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 72) 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 one of the most important directors from the 'Fifth Generation' of Chinese filmmakers. This group of directors started making movies after the Cultural Revolution. Chen is known for his amazing visuals and big, exciting stories. He won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival for his movie Farewell My Concubine. This made him the first Chinese director to win this award.

Early Life and Education

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

During a tough time in China called the Cultural Revolution, Chen was a teenager. Like many young people then, he was part of the Red Guards. This period of his life was very difficult and has influenced many of his films. For example, his movie Farewell My Concubine shows parts of the Cultural Revolution. Also, the father-son relationship in his film Together reflects his experiences.

In 1969, Chen worked in a farming area for a short time. Then, he joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1970. After leaving the army in 1975, he worked at a film printing factory in Beijing. In 1978, Chen joined the Beijing Film Academy. He graduated in 1982, becoming part of the 'Fifth Generation' of Chinese filmmakers.

Filmmaking Career

After graduating, Chen Kaige started working at the Guangxi Film Studio. His first movie, Yellow Earth (1984), was very important for the 'Fifth Generation' of filmmakers. It had powerful visuals and a new way of telling stories. This film changed how movies were seen in China. It explored China's deep cultural history.

His next films, The Big Parade (1986) and King of the Children (1987), showed his growing skills. In 1987, he studied at the New York University Film School in the United States. In 1989, he made Life on a String, a movie that used old stories and beautiful scenery to tell the tale of a blind musician.

International Success

Chen's most famous film in the West is Farewell My Concubine (1993). This movie was nominated for two Academy Awards and won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. It tells the story of two Beijing opera stars through many changes in China during the 20th century.

After this huge success, Chen directed Temptress Moon (1996). This was another historical drama. While critics liked it, it didn't get as much praise as Farewell My Concubine. Then came The Emperor and the Assassin (1999), a big historical movie about the legendary Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor.

Later Works

In 2002, Chen made his first English-language film, Killing Me Softly. This was a thriller, but it wasn't very popular. His film Together (2002) was a more personal story about a young violinist and his father. It showed how young people want to grow and follow their dreams.

In 2005, he directed The Promise, a fantasy movie with lots of action and special effects. This film showed Chen moving towards making more commercial movies.

In 2006, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 28th Moscow International Film Festival. In 2008, Chen directed Forever Enthralled, which was about Chinese opera. He then directed Sacrifice (2010), based on a famous Chinese play. His 2012 film Caught in the Web was chosen to represent China at the Oscars, but it wasn't nominated.

His movie Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2015) was a big hit at the box office. Then, he directed Legend of the Demon Cat (2017), a large Chinese-Japanese movie based on a Japanese novel.

Since 2019, Chen has directed or produced several films, including The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021). This movie became China's highest-grossing film ever.

Chen has also acted in some films. These include The Last Emperor (1987) by Bernardo Bertolucci, and his own movies The Emperor and the Assassin and Together.

Personal Life

Chen Kaige has been married three times. His first wife was Sun Jialin, whom he met while working at the Beijing Film Factory. 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. They have two sons, Chen Yu'ang and "Arthur" Chen Feiyu.

Chen Kaige also holds a green card for the United States.

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	志愿军：存亡之战
0TBA	Swan Song

Television (as director)

Executive producer

Actor

Awards and Nominations

Chen Kaige has won many awards for his films. Here are some of the most important ones:

International Awards

Chinese Awards

See also

In Spanish: Chen Kaige para niños

• Zhang Yimou
• Tian Zhuangzhuang