Zhang Yimou's love life is like a fascinating movie, full of twists and turns. His first marriage began with his childhood sweetheart, Xiao Hua. The two met in middle school and went hand in hand on the wave of "going to the countryside".
Faced with the opportunity to return to Beijing for development, Zhang Yimou wrote to Xiao Hua: "I hope you can go with me" Xiao Hua resolutely decided to follow Zhang Yimou to the countryside, despite the opposition of his family.
In the difficult years in the countryside, Zhang Yimou and Xiao Hua experienced living in caves and eating bran vegetables together, and they were together for three years. After returning to the city, Zhang Yimou ushered in a turning point in his life. He came into contact with the camera, became interested in images, and was successfully admitted to the photography department of Beijing Film Academy.
Thanks to Xiao Hua's support for him, before entering Nortel, he and Xiao Hua got married and gave this relationship its due commitment.
After graduation, Zhang Yimou was assigned to work in Guangxi Film Studio. Soon after, they welcomed the birth of their daughter Zhang Mo, which filled their small family with joy. At the same time, Zhang Yimou's career also began to rise step by step, and his collaboration with Chen Kaige's "Yellow Earth" made him stand out and won many awards.
However, a twist of fate came in 1987. Zhang Yimou directed his debut film, Red Sorghum, for which he won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. On the set, he met 22-year-old Gong Li and was deeply attracted by this young, beautiful and talented woman.
In the end, Zhang Yimou decided to leave Xiao Hua. For his wife, who used to be in love with each other, this news is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue. She tried to save the marriage, but Zhang Yimou's cold response broke her heart: "She was just a misunderstanding when she went to the countryside.
This sentence is like a sharp blade, stinging the once sweet love.
In 1988, Zhang Yimou and Gong Li began to live together and jointly created excellent works such as "Ju Dou" and "Qiu Ju Fights a Lawsuit", and their careers reached their peak. However, despite spending 8 years together, they did not get the promise of marriage.
Gong Li originally thought that she would be able to marry Zhang Yimou smoothly by replacing Xiao Hua, but she didn't expect that she would always be just famous.
The temptation of the flowery world in Zhang Yimou's heart made her gradually realize that he actually had no plans to get married. In 1995, when filming "Shake, Shake, Shake to Grandma's Bridge", the scandal between Gong Li and wealthy businessman Huang Hexiang made Zhang Yimou completely dead to this relationship.
The once vigorous love ended like this.
When Zhang Yimou's emotional life was at its lowest, the god of fate arranged an unexpected encounter for him. In 1981, in Wuxi, Jiangsu, a girl named Chen Ting was born. Her parents are ordinary workers, but they know the importance of education and cultivate this well-behaved and sensible daughter with their hearts.
From an early age, Chen Ting showed a strong interest in dance and exceptional talent. With the full support of her family, she studied hard and finally successfully joined the Wuxi Dance Troupe with excellent results.
On the stage, Chen Ting's dancing posture is light and elegant, exuding a distinctive temperament, like a butterfly eager to try, eager to fly to a wider sky.
However, Chen Ting's dream does not stop there. She has a deep yearning for her acting career and is full of longing for the future. With the dream of becoming an excellent actor, 18-year-old Chen Ting made a bold decision - to leave her familiar hometown and go to Beijing alone to apply for the Beijing Film Academy.
In 1999, the opportunity struck. Zhang Yimou cast for the new film "Happy Times" and came to Beijing Film Academy to discover new talents. When Chen Ting learned the news, she was looking forward to it, participated in the audition, and longed to become famous overnight.
However, the truth is always brutal. In Nortel, where the beauty is like a cloud, Chen Ting's appearance can only be regarded as ordinary, although she has an outstanding temperament, she still did not get a good role. Zhang Yimou remembered the girl, but did not give her a chance.
Although Chen Ting was not recognized, she did not give up because of this. She understands that opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. She loves her acting career passionately and has full respect for Zhang Yimou.
Therefore, she mustered up the courage and took the initiative to find the great director Chen Ting to express her wish with her sincerity: "I don't need to be paid, as long as I can get a chance to act."
Zhang Yimou was deeply shocked by this perseverance and courage, and he began to frequently ask Chen Ting to meet and share his filming experience and life insights with her. In the process of communicating with Chen Ting, Zhang Yimou was attracted by her youthfulness and innocence, which is the trait he admires the most.
18-year-old Chen Ting has a good impression of this successful director Zhang Yimou. But there is a 31-year age gap between them, and Zhang Yimou is 8 years older than her father and 11 years older than her mother.
Still, the seeds of love have been quietly planted and are waiting to bloom.
In 2000, 19-year-old Chen Ting made a surprising decision to start living with Zhang Yimou, who was 31 years older than her. This decision surprised many people, but Chen Ting's eyes were full of expectations for the future and firmness for love.
She firmly threw herself into Zhang Yimou's arms and began this road of love across her years.
However, life is always full of unexpected surprises. Chen Ting found out that she was pregnant soon after. At that time, she was still a student at the Beijing Film Academy, and her future was bright, and this unexpected situation caught her off guard.
She picked up the phone nervously and uneasily, and dialed Zhang Yimou's number tremblingly: "Lao Mouzi, I'm pregnant, it's yours, what should we do?" "
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, and Zhang Yimou's voice sounded gently but firmly: "I will give you two choices, the first is to give birth to a child and suspend your studies, and the second is to suspend your child's studies and continue to study!" This answer not only reflects his sense of responsibility, but also gives Chen Ting room to choose.
Chen Ting did not hesitate to choose the first option, she understood that this decision meant giving up her studies and could be questioned and blamed by the outside world. Despite this, she is convinced that this child will become a witness to her and Zhang Yimou's love.
Chen Ting did not listen to the dissuasion of her parents, was not afraid of the eyes of outsiders, and resolutely dropped out of Beiying and went home to raise her baby with peace of mind.
In 2001, Chen Ting gave birth to her and Zhang Yimou's first son, named Zhang Yinan. The joy of being a first-time mother filled Chen Ting's eyes with happiness. Although Zhang Yimou did not give her a name, he took care of the mother and son, which made Chen Ting more determined in her choice.
In the next five years, Chen Ting gave birth to a son and a daughter one after another. In 2004, the second son Zhang Yiding was born; In 2006, her daughter Zhang Yijiao was born. In just five years, she gave birth to three children for Zhang Yimou, showing her firmness and dedication to this relationship with practical actions.
However, behind happiness is always full of hardships. Chen Ting has to endure the questioning eyes of the outside world and bear huge psychological pressure. However, she chose to suffer in silence, put away her edge, and devoted herself to taking care of her children and family.
She never pursues fame and fortune, and is willing to be a virtuous helper behind Zhang Yimou.
At the same time, Chen Ting did not give up on self-improvement, and she relied on amazing perseverance to complete her graduate studies while taking care of her three children. She knows that to stand by Zhang Yimou's side for a long time, she not only needs love, but also the talent and temperament that match it.
The advent of her son allowed Chen Ting to successfully occupy Zhang Yimou's heart. Although the outside world has different opinions about their relationship, Zhang Yimou has always poured all his love into this small family.
Their affection gradually deepened in the cry of the child, and quietly grew in every ordinary day.
In the past five years, Chen Ting has transformed from a young girl to a mother. She interprets love in her own way and proves her choice with her actions. Although this relationship was an accident, Chen Ting used her wisdom and persistence to make it her destined happiness.
Although Chen Ting and Zhang Yimou have formed a family, their relationship has been deliberately hidden, like a secret that cannot be said. Zhang Yimou has never mentioned Chen Ting and her children in public, which may be out of career considerations or to protect the privacy of his family.
It wasn't until December 2011 that they quietly received a marriage certificate, giving the relationship a formal status.
However, there are many good things. In 2012, an unexpected turmoil disrupted their peaceful lives. At that time, Zhang Yimou was directing a work, and several actresses posted photos of the crew's shooting scenes and their costumes on the Internet, which made Zhang Yimou very dissatisfied, so he expelled the actors from the crew.
One of the actresses, He Jun, was very indignant about the matter and made the news that Zhang Yimou was married and had three children.
Faced with overwhelming doubts, Zhang Yimou chose to face it honestly. In December 2013, he publicly responded: "He has two sons and a daughter with Chen Ting, and he is willing to publicly apologize to the society." There was apology in his tone, but more of a cherishing of his family.
Soon after, Zhang Yimou took the initiative to report the situation to the relevant departments, and paid up to 7.4878 million yuan in family planning fees and social support fees. This surprised and shocked many people, but for Zhang Yimou, this is a responsibility to his family and a responsibility to society.
When asked what he thought about this matter, Zhang Yimou said calmly: "I am very grateful that my wife, son and daughter can see the light of day again." Behind this sentence is the helplessness of forbearance and protection of family members for many years, and the relief that I can finally walk with my family in an open and honest manner.
Although this turmoil brought a lot of pressure to Zhang Yimou and Chen Ting, it also gave the public a new understanding of their relationship. Since then, Chen Ting is no longer a hidden secret, but can stand by Zhang Yimou's side openly and become a veritable "Mrs. National Teacher".
From a 19-year-old Nortel student to a "Mrs. National Teacher", Chen Ting's success is not accidental, but the crystallization of her wisdom and persistence. In her own way, she explained how to stand firm in this love that spanned 31 years.
First of all, Chen Ting knows how to take the initiative to strive for opportunities. After she failed in the Nortel audition, she was not discouraged, but actively found Zhang Yimou and asked frankly: "I can not care about the salary, I just want to have a chance to perform."
It was this courage and determination that opened the door to opportunities for her.
Secondly, Chen Ting's character is characterized by not pursuing fame and fortune, and is willing to be the woman behind Zhang Yimou. Before her relationship with Zhang Yimou was exposed, Chen Ting kept a low profile and focused on family life and personal improvement.
She did not pursue personal interests because of Zhang Yimou's fame, on the contrary, she devoted herself to this relationship and managed it with her heart, as mentioned in the article: "She never competes for favor, fame, or profit", this low-key attitude makes Zhang Yimou feel at ease.
What's more valuable is that Chen Ting has never stopped self-improvement. While taking care of her three children, she decided to complete her graduate studies, and the tenacity and perseverance was breathtaking.
She knows very well that in order to stand by Zhang Yimou's side for a long time, she needs to have the talent and temperament that match him, which makes her value in Zhang Yimou's eyes increasingly apparent.
Today's Chen Ting has transformed from a girl to a dignified and elegant lady. She began to attend events with Zhang Yimou, walked the red carpet, and showed generosity and decency in her gestures.
Her communication skills and social skills have made Zhang Yimou's career the icing on the cake.
The three children have also grown up healthily, especially the eldest son Zhang Yinan, who followed in his father's footsteps and became a director. The micro-film "Over There" directed by him was recognized by Zhang Yimou, which undoubtedly made Chen Ting feel relieved and proud.
From dropping out of school at the age of 19 to giving birth to the age of 40 today, Chen Ting and 71-year-old Zhang Yimou have gone through 20 years of ups and downs together. In this relationship, which spanned most of her life, Chen Ting used wisdom, tolerance and persistence to write her own legendary life.
As the article said at the end, "I believe that Chen Ting will definitely not regret making the decision to have a child for Zhang Yi after she was unexpectedly pregnant, because she is really happy now!" ”