On a cold winter day in 1972, Peng Dan, a 6-year-old girl, wearing a pink cotton jacket and holding her beloved rag doll, sat on a bench in the Changsha Children's Palace, watching intently as the female teacher on the stage was guiding several girls to dance.
With longing in her eyes, she carefully stood on her tiptoes, trying to imitate the beautiful movements.
"I want to be a beautiful dancer too!" Peng Dan silently made this little wish in his heart.
Time flies, eight years have passed, this little girl from Hunan has grown up, and has entered the Beijing Dance Academy to learn Xi professional dance through layers of selection.
"I'm one step closer to my dream!" The moment he got the admission letter, Peng Dan said excitedly.
During his time at the academy, Peng Dan studied Xi basic subjects diligently and participated in several dance competitions. She has won several important awards such as the Silver Award in the Youth Group of the National Dance Grand Prix and the Best Creative Award in the Chinese Dance Competition.
In 1994, the Beijing Dance Academy announced that it would send Peng Dan to the United States for further study, where she would continue to hone her dance skills and realize her dream of becoming a movie star.
This news made the young Peng Dan extremely excited and excited. At the airport, after saying goodbye to family and friends, 22-year-old Peng Dan set off on a trip to the United States with his bags on his back.
When the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, Peng Dan was surprised and delighted by the exotic buildings and crowds. During her first year in the United States, she struggled to adjust to school life Xi and continued to explore the artistic aspects of dance and performance at The Juilliard School.
During the day, Peng Dan will devote himself to the Xi of ballet, jazz dance and other courses, and learn the basic skills of dancers; In the evenings, they will take advantage of every opportunity inside and outside the school to perform and communicate and gain stage experience.
Just a year after leaving China, Peng Dan's outstanding performance earned her the title of Miss Chinese American in 1992. The following year, she won the championship in the higher-level Miss America China contest.
By 1994, after hard work, Peng Dan finally won the Miss Asian American contest in one fell swoop, becoming the first "triple champion" winner in history! For a time, this exotic Chinese girl became the focus of the campus and local media.
However, just behind the victory, fate prepared an unexpected turn for the young Peng Dan. In 1995, she received an invitation from the famous Hong Kong filmmaker Huang Baiming to participate in the filming of her debut film "Wolf Kiss Night Terror".
In the mid-90s of the 20th century, it was the heyday of the Hong Kong film and television industry. However, driven by commercial interests, sexy flirting has become the mainstream method of film promotion, and various restrictive works have emerged.
Peng Dan also faced such an environment when he came to Hong Kong to develop.
"There are too many business calculations hidden under the gorgeous exterior, how should I choose?" Peng Dan's heart was full of confusion. As an actress, opportunities and temptations coexist, and she also has to think about her livelihood.
However, for the sake of the ideal in his heart, Peng Dan still chose to stick to his principles - not to be excessively exposed, and to maintain the bottom line and dignity as an actor.
In the nearly 10 years of development of Hong Kong and Taiwan, Peng Dan still starred in some commercial films with erotic techniques, but she never was naked in front of the camera, and only retained the necessary covering.
This was not easy in the circumstances at the time. From 1996 to 2003, Peng Dan participated in 32 films, of which 21 were positive desire reduction works, accounting for 66%.
This comparison allowed her to gradually rebuild the positive image of the actor.
In 2003, after accumulating one work after another, Peng Dan finally completed the decision to return to the mainland from Hong Kong.
In the first few years after returning to his hometown in 2003, Peng Dan struggled to move in the film and television industry. Her former "restrictive" label has become a reason for many directors to reject her.
In order to regain his acting dream, Peng Dan can only start from the most basic roles and star in some low-cost domestic dramas and movies.
However, moving forward in the torrent is sharpening her acting skills and perseverance. Since 2005, Peng Dan has finally ushered in a new starting point in her career - she has starred in the female roles in patriotic works such as the Anti-Japanese War drama "Railway Guerrilla" and "Zhang Side".
The response to these films has been enthusiastic, and the image of an ordinary Chinese woman she plays has also allowed more audiences to see her true side.
In 2009, Peng Dan played the heroine in the National Day gift film "Lovely China", which was recommended by the Central Propaganda Department. In the following years, Peng Dan continued to accumulate popularity by participating in patriotic-themed film and television dramas, and in 2013, he wrote, directed and acted in the movie "Nanniwan", which won many awards and successfully transformed into a powerful actor and director.
At the same time as the development of the film and television industry, Peng Dan also contributed generously and diligently to public welfare. She is grateful and hopes to pass on the light and heat she has received to more people in need.
For 18 years, from 1996 to 2013, Peng Dan continued to sponsor 14 out-of-school children in a primary school in a poor mountainous area in Sichuan until they all completed their studies.
This long-term teaching model escorts children's education. From 2001 to 2010, she donated more than 1.5 million yuan to Sichuan Orthopaedic Hospital twice and set up a personal charitable foundation to provide a better treatment environment for poor patients.
Perhaps, it is this positive and enterprising heart that is willing to share that has achieved the beauty of Peng Dan's tenacity to rise from difficulties. The bits and pieces on the road of public welfare also make her life dazzling.
On a weekend in early 2023, at the signing ceremony of a film and television company in Beijing, a woman in a red dress gracefully walked up to the stage and shook hands with several producers for a group photo.
The flash lights on the scene came and went. This middle-aged woman is Peng Dan, and now she has grown into one of the representatives of powerful actors and directors, and no one will associate her with the former "tertiary films".
Over the years, Peng Dan has continued to accumulate acting skills and popularity by participating in positive movies, and has successfully reshaped his image. The sunny and uplifting spirit she exudes has infected countless audiences.
Some of her peers who criticized her during her time in Hong Kong and Taiwan have also re-examined it over the years, changed their views one after another, and recognized her achievements. "Practice your internal skills, and external fame and fortune will come.
Looking back on the past, today's Peng Dan will enlighten the younger generations so much.
At present, China's film and television industry has ushered in a new stage of rapid development, and Peng Dan's position as a director will also have more opportunities to display his talents. In the next road of life, she will continue to use movies to help spread positive energy, and there are more clothes that she has "taken off" waiting for her to "wear" back.