In 1988, at the age of 5, Zhang Mo underwent a major change of fate, and her father Zhang Yimou and her mother Xiao Hua divorced.
A year ago, Zhang Yimou directed his first film "Red Sorghum", a colorful and extravagant film that won Zhang Yimou many honors, including the Golden Bear Award for Best Film at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, and also made his emotional life off the normal track.
He and the film star Gong Li fell into an extramarital affair.
Although before this, the scandal between the two had been flying all over the place, Xiao Hua chose to believe her husband, and she believed that the man who had written a 40-page love letter for her in one breath would not say that he did not love if he did not love.
But the reality is harsh.
One day, Xiao Hua washed Zhang Yimou's clothes and found a letter written to him by Gong Li in his pocket, the first sentence of which was: You are gone, and I have taken my heart away.
Gong Li said in the letter that she wanted to get married and hoped that Zhang Yimou would give an answer.
Xiao Hua tried to save the marriage, but in exchange for a long period of cold violence, in the end, Zhang Yimou still filed for divorce.
The divorce brought great harm and pain to Xiao Hua, and Zhang Mo grew up in the tears of his mother.
Zhang Mo, who grew up slowly, knew that Gong Li was the culprit that led to her parents' divorce, and for many years after that, she was full of hatred for Gong Li.
Zhang Mo, who was still a little girl, began to fight wits and courage with Gong Li. After she became interested in filming, she frequently called her father to chat and ask questions about it.
Once, a phone call lasted for two hours, resulting in Gong Li not being able to contact Zhang Yimou, and then the two had a conflict.
They quarreled over this many times, and this became a problem between them.
Finally, after 8 years of the relationship, the two broke up. It is said that Zhang Yimou felt that Gong Li was not suitable to be the stepmother of his children.
After the breakup, Gong Li married Hong Kong tobacco king Huang Hexiang. Zhang Mo, 13, seems to see hope.
In 1997, Zhang Mo's grandfather died, his father Zhang Yimou went home to mourn, Zhang Mo stayed with him for a whole week, and the father and daughter were inseparable.
When his father was about to leave, Zhang Mo said to him with tears:
"Dad, I want you and mom to give me a complete home, how about you remarry?"
Zhang Yimou looked at his daughter full of expectations and was silent for a long time before saying:
"Both your mother and I have a wound in our hearts, and when the heartbreak is healed later, we will consider this matter."
This sentence gave Zhang Mo infinite fantasies, and she looked forward to the day when her parents broke the mirror and reunited.
However, as a young woman, she did not appreciate the perfunctory attitude behind the adult's words, nor could she understand the complexity of the adult's emotional problems, and her expectation was doomed to fail.
In 1999, Zhang Mo graduated from junior high school, and Zhang Yimou sent her to the United States to study.
When she was separated from her father, Zhang Mo mentioned the old thing again, and she asked her father: "Father, is the wound in your heart healed?" If your heart is broken, I'll talk to my mother about it. ”
Zhang Yimou replied: "You are still a child, you don't understand the adult world, this matter cannot be rushed, everything follows fate." ”
Every year when he returned to China during the holidays, Zhang Mo would first meet with his father and then go to his aunt's house in Beijing, and sometimes his mother Xiao Hua would come back to Beijing to pick her up.
She looked forward to the day when her parents would meet and sit down and have a good talk, but her father didn't seem willing to do so.
She gradually realized that her parents might never be able to remarry, and that a complete family would never come back to her.
In fact, as early as 2000, Zhang Yimou had another woman by his side, Chen Ting.
At that time, Chen Ting was still studying at the Beijing Film Academy, 31 years younger than Zhang Yimou.
In 2001, Chen Ting gave birth to her eldest son, Zhang Yinan. Worried that his daughter Zhang Mo would not be able to accept it after knowing it, Zhang Yimou chose to hide it.
This year's winter vacation, Zhang Mo returned to China, Zhang Yimou did not let her go to the house, but met her in the studio.
Since then, every winter and summer vacation, when Zhang Mo returned to China, he was reunited in his father's studio.
In 2004, Zhang Yimou and Chen Ting's second son, Zhang Yiding, was born. It was also this year that Zhang Mo knew about Chen Ting's existence.
It was in her father's studio, the two of them met, in order not to expose their identities, Chen Ting did not greet her and left.
But the girl's mind was very delicate, and Zhang Mo read something unusual from Chen Ting's eyes, and she concluded that her father and her were definitely not ordinary relations.
She asked her father bluntly what was the relationship with Chen Ting.
Zhang Yimou did not want to hide it anymore and revealed the truth and interrogation.
In the face of this girl who is only 2 years older than herself, she is a little unacceptable, she cried and asked her father: "Is it because of her, you do not remarry with your mother?" ”
Zhang Yimou replied: "Even without Chen Ting's appearance, it is impossible for me and your mother to remarry." We have hurt each other and will never go back to the past. ”
Zhang Mo was afraid that her mother could not accept it, so she chose to hide it.
But in fact, she didn't know, her mother already knew about Zhang Yimou and Chen Ting. For her, Zhang Yimou's page had already been turned over.
At the age of 16, Zhang Mo was admitted to Columbia University in the United States, and went to New York University Film School for graduate school under the recommendation of Ang Lee.
During his study abroad, Zhang Mo met his American boyfriend Tovey.
At first, Zhang Yimou strongly opposed his daughter being with Tovey, but Zhang Mo was determined to marry him.
Later, once Zhang Yimou fell ill, Tovi stayed at the sickbed to take good care of him, and finally won Zhang Yimou's favor. Eventually, he had to agree to the marriage.
In 2006, Zhang Mo and Tovey had a wedding in Los Angeles.
But it turns out that many times, the parents' vision is right.
At the end of 2006, Zhang Mo called Zhang Yimou and said that he missed his parents a little, and there was some sadness in his voice.
In 2007, Zhang Yimou sensed that his daughter's mood was getting more and more abnormal, but he was busy preparing for the Olympic Games, and could only persuade him on the phone.
In June 2008, Zhang Yimou received another call from Zhang Mo, saying that Tovey had an extramarital affair and was also abusing himself.
Zhang Yimou was furious and told his daughter to quickly divorce, "Return to China and raise you!" ”
Soon, Zhang Mo divorced Tovey, and her first marriage ended in failure.
After the divorce, Zhang Mo returned to China and began to marry his father and embark on the road of movies.
She first worked as an editor and subtitler in the comedy film "Three Guns Shooting Surprise" directed by her father Zhang Yimou.
In 2011, she served as an assistant director in the film "Hawthorn Tree Love", which later won the "Huabiao Award" for Outstanding Feature Film.
In 2016, Zhang Mo's self-written and self-directed debut film "28-year-old minor" won 129 million at the box office and won the Best Debut Award at the 14th Changchun Film Festival.
Working next to her father, Zhang Mo often met Chen Ting, and Chen Ting also took good care of her, saying to her: "I am only two years older than you, let's communicate well." If you have something in your heart that is not good to tell your father, just say it to me. ”
This made Zhang Mo very moved, and she began to accept Chen Ting.
Zhang Mo is also very kind to his 3 younger siblings, often buying them snacks and toys. They finally became a family.
Zhang Mo, whose career is gradually on the right track, also harvested love.
In January 2013, she married her Swiss boyfriend Meng Danqing in Beijing.
Born in South Korea, Meng Danqing graduated from the University of Florida in the United States, and also studied at Tsinghua University, and is a proper academic bully.
At the wedding, Xiao Hua came and appeared at his daughter's wedding with Zhang Yimou and Chen Ting.
The 3 people were very calm and calm, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious, and Zhang Mo was in tears on the spot.
Zhang Yimou was very satisfied with this son-in-law and once took them on the red carpet together.
For many years, Zhang Mo has always held a grudge against Gong Li, and she also wrote an article to bombard Gong Li, attacking Gong Li for destroying her family and seducing her father, which led to the breakdown of her family.
She said bluntly that she did not understand that a big star like Gong Li would still be a third party.
She has been living in resentment towards Gong Li, and has long lived in the fantasy of her parents' remarriage. But as time passed, both of those things finally brought her to rest.
Perhaps as she grew older, she understood the complexity of the emotional world of adults, many things, not black and white.
Perhaps it was her own two marriages that gave her a new understanding of human nature and marriage, and gave her a new perspective on life.
In May 2014, at the 67th Cannes Film Festival, the scene of the launch of the Chinese film "Homecoming", Zhang Mo and Gong Li warmly embraced. This resentment, which has lasted for more than 20 years, has gradually dissolved in this embrace.
Zhang Mo is 38 years old, and she has her own career, her own feelings, and the relief of her hatred.
She and Chen Ting even became girlfriends, and the two could go shopping together and eat street snacks together.
Now Zhang Mo may have entered the best time in her 38 years of life.