Tian Zhuangzhuang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tian Zhuangzhuang
Tian at 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	(1952-04-23) 23 April 1952 (age 73) Beijing, China
Alma mater	Beijing Film Academy
Occupation	Film director, producer, actor and professor at Beijing Film Academy
Years active	1980–present
Parent(s)	Tian Fang (father) Yu Lan (mother)
Awards	Tokyo Grand Prix 1993 The Blue Kite San Marco Prize 2002 Springtime in a Small Town Jin Jue for Best Director 2007 The Go Master
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	田壯壯
Simplified Chinese	田壮壮
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tián Zhuàngzhuàng IPA [tʰi̯ɛ̌n.ʈʂu̯âŋʈʂu̯âŋ]

Tian Zhuangzhuang (Chinese: 田壮壮; born in April 1952 in Beijing) is a famous Chinese film director, producer, and actor. He is known for making many different kinds of movies.

Tian grew up with famous parents who were actors in China. After serving in the army for a short time, Tian started his art career. He first worked as a photographer, then helped film movies at the Beijing Agricultural Film Studio.

In 1978, he was accepted into the Beijing Film Academy, a top film school. He graduated in 1982 with classmates Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou. This group of filmmakers became known as the Fifth Generation. Tian Zhuangzhuang was one of the most important people in this new film movement.

Tian's early movies included experimental films like On the Hunting Ground (1985) and The Horse Thief (1986). He also made more popular movies such as Li Lianying: The Imperial Eunuch (1991). In 1991, Tian started working on The Blue Kite (1993), a serious film about a difficult time in China's history. Because of this film, he was not allowed to direct movies for almost ten years.

He returned to filmmaking with Springtime in a Small Town (2001). In the 2000s, Tian Zhuangzhuang became important in Chinese cinema again. He directed films like The Go Master (2006), which was about a famous board game player, and the historical action film The Warrior and the Wolf (2009). Since his break from directing, Tian has also become a teacher and guide for new Chinese filmmakers. He has helped produce many important movies for these younger directors.

Early Life and Education

Tian Zhuangzhuang was born on April 23, 1952, in Beijing. His father, Tian Fang, was a famous actor in the 1930s. After 1949, his father became the head of the Beijing Film Studio. His mother, Yu Lan, was an actress who later ran the Beijing Children's Film Studio.

Because his parents were very busy, Tian was mostly raised by his grandmother. His parents' important jobs meant he had a comfortable childhood. However, due to his family's fame, Tian Zhuangzhuang faced hard times during the Cultural Revolution. Both his parents were treated unfairly. Unlike some other young people, Tian did not join the Red Guards. He was sent to the countryside in Jilin, like many young people from families seen as "bad."

Even though he came from a film family, Tian did not want to be a filmmaker at first. In 1968, he joined the People's Liberation Army and served for three years. There, he met a war photographer who taught him about cameras. Tian worked as a photographer for five years. He then decided to switch to filming movies and found a job helping film movies at the Beijing Agricultural Film Studio.

In 1978, after three years at the studio, Tian applied to the Beijing Film Academy. He was accepted, but because of his age, he had to apply to the directing department instead of the filming department.

Professional Career

Early Films and Influence

While at the Beijing Film Academy, Tian directed a short student film called Our Corner (1980). This film was based on a story by Shi Tiesheng. Our Corner is considered the first film made by the Fifth Generation directors. Years later, professors at the Beijing Film Academy still showed Our Corner to new students. This helped introduce Tian to new actors and filmmakers.

Because he helped make Our Corner and had film experience before school, Tian became a natural leader among the students. They admired his talent and his loyalty to friends, especially Hou Yong. Hou Yong later became the cinematographer for many of Tian's early films.

After graduating in 1982, Tian was assigned to the Beijing Film Studio. However, he spent his early career making films for other studios. These included TV shows and a children's film called Red Elephant (1982), which he co-directed.

International Recognition

Tian became known around the world with two experimental films in the mid-1980s. These were On the Hunting Ground (1985) and The Horse Thief (1986). Both films were about ethnic minority groups in China.

Even though On the Hunting Ground and The Horse Thief were liked by people abroad (American director Martin Scorsese even called The Horse Thief his favorite film of the 1990s), they were not popular in China. Both films did not make much money. They were also criticized by the government and some traditionalists. They said the films were only for foreign audiences. Tian strongly disagreed, saying films were for smart people.

Still, after these criticisms, Tian made several movies that were more popular. These included Street Players (1987), Rock 'n' Roll Kids (1988), and the historical film Li Lianying: The Imperial Eunuch (1991). Tian has since said that these films were part of a time when he just directed projects that already had money and scripts.

In 1998, Tian received a Prince Claus Award from the Prince Claus Fund. This is an international group that supports culture and development.

Return to Directing

Tian stopped directing for about nine years, focusing mostly on producing movies for other directors. He then returned with a highly praised remake of an older film, Spring in a Small Town (1948). His new version was called Springtime in a Small Town (2001). This was Tian's first film after he was banned for The Blue Kite. It was a small, personal film with only five characters. Some critics thought he was trying to "play it safe," but the film was still very well-received.

In 2004, Tian went back to making films about China's ethnic minorities with Delamu. This was a documentary filmed in HD about people in Yunnan and Tibet. After Delamu, he directed The Go Master (2006), a biopic about the famous Chinese Go player, Go Seigen.

Tian's more recent work includes a historical epic, The Warrior and the Wolf (2009). This film was shot in China's faraway Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Filmography

As Director

As Producer and Executive Producer

As Actor

See Also

• The Fifth Generation - a group of important filmmakers from the Beijing Film Academy
• Hou Yong - Tian's classmate and the person who filmed many of his movies