Li Shaohong

This article is about the film director. For the eunuch general/politician, see Ma Shaohong.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.

Li Shaohong
Li Shaohong in the 2000s
Born	(1955-07-07) 7 July 1955 Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Occupation(s)	film and television director and producer
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Zeng Nianping
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	李少红
Traditional Chinese	李少紅
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Shàohóng

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 (1998), 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 (曾念平), 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

Year	English title	Chinese title	Notes
1988	The Case of the Silver Snake	银蛇谋杀案
1990	Bloody Morning	血色清晨	Winner of the Golden Montgolfiere at the 1992 Three Continents Festival
1992	Family Portrait	四十不惑
1994	Blush	红粉	Winner of the Silver Bear at the 1995 Berlin International Film Festival
1997	The Red Suit	红西服
1998	Palace of Desire	大明宫词
2004	Baober in Love	恋爱中的宝贝
2005	Stolen Life	生死劫	Golden Crow Pheasant at the 2005 International Film Festival of Kerala Best Narrative Feature at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival
2007	The Door	门
2010	The Dream of Red Mansions	红楼梦
2019	Poetry of the Song Dynasty	大宋宫词
	A City Called Macau	妈阁是座城

External links

• Li Shaohong at IMDb
• Li Shaohong at AllMovie
• Li Shaohong at the Chinese Movie Database