Gong Li

Biography

Gong Li is a film actress and producer, holding Singaporean nationality, born on 31 December 1965 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, the youngest of five children. Her father taught at Liaoning University before relocating the family to Jinan, Shandong Province during the Cultural Revolution. From childhood she loved singing and dancing and dreamed of becoming a singer, participating in radio performances during elementary school. After failing the national university entrance exam in 1983, she worked while continuing to prepare for the exam, which she passed in 1985. She rose to fame in 1987 starring in Zhang Yimou's film "Red Sorghum," which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. In 1992, she won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her role in "The Story of Qiu Ju," becoming the first Chinese actress to win this title. In 1993, she starred in "Farewell My Concubine," which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, making her the first actress in world cinema history to star in films that won the top prizes at all three major European film festivals. She served as jury president at several major international film festivals, including Berlin, Venice, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing. She has received numerous honours and awards, including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres as Commander from the French government in 2010 and the Women In Motion Award from Cannes in 2019. Gong Li is regarded as the first Chinese actress to achieve international fame after the Cultural Revolution and has made pioneering and historical contributions to establishing the international status of Chinese cinema, earning her the title "muse of the Fifth Generation directors."