She is the most dazzling figure on the stage, charming and enchanting, but erratic;
She is the most uncatchable phantom in the spotlight, beautiful but mysterious and profound.
From the grassroots to the top of his life, what kind of hardships has this "international chapter" of the Chinese film industry gone through?
was once accused of "relying on relationships to get on top" and was belittled as a "courtesan", what means did she use to climb to the top of power in the entertainment industry?
All the way was arduous but finally invincible, becoming the focus of attention in the film and television industry, what kind of encounters and legendary past did she experience?
One
Zhang Ziyi, a girl from Beijing, has been poor since she was a child, and her parents are just ordinary workers.
In order to strengthen her body, her mother sent her to the Children's Palace to learn dance when she was 6 years old.
A pair of familiar dancing through the clouds has become her proudest specialty in childhood.
On an ordinary day in 1990, Zhang Ziyi, who had just turned 11, was half-jokingly taken by the teacher to take the exam of the High School Attached to Beiwu, but he did not expect to be admitted on the spot in this exam, and his life embarked on an unprecedented stage road.
After entering the dance world, Zhang Ziyi did not become popular all the way.
Compared with other classmates who have been practicing hard for several years, she belongs to the type of students with more average qualifications.
Even if you work hard, it is difficult to completely make up for the congenital defects.
In order to avoid falling behind, Zhang Ziyi secretly made up her mind to work harder.
When night fell and the dance room was empty, she would return alone and practice the basics over and over again in front of the empty practice room.
In order not to disturb others, she didn't even dare to turn on the lights, so she could only rely on the glimmer of the wall until late at night.
The loneliness in the darkness is only experienced by Zhang Ziyi herself.
In 1995, Zhang Ziyi made her first appearance on the screen in the movie "Lights on the Stars" through her personal relationship with singer Gao Feng.
Although it is only a small supporting role, it has already emerged.
When she was still studying in the middle school attached to the Northern Dance Academy, she was already eyeing the film and television industry.
It's a pity that when she was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama through the dance competition, she was still questioned and criticized by many people.
In the eyes of the mentors, Zhang Ziyi is a "stupid child", lacking sufficient talent and qualifications, and it is difficult to get ahead in the acting industry.
However, fate will always give a chance to the strong-willed.
In her sophomore year, Zhang Ziyi accidentally got the opportunity to interview Zhang Yimou for directing an advertisement.
At that time, she was not only too immature in appearance, but was directly passed by Zhang Yimou.
But Zhang Ziyi was not discouraged, and soon curled her hair and heavy makeup were redressed, and she reappeared in front of Zhang Yimou the next day.
Although he still missed this advertisement in the end, Zhang Ziyi left a deep impression on Zhang Yimou.
Two
In 1997, Zhang Yimou was preparing to put the novel "Remembrance" on the big screen, that is, the movie "My Father and Mother", Zhang Ziyi won the interview opportunity for the role of young Zhaodi with her outstanding acting skills.
In order to perfectly shape the image of this rural girl, the crew came to Donggou Village on the dam in Hebei Province hand in hand, where they experienced the pastoral life for three months.
Zhang Ziyi not only took the initiative to live in the villagers' homes, but also devoted herself to the role: resting at sunrise and sunset every day, in addition to carrying water and burning firewood, she was proficient in farm work and sewing.
Zhang Ziyi at the time of filming was even more desperate.
In order to restore the realistic feeling of running in the snow when Zhao Di was abandoned, she did not hesitate to wear heavy cotton pants to run thousands of meters outdoors and fall hard in the snow.
Even so, she never cried out bitterly.
This dedication has achieved an unforgettable screen masterpiece, and it also helped Zhang Ziyi win the Hundred Flowers Award that year.
Since then, she has officially become Zhang Yimou's "new Mou girl".
But Zhang Ziyi is obviously not willing to be Zhang Yimou's "vassal" forever.
In 1999, under the strong recommendation of Zhang Yimou, she got the opportunity to star in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
In the crew, Zhang Ziyi was originally just a small supporting role, and Ang Lee didn't take her seriously.
But the god of fate took pity on this girl with a fighting spirit.
The original heroine Shu Qi and another substitute actress were passed one after another because they "couldn't endure hardship", but Zhang Ziyi was temporarily activated.
Zhang Ziyi grasped this opportunity extremely preciously, and in the process of the crew, she did her best.
In order to interpret the role well, Zhang Ziyi sweats on the set every day and humbly asks the martial arts coach for advice.
Even if half of her fingernail was accidentally cut off during the performance, she never cried out in pain, but silently stuck her finger in the snowdrift to stop the bleeding.
There was even a time when Zhang Ziyi almost fell from a height and was seriously injured, but she finally completed the performance with the most natural expression.
After the release of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Zhang Ziyi became famous in one fell swoop and was affectionately called the "International Chapter" by the audience.
Many years later, recalling the hardships of filming at the beginning, she herself sighed helplessly: "At that time, we really didn't know the height of the sky. "
But it was this lonely courage that made her win international fame, becoming the first Chinese actress in history to star in a Hollywood blockbuster, and leaving an extremely memorable mark for the audience in "Memoirs of a Geisha".
The smooth sailing of her career has also brought about the crazy ups and downs of Zhang Ziyi's love life.
After being popular on the big and small screens, Zhang Ziyi began to have a strong yearning for the rich and powerful in the upper class.
In 2004, in order to capture the heart of the rich second-generation Huo Qishan, she did not hesitate to kiss and kiss him in public.
Although the love between the two was in an uproar, they finally broke up because of the opposition of the Huo family.
Zhang Ziyi, who was once nicknamed a "courtesan" by Chow Yun-fat and Anita Mui, seems to have a never-ending pursuit of the wealthy businessman.
Soon after the breakup, she met Vivi Nevo, a wealthy American man, through the introduction of a celebrity friend.
The two hit it off at first sight, and soon lived together and got engaged, and Zhang Ziyi's dream of a wealthy family seemed to come true.
It's a pity that the good times didn't last long, and Vivi complained about Zhang Ziyi's overly explicit pursuit of fame and fortune, and the two ended up without a problem.
To this day, a group of pictures of Zhang Ziyi and Vivi stacking arhats on the beach are still circulating on the Internet from time to time, which is endlessly memorable.
Three
Under the rolling dividends, there are often deadly quagmires lurking.
Around 2009, Zhang Ziyi encountered the biggest crisis of trust in her life - the scandal frenzy, which completely plunged her into the quagmire of notoriety.
It all started in December 2009 when a group of strangers suddenly appeared under a high-end apartment building in Beijing, splashing black paint on a giant billboard in the lobby of the apartment, cursing Zhang Ziyi as a "third party".
It turned out that this group of people was instigated by Chen Wanting, the wife of wealthy businessman Huo Qigang, and she firmly believed that her husband was seduced by Zhang Ziyi.
Just when the "splashing ink gate" incident had not subsided, a self-proclaimed anonymous netizen broke the news on the Internet, questioning the whereabouts of the $1 million raised by Zhang Ziyi for the disaster area during the Wenchuan earthquake became a mystery.
Although all aspects of the defense fundraising have been in place afterwards, the public outcry has been difficult to calm down, and Zhang Ziyi was questioned as a fraudulent donation.
Scandals hit one after another, severely damaging Zhang Ziyi's image as an "international chapter".
fell from a popular actress to tens of thousands of scolded, although there are some discrepancies with the truth, Zhang Ziyi's reputation is irretrievable.
Film companies and brands have withdrawn, and businesses that once rushed to endorse her avoided it.
As if overnight, this former darling of the film industry was completely marginalized and isolated by the entertainment industry.
Even if she was crushed by public opinion, Zhang Ziyi's ambition never disappeared.
In 2013, she revived her strength with the movie "The Grandmaster" and dragged herself out of the sludge.
For this movie, Zhang Ziyi spent three years of painstaking study, from martial arts to acupuncture, and completely transformed herself into the image of a generation of masters.
With her excellent acting skills and shaping, Zhang Ziyi won the throne of the actress who won 12 awards such as the Golden Horse and the Golden Statue in one fell swoop.
This achievement not only helped her fully reverse the negative impact of the crisis of confidence, but also put her back in the spotlight on the international stage.
Just as his career was shining again, love also began to throw an olive branch to Zhang Ziyi.
In 2013, she met and met the divorced rock singer Wang Feng, and the two fell into a whirlpool of love.
Although the outside world generally doubted that this wonderful combination could not last long, the two still married in 2015, opening a new stage of life for Zhang Ziyi.
After marriage, Zhang Ziyi gradually faded out of the spotlight, and she devoted most of her energy to family life.
In 2015 and 2020, she gave birth to a son and a daughter for Wang Feng, wholeheartedly playing the role of a good wife and mother.
In her career, Zhang Ziyi has also made remarkable achievements, her debut film written and directed by herself was nominated for Best New Director at the Golden Horse Awards in 2020, and she also became the first Chinese jury member at the Cannes International Film Festival in the same year.
It's a pity that all this happiness is short-lived after all, and in October 2023, Zhang Wang and Wang finally divorced, ending their 8-year married life.
Although the divorce is regrettable to the outside world, for her promising career, there is still a long way to go, and a new legend may have just begun......
epilogue
All living beings, all ordinary; A touch of red lips, enchanting.
This is Zhang Ziyi's legendary experience on the road to fame, where will her ups and downs in life go?
Only time will tell.
And no matter where the future goes, she has used her own strength to tear open a gap in her life and light a searchlight for her ambitious future.
Each of us is a collection of luck and misfortune, and the glory in the eyes of the world often contains a sad history of hardship.