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Xu Jinglei

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Xu.
Xu Jinglei
Born (1974-04-16) April 16, 1974 (age 50)
Beijing, China
Alma materBeijing Film Academy
Occupations
Years active1994–present
AwardsSilver Shell for Best Director
2004 Letter from an Unknown WomanHuabiao Awards – Outstanding New Actress
2003 I Love You

Golden Rooster Awards – Best New Director
2003 My Father and I
Best Supporting Actress
2003 Far From Home

Hundred Flowers Awards – Best Actress
2003 Spring Subway

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese徐靜蕾
Simplified Chinese徐静蕾
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXú Jìnglěi
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingCeoi4 Zing6-leoi4
Musical career
LabelsBeijing Kaila Pictures Co., Ltd.

Xu Jinglei (Chinese: 徐静蕾, born 16 April 1974 in Chaoyang District, Beijing) is a Chinese actress and film director.[1] She was hailed as one of the Four Dan Actresses in China. In 2002, Xu won the Huabiao Award for Outstanding New Actress for her performance in I Love You and the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for Spring Subway. The same year, she won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Far From Home. In 2003, she won the directing debut award of the 23rd Golden Rooster Award for the first film she directed, My Father and I. In 2004, she won the Best Director Award at the 52nd San Sebastián International Film Festival for her film Letter from an Unknown Woman, which she composed, directed and starred in.[2]

On Mar 13 2006, Xu invested and founded the entertainment company Beijing Flower Blooming Network Technology Co., LTD independently.[3]

Early life and education

On April 16, 1974, Xu was born in Beijing, China. Xu graduated from Beijing Film Academy in 1997.[4] She later returned as a teacher at the Performing Department.[5]

Xu grew up with her parents and her younger brother.[6] Xu Jinglei's father Xu Zijian and his mother Yu Shurong are both middle-class workers. Her Father, Xu Zijian is the director of the Great Wall Neon Factory in Beijing.

Xu was recommended to a middle school in Beijing's Chaoyang District because of her extraordinary calligraphy skills. However, she didn't like calligraphy, but was forced by her father to study in the calligraphy class in Beijing Children's Palace to practice calligraphy every day and recite poems of Tang poetry under the strict education of her father. As a child, Xu was not confident at all, and she never thought of being an actress or director.[6][7]

Later, Xu Jinglei fell in love with painting. When she was 17, she spent a long time commuting to learn painting and determined to study make-up as a major in the Stage Art department of The Central Academy of Drama. However, she was not admitted by The Central Academy of Drama, but was instead admitted to the acting department of Beijing Film Academy, starting her career of acting and directing later.[citation needed]

Career

Acting career

In 1994, she first entered the film industry by starring in the TV series "My Deskmate".[8] Xu Jinglei rose to fame in China with the television series A Sentimental Story (1997), where she played a policewoman who falls for a gangster.[9] Thereafter, she starred in romance film Spicy Love Soup (1997), where she won the Society Award at the Golden Phoenix Awards for her performance.[5] In 1998, she was elected the third most popular contemporary actress among college students and the top 10 stunners of the New Weekly. In the same year, she took part in the TV drama "Love to the End".[10] Xu solidified her success in 2002 with the films Spring Subway and I Love You, both popular hits in China and particularly with younger audiences.

In 1998, Xu and actor Li Yapeng paired up in Cherish Our Love Forever, a story based on the life and love between a group of young college students. The television series struck a chord with young audiences and became a massive hit in China, where Xu and Li were hailed as the "Nation's Couple".[11] The two would later pair up again for the film sequel Eternal Moment (2011), set ten years after the drama.[12]

Xu solidified her success in 2002 with the films Spring Subway and I Love You, both popular hits in China and particularly with younger audiences.[13] Along with Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun and Zhao Wei, Xu was hailed as one of the Four Dan Actresses in China.[13] Xu won the Huabiao Award for Outstanding New Actress for her performance in I Love You and the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for Spring Subway.[14] The same year, she won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Far from Home.[15]

In June 2005, Time named Xu Jinglei as the only Chinese director and actor in an article entitled "China's New Revolution", and called her "a representative revolutionary figure in the Chinese film industry".[16]

In 2006, Xu starred alongside Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung and Shu Qi in the crime drama Confession of Pain.[17] She received her first acting award in Hong Kong; the year's Most Attractive Actress at the Hong Kong Society of Cinematographers (HKSC) Awards.[18] Xu was then cast as the female lead in the war epic, The Warlords (2007) by Peter Chan.[19]

After an extended hiatus from acting, Xu made a comeback in the science fiction thriller Battle of Memories (2017).[20][21]

Directing career

Xu made her directorial debut with the film My Father and I (2003), where she also starred as the lead actress. The film, which tackled the delicate relationship between a Chinese father and his daughter, received widespread critical acclaim and won her a Golden Rooster for Best Directing Debut.[22][13] Her second directorial work, Letter from an Unknown Woman (2004) was a romantic story based on the classic novel of Stefan Zweig, and won her the Silver Shell for Best Director at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain.[22][23]

After two successful art-house films, Xu had a shot in innovative film making in Dreams Come True (2006), an experimental film shot in one setting.[24] However unlike her previous two films, Dreams Come True was panned by critics.[25]

Xu became the first female director in China whose films gross more than 100 million yuan, for her 2010 film Go Lala Go!.[22][9] The film, adapted from Li Ke's bestseller of the same name which is about a young woman's growth in society, is Xu's first attempt at commercial production.[26] Go Lala Go! shows the life of middle-class, revealing the accelerated pace of the society as well as the degradation of the social welfare system as a consequence of the rise of neoliberal mindset. The ideology difference between Go Lala Go! and My Father and I indicates a transition of China's old society to the new society, articulating the social reconstruction of China.[27]

In 2014, Xu Jinglei, as the only female director, ranked fifth on the Chinese directors value list, which selected from mainland directors who have independently directed five or more films in theaters in the past two decades. Xu appears as "the first female director who has directed six films independently and has earned more than 100 million yuan at the domestic box office and won the international Film Festival awards" on the list. Some industry insiders said that although the persistent exploration of literary avant-garde themes may affect her box office performance, the 36.25 percent return rate confirms the significant effect of "director Xu Jinglei" in the audiences' mind.[28]

Xu continued to direct romantic features Dear Enemy (2011) and Somewhere Only We Know (2015), which were moderately successful at the box office.[29][30][31]

Deviating from her former productions which mainly focuses on romance and family, Xu returned with action cop thriller The Missing in 2017.[22] She also announced that she would be producing an alien-themed online comedy series based on the popular online novel "My 200-Million-Year-Old Classmate".[22] This is China's first science fiction school-themed online drama, adapted from the novel of the same name, talking about a story of an alien named Abdouri takes over a high school girl, Xuan Mo's body. First time acting as the producer of a web series, Xu indicates that she didn't do it on a whim, but instead hopes to make a movie-like web series. She chose to work on this series because she saw the uniqueness of the characters and the setting of the story and want to create a milestone for Chinese television industry.[32] For best results, Xu called in her own film crew to help. In addition, in order to present the perfect science fiction special effects in this school youth drama with science fiction elements, Xu Jinglei also invited Nick Hsieh, an international special effects supervisor who has participated in the production of blockbusters such as Pacific Rim and Star Wars, as the special effects director.[32]

Other activities

Xu is popular in China, and in mid-2006, her Chinese-language blog had the most incoming links of any blog in any language on the Internet, according to blog search engine Technorati.[33][34]

In 2006, Xu founded her own production company, Kaila Pictures Corporation.[35] She uses the same name for her monthly digital magazine, which was first launched in April 2007.[36] On April 27, Xu Jinglei cooperated with Founder Electronics Cooperation to release her personal calligraphy computer characters in FounderType, which was named "Founder Jinglei Simplified". Founder Cooperation claims that this is the first real personal calligraphy computer character library products in China, marking the entry of "computer word bank" into the era of individuation.[37]

In November 2012, Xu participated in the fourth season of China's Got Talent and acted as the judge.[38]

In May 2018, Xu, for her first time, participated in the third season of the Crossover Singer aired on BTV1.[39]

In 2010, she launched her first jewelry line which was sold on online stores.[citation needed]

Xu also launched an education and film fund with 200,000 yuan (US$25,000) to support braille publications, education for the children of migrant workers, and filming.[40]

In 2008, Xu was awarded the honorary title of "China Environmental Ambassador" at an awarding ceremony cosponsored by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the United Nations Development Program on World Earth Day.[41]

Filmography

Film

Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
1996 Tough Guy 忽然丈夫
1997 My Love to Tell You 我的爱对你说
Life Express 一夜富贵
Spicy Love Soup 愛情麻辣燙 Lin Yuqing
1998 The Storm Riders 風雲 Feng Wu
2002 Dazzling 花眼 Xiao Hao
Spring Subway 開往春天的地鐵 Xiao Hui
Far From Home 我的美丽乡愁 Xue'er
2003 I Love You 我爱你 Du Xiaojie
Heroic Duo 雙雄 Zhuo Min
My Father and I 我和爸爸 Xiao Yu also director and screenwriter
2004 Brothers 兄弟 Xue'er
Last Love, First Love 最后的爱,最初的爱 Fang Min
2005 Letter from an Unknown Woman 一个陌生女人的来信 Young girl also director and screenwriter
2006 Dreams May Come 梦想照进现实 Actor also director and screenwriter
Confession of Pain 伤城 Zhou Shuzhen
2007 The Warlords 投名状 Lian Sheng
2009 Shinjuku Incident 新宿事件 Yuko Eguchi
2010 Go Lala Go! 杜拉拉升职记 Du Lala also director and screenwriter
2011 Eternal Moment 将爱情进行到底 Wen Hui
Dear Enemy 亲密敌人 Ai Mi also director
2013 Better and Better 越來越好之村晚 Liu Shufen
2014 One Step Away 触不可及 Ying Zi
2015 Somewhere Only We Know 有一个地方只有我们知道 Chen Lanxin also director
2017 The Missing 綁架者 also director
Battle of Memories 记忆大师 Zhang Daichen
2018 The Trough 低压槽 HuiMeizi
Good Luck Dad 让我怎么相信你 also Title Design

Xu's Filmography as a director

Xu's Filmography as a director
Time Film title
2003 My Father and I
2005 Letter from an Unknown Woman
2006 Dreams May Come
2010 Go Lala Go!
2011 Dear Enemy
2015 Somewhere Only We Know
2017 The Missing

Television series

Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
1994 My Old Classmate 同桌的你
1996 Beijing Love Story 北京爱情故事 Dan Hong
1997 A Sentimental Story 一場風花雪月的事 Lu Yueyue
1998 Long Tang 龙堂 Ding Min
Cherish Our Love Forever 将爱情进行到底 Wen Hui
1999 Thunderstorm Rider 霹雳菩萨 Ah De
Here Comes Fortune 财神到 Xiao Yu
Love Letter 情书 Xia Lin
2000 New Romance Generation 新言情时代 Yi Fei television film
Divine Retribution 世纪之战 Yuen Siu-mui / Siu-kuk
Family of Lu Ao 旅"奥"一家人
2001 Accumulating All My Love 堆积情感 Yu Jingjing
Let Love Make the Decision 让爱作主 Lou Jiayi
2002 Sky Lovers 天空下的缘分 Du Mai
2005 Doukou Nianhua 豆蔻年华 Lin Lan
2018 200 Million Years Old Classmate 同学两亿岁 also executive producer

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Xu Jinglei
San Sebastián International Film Festival
Time Award's title Awarded work Status
2004 Silver Shell Award for Best Director of the 52nd San Sebastián International Film Festival[42] Letter from an Unknown Woman Awarded
Huabiao Awards
Time Award's title Awarded work Award
2003 Best Newcomer of the 9th China Film Huabiao Awards[43] I Love You Awarded
2003 Outstanding Actress Award of the 9th China Film Huabiao Awards Far From Home Nominated

References

  1. ^ "A Versatile 'Flower Vase'". Women of China. September 16, 2008.
  2. ^ "徐静蕾执导《一封陌生女人的来信》西班牙获奖(图)_影音娱乐_新浪网". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "北京鲜花盛开影业有限公司". www.bjeye.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  4. ^ "徐静蕾简介 (Introducing Xu Jinglei)". Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  5. ^ a b "Love story with a twist inspires actress-director". China Daily. February 14, 2005.
  6. ^ a b Ji, Yan (December 1, 1999). "The Growth of Xu - walking into Xu Jinglei's home". Beijing Evening News.
  7. ^ "徐静蕾：我就朝阳一女的_徐子健". www.sohu.com. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "徐静蕾艺术成就". China Daily. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Chinese Director-Actress Xu Jinglei". China Radio International. March 16, 2010.[dead link‍]
  10. ^ "徐静蕾艺术成就". China Daily. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "Film Version of "Cherish Our Love Forever" to Be Shot". China Radio International. May 6, 2010.[dead link‍]
  12. ^ "Xu Jinglei, Li Yapeng in new romantic film". Xinhua News Agency. September 23, 2010. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010.
  13. ^ a b c "Story of a secret love". China Daily. March 6, 2005.
  14. ^ "Xu Jinglei wins Hundred Flowers award". Guangdong News. November 7, 2003.
  15. ^ "第23届中国电影金鸡奖揭晓 张艺谋获最佳导演奖". Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). May 11, 2013. Archived from the original on November 7, 2003.
  16. ^ "Xu Jinglei :" An EXCEPTION "for the Master of Memory"". People.cn. May 4, 2017.
  17. ^ "Shu Qi and Xu Jinglei". Variety. July 16, 2006.
  18. ^ "Aaron Kwok and Xu Jinglei Most Attractive in Cinematographers' Eyes". China.org.cn. April 12, 2007.
  19. ^ "China's Xu set for 'Ci ma' role". Variety. December 15, 2006.
  20. ^ "Actress-director Xu Jinglei returns to big screen". China Daily. November 24, 2016.
  21. ^ "Xu returns to acting role in sci-fi film". China Daily. May 3, 2017.
  22. ^ a b c d e "Actress expands her talent with directing". Shanghai Daily. December 31, 2016.
  23. ^ "Xu Jinglei Wins Best New Director in Spain". China.org.cn. September 27, 2014.
  24. ^ "Experimental director breaks out of mould with "Dreams"". Xinhua News Agency. July 7, 2006.[dead link‍]
  25. ^ "Bore or score?". Xinhua News Agency. July 8, 2016. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006.
  26. ^ "Director Xu Jinglei Swaps Styles in Her New Movie". People's Daily. April 12, 2010.
  27. ^ Guo, Shaohua (March 4, 2017). "Acting through the Camera Lens: The Global Imaginary and Middle Class Aspirations in Chinese Urban Cinema". Journal of Contemporary China. 26 (104): 311–324. doi:10.1080/10670564.2016.1223099. ISSN 1067-0564. S2CID 152049914.
  28. ^ Geng, Qingyuan (October 24, 2014). ""Chinese Durector Value List" exposure: Xu Jinglei Became the First Female Director". China News.
  29. ^ "Xu Jinglei: From art house to box office". China Radio International. December 23, 2011.
  30. ^ "Xu Jinglei Playing Four Roles in Dear Enemy". Women of China. December 23, 2011.
  31. ^ "Xu Jinglei begins production on Somewhere". Film Business Asia. June 26, 2014. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014.
  32. ^ a b Wang, Xiaoyi (April 25, 2017). "Xu Jinglei Supervises the Production of a Web Series: My 200-Million-Year-Old Classmate". China News.
  33. ^ "Chinese actor writes world's top blog". The Guardian. July 20, 2007.
  34. ^ "Actress becomes world's favourite blogger". The Telegraph. May 24, 2007.
  35. ^ "The tale behind the 'talented bella'". China Daily. December 21, 2011.
  36. ^ "Xu Jinglei Launches Her E-magazine "Kai La"". China Radio International. April 17, 2007. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007.
  37. ^ "Xu Jinglei Demonstrates that Actors Who Don't Know Calligraphy are Not Good Directors". People.cn. September 17, 2015.
  38. ^ "China's Got Talent has reportedly invited Xu Jinglei to come back as an observer with an eight-figure price tag". Xinhuanet. October 24, 2012.
  39. ^ "2018 Crossover Singer New Update". People.cn. April 20, 2018.
  40. ^ "Xu launches film and education fund". China Daily. June 15, 2006.
  41. ^ "Xu Jinglei awarded title of 'environmental ambassador'". China.org.cn. April 22, 2008.
  42. ^ "徐静蕾西班牙拾"贝" 第52届西班牙圣塞巴斯蒂安国际电影节上，徐静蕾获得最佳导演"银贝壳奖"_NIKE新浪竞技风暴_新浪网". sports.sina.com.cn. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  43. ^ "历届华表奖新人浮沉录：曾经新丁今何在？_影音娱乐_新浪网". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
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