A Tribute to Gong Li, Part 1

One of the most famous (and influential) Chinese actresses of the past generation is Gong Li.  Her family name is Gong while her personal name is Li.  She was born on December 31, 1965.  Li was the youngest child in a family of five children.  Her father was a college economics professor in Beijing, China, but she was born in Shenyang, Liaoning.  Li's mother was forty years old when she was born and worked a teacher.  Li actually grew up in the city of Jinan, the capital of Shangdong Province. 

Li was not interested in following in her parent's footsteps as professional academics.  Her early passion was lay in the areas of singing, dancing, and acting.  In 1985 she applied to study at China's top music school.  However, she was denied entrance.  Her parents did not approve of her desire to follow this course for a career.  They attempted to influence her to follow a safer, more traditional course of study.  Later in 1985 Li was accepted to the very prestigious Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.  She graduated from this school in 1989.

While she was a student at the Central Academy of Drama, she was discovered by a man named Zhang Yimou.  He would choose Li for the lead role in his ground-breaking Chinese film "Red Sorghum"  in 1987.  This would be his first film as a director.  In this film Li assumed the lead character as a meek bride who becomes a powerful woman when she takes over her husband's winery following his death.  Gong Li has come to embody a new generation of Chinese woman.  She was brought up during ancient tradition but managed to reach out toward feminist values.  Her compelling film work refers to empowerment for women.

Her interesting, naturalistic performances are about different women struggling to overcome feudalism and patriarchy.  This has contributed greatly to the international success of her films.  Li herself has been credited with helping to attract American audiences to the Chinese film industry.  She married Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Soeng in 1996.  She became a Singaporean citizen in 2008.  Sadly, on June 28, 2010 it was revealed that Gong Li and her husband had become divorced.  Her dramatic work over the years speaks for itself.  She is a premier Chinese actress with a powerful appeal all over the world!

Harlan Urwiler

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