祖国
2021	The Battle at Lake Changjin	长津湖
2022	The Battle at Lake Changjin II	长津湖之水门桥
2023	Flowers Bloom in the Ashes	尘埃里开花
	The Volunteers: To the War	志愿军：雄兵出击
2024	The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death
0TBA	Swan Song

Television (as director)

Executive producer

Actor

Awards and Nominations

International Awards

Domestic Awards

See also

In Spanish: Chen Kaige para niños

• Zhang Yimou
• Tian Zhuangzhuang