Peng Xiaolian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peng Xiaolian
彭小莲
Peng Xiaolian in 1989
Born	(1953-06-26)26 June 1953 Chaling, Hunan
Died	19 June 2019(2019-06-19) (aged 65) Shanghai
Alma mater	Beijing Film Academy
Occupation	Film director, writer
Years active	1982–2018
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	彭小莲
Traditional Chinese	彭小蓮
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Péng Xiǎolián Wade–Giles P'eng Hsiao-lien IPA [pʰə̌ŋ ɕi̯àu̯li̯ɛ̌n]

Peng Xiaolian (Chinese: 彭小莲; 26 June 1953 – 19 June 2019) was a talented Chinese film director, writer, and scriptwriter. She was part of a special group of filmmakers known as the Fifth Generation from the Beijing Film Academy. Peng Xiaolian was especially famous for her movies about the city of Shanghai.

Some of her well-known films include Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (1998), which won a top award called the Best Picture Award of the Huabiao Awards. Another famous movie was Shanghai Story (2004), which won four Golden Rooster Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. She also directed Shanghai Rumba (2006), a film based on the love story of famous movie stars Zhao Dan and Huang Zongying.

Early Life and Education

Peng Xiaolian was born on June 26, 1953, in Chaling County, Hunan province, China. She grew up in the big city of Shanghai. Her father, Peng Baishan, was a government official.

During her childhood, her family faced very difficult times due to political events. Her father was accused of being part of a group called the "Hu Feng Counterrevolutionary Clique." He was sent to prison and a labor camp. This difficult experience deeply affected Peng Xiaolian. She later wrote about these memories in her stories and in a documentary film.

When the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, her mother also faced harsh treatment. In 1968, her father tragically passed away. Peng Xiaolian later wrote many stories and novels about these chaotic years, including Shanghai Story.

Like many young people of her generation, she was sent to the countryside for "re-education" by farmers. She spent nine years in Jiangxi province.

After the Cultural Revolution ended, Peng Xiaolian got the chance to study film. In 1978, she joined the Beijing Film Academy to learn how to direct movies. She studied alongside other students who would later become famous "Fifth Generation" film directors, like Chen Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Filmmaking Career

First Films and Success

After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982, Peng Xiaolian started working at the Shanghai Film Studio. She began as an assistant director.

Three years later, she directed her first film, Me and My Classmates. This movie was about teenagers and was very successful. It won the Best Children's Film Award at the 1987 Golden Rooster Awards. Because of this success, she was able to direct a film she really wanted to make: Women's Story (1988). This film became well-known around the world. It was praised for showing the lives of rural Chinese women in a strong and unique way.

Time in New York

In 1989, Peng Xiaolian won an award for her script "Difficult Truth." However, she couldn't make the film in China at that time. She decided to go to the United States. Her success with her first two films helped her win a special scholarship called the Rockefeller scholarship. She then studied at New York University and graduated in 1996.

Return to Directing in China

After returning to China in 1996, Peng Xiaolian continued her film career. She helped write the script for the film My Daddy. She also co-directed her first thriller movie, The Dog Homicide (1996).

Over the next ten years, she made many films about Shanghai.

• Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (1998) was a historical film about the Shanghai Campaign of 1949. It won the Best Film Award at the Huabiao Awards.
• Shanghai Women (2002) showed what life was like for women in the fast-changing city of Shanghai.
• Shanghai Story (2004) explored the lives of a wealthy family in Shanghai from the 1920s to the 1990s. This film won four Golden Rooster Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture.
• Shanghai Rumba (2006) was based on the romantic story of famous movie stars Zhao Dan and Huang Zongying.

These films made her known as a director who truly understood and presented the culture of Shanghai. She also directed a children's animation film called Keke's Magic Umbrella (2000).

In 2009, Peng Xiaolian co-directed a documentary called Storm Under the Sun with Louisa Wei. This film looked into the "Hu Feng affair," which had involved her father. They interviewed many people who had been accused of being "counterrevolutionaries" because of their connection to Hu Feng.

Later Life and Passing

Peng Xiaolian was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. She received treatment and her health improved for a while. During this time, she started writing a book about her father called Four Seasons of Childhood. She also planned to turn it into a film. She spent two years writing another book about a publisher named Zhong Shuhe.

However, her health became worse in late 2018, and she was unable to finish these projects. Peng Xiaolian passed away on June 19, 2019, in Shanghai, at the age of 66.

Selected Films Directed by Peng Xiaolian

Images for kids

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  Peng Xiaolian in 1989

See also

In Spanish: Peng Xiaolian para niños