China's Beauty Zhang Ziyi smiles for today and future

Zhang Ziyi smiles for today and future

In China, actress Zhang Ziyi is an international superstar. To the world, is an iconic image of China. Zhang dresses in Chinese traditional style on many occasions to show the beauty and elegance of Chinese women. At home and abroad, she is always under the microscope.


Zhang Ziyi was in Greece when the the Olympic flame was lit in front of the Temple of Hera. She came as an invited as a guest, wearing a white, embroidered Qipao.

Zhang Ziyi established her name about ten years ago when she starred in Zhang Yimou's film "My Home Road". But it's not been easy for Zhang to get to where she is today.






As a Chinese, Zhang Ziyi grows more confident as her motherland grows stronger. Her joy is apparent on many occasions. On May 4th, in Sanyan, on south China's Hainan Island, Zhang Ziyi appeared as a runner in the Olympic torch relay. Again people saw her heartfelt smile. She said 200 meters was too short a distance. She joked that if she ran in reverse to slow down the pace, she would have a longer time to run.

In 1998, as a student at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, Zhang Ziyi made her big screen debut in Zhang Yimou's film "My Home Road". The film made her a star in China. Then in 1999, she became known to the world in Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The leading roles in the film were played by Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeon. Since then, Zhang has worked with some top international directors. She became the most sought after Chinese actress in the international entertainment world. In many ways she is regarded as China's gift to Hollywood.







From her roles as Zhao Di in her first film "My Home Road" to Yu Jiaolong in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", from Ding Hui of "Purple Butterfly" to Xiaomei in "House of Flying Daggers" and Bai Ling in "2046", Zhang reveals an impressive talent and a distinctive acting style.

2005 became a harvest year for Zhang. She won Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards, the Huabiao Awards and the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award. She was also nominated as Best Actress for her performance in Memoirs of a Geisha at the Golden Globe Awards. In April, Zhang was listed among Time's 100 most influential people in the world. At the end of the year, she was listed again, in the Asian edition of Time - among the 14 most influential people.

Her effort step by step has paid off. As a Beijing native, Zhang has always been centred on her hometown and motherland. When the massive May 12 Wenchuan earthquake occurred, Zhang Ziyi was at Cannes Film Festival. She ended her commercial activities and began collecting money for people affected by the disaster. She made a banner "I love China" to help raise donations.

Zhang expects to be in Beijing to watch the Olympic games in August. Her favourites are basketball and diving. She has booked tickets for the first games of Chinese and American basketball teams and the diving finals. If you watch the competitions you'll probably see her signature smile. It stands out in a crowd.

Editor:Liu Fang





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