Li Shaohong (born 7 July 1955) is a Chinese film and television director and producer. She is considered a member of the Fifth Generation movement, and China's top woman director. Her films have won multiple awards in China and abroad, including the Golden Montgolfiere at the 1992 Three Continents Festival (for Bloody Morning), and the Silver Bear at the 1995 Berlin International Film Festival (for Blush).
Early life Li was born on 7 July 1955 in Suzhou, Jiangsu, but is considered a native of her ancestral hometown, Wendeng, Shandong, by Chinese convention. In 1969, when she was only 14, Li joined the army in the Sichuan military region, working in a military hospital. Reflecting on her military life, she said the army had too many rules and did not suit her personality, and she decided to pursue a film career. After the end of the Cultural Revolution, she was admitted to Beijing Film Academy in 1978, graduating from its film directing department in 1982.
Career In 1982, Li joined the Beijing Film Studio, where she worked as the assistant director for several films. In 1988, she directed her first film The Case of the Silver Snake.
Li's 1990 film Bloody Morning was a great success, winning multiple awards in China, Taiwan, France, and Germany, including the Golden Montgolfiere at the 1992 Three Continents Festival in Nantes. She became recognized as a member of the Fifth Generation movement of Chinese cinema, a loose collection of mainland Chinese filmmakers that first emerged in the early to mid-1980s, along with other directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. Like other Fifth Generation films, Li Shaohong's works often focus on the rural side of Chinese society.
In 1994, she directed the film Blush (Hongfen), adapted from Su Tong's eponymous novel about two Shanghai prostitutes at the time of Liberation in 1949. The film won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Single Achievement at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival in 1995.
With the 2004 film Baober in Love, Li broke the mode of her previous works and ventured into the realm of magical realism.
Li is also a producer and has her own film production company. She has become a household name in China and is considered China's top woman director. She has also directed several TV dramas, including Palace of Desire (2000), which won the 18th Golden Eagle award for best TV drama, and The Dream of Red Mansions (2010).
Personal life Li Shaohong is married to Zeng Nianping (), a cameraman. They met at the Beijing Film Academy, where she was a student and he was an assistant professor. They have a daughter.
Filmography YearEnglish titleChinese titleNotes1988The Case of the Silver Snake银蛇谋杀案1990Bloody Morning血色清晨Winner of the Golden Montgolfiere at the 1992 Three Continents Festival1992Family Portrait四十不惑1995Blush红粉Winner of the Silver Bear at the 1995 Berlin International Film Festival1997 The Red Suit 红西服 Thunderstorm 雷雨 TV series; 20 episodes2000Palace of Desire 大明宫词TV series2001Ju Zi Hong Le 橘子红了TV series2004Baober in Love恋爱中的宝贝2005Stolen Life生死劫Golden Crow Pheasant at the 2005 International Film Festival of KeralaBest Narrative Feature at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival2007The Door门2010The Dream of Red Mansions 红楼梦TV series2013Flowers of Pinellia Ternata 花开半夏TV series2018The Chronicles of Town Called Jian 茧镇奇缘TV series; producer2019 Poetry of the Song Dynasty 大宋宫词 A City Called Macau 妈阁是座城 Liberation 解放·终局营救 Co-directed with Chang Xiaoyang2020 Unbending Will 石头开花 TV series; 20 episodes Hear Her 听见她说 TV series; 1 episode2021Palace of Devotion 大宋宫词TV series2022Hero 世间有她Segment: "China – Wuhan Story"2025Wei Lie 围猎TV series
References
External links
Li Shaohong at the Chinese Movie Database