At the age of 28, he was admitted to the Film Academy. At the age of 34, he became a photographer for the first time and won the China Film Excellent Photographer Award. At the age of 37, he directed his first work, Red Sorghum, and won the Golden Bear Award for Best Film at Berlin International Film Festival for its strong color, bold style and unique charm. His main works are: movies, musicals, parties, Peking Opera, propaganda films, music works, publishing books and even designing stamps.
In terms of movies, Zhang Yimou has contributed works with great characteristics of the times, regions and personal audio-visual style, such as Red Sorghum, Hanging Red Lantern, Autumn Chrysanthemum and Living Story. Around 2000, Zhang Yimou entered a transitional period, including Speak Well, No One Can Be Less and Happy Time. The subsequent Heroes, House of Flying Daggers and Golden Flower in the City opened the era of China blockbuster, and Zhang Yimou was fully commercialized from then on. After 20 10 years, he officially began to return with the love and return of hawthorn tree.
In terms of parties, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, the 60th anniversary gala of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2009, the APEC welcome dinner in 20 15, the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China in 20 16, and the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 20 18 "Eight Minutes in Beijing" and so on. In musical, Zhang Yimou directed the famous Italian opera Turandot 1998 for the first time. Since 2004, he has cooperated with Fan Yue and Wang Chaoge to launch a series of works, such as Impression of Sister Liu, Impression of West Lake and Impression of Hainan Island. He also directed two Peking Opera performances "Red Cliff" and "Home on Earth", a variety show, and designed commemorative stamps for the 60th anniversary of the National Day. It is Zhang Yimou's style never to refuse new things.