Zhou Xun (, born 18 October 1974) is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. She gained international fame for her roles in ''

Suzhou River Suzhou Creek (or Soochow Creek), also called the Wusong (Woosung) River, is a river that passes through the Shanghai city center. It is named after the neighboring city of Suzhou (Soochow), Jiangsu, the predominant settlement in this area prior ...

'' (2000) and '' Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress'' (2002). In 2009, she became the first Chinese actor to win the "Grand Slam", after winning the three biggest film awards, the Golden Horse Awards, the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards. Zhou has won Best Actress honors from Asian Film Awards, Asian Television Awards, Beijing College Student Film Festival, China Film Director's Guild Awards,

China TV Golden Eagle Award The China TV Golden Eagle Award (), commonly known in China as the Golden Eagle Awards, is one of three main national award ceremonies recognising excellence in the Chinese television industry. The award is presented by the China Television Artist ...

, Chinese Film Media Awards,

Golden Bauhinia Awards Golden Bauhinia Awards () is a Hong Kong film award organised by the Hong Kong Film Critics Association. Its first award presentation ceremony took place in 1996. The award attracted controversy in 2007, when ten nominations were given to Pang ...

, Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, Golden Rooster Awards, Hong Kong Film Awards,

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...

, Hundred Flowers Awards,

Huading Awards The Huading Awards are a set of entertainment awards in China. The awards were set up by Tianxia Yingcai Cultural Media Co., LTD () in 2007 in Beijing and are held more than once each year across multiple entertainment media from Chinese televisi ...

Shanghai Television Festival The Shanghai Television Festival (), abbreviated STVF, also known as the Shanghai International Television Festival is the first and one of the largest television festivals in East Asia. Held since 1986, STVF has become one of the most influential ...

and Shanghai Film Critics Awards; as well as the French award-giving body

Festival du Film de Paris The Festival du Film de Paris, also known as Paris Film Festival, was a film festival held annually in Paris, France. It was launched in 1986 as a youth-oriented festival. In 2002, the municipal government withdrew funding and began Festival Paris ...

Early life

Zhou was born to a middle-class family in

Quzhou Quzhou is a prefecture-level city in western Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the upper course of the Qiantang River, it borders Hangzhou to the north, Jinhua to the east, Lishui to the southeast, and the provinces o ...

, Zhejiang. Her father, Zhou Tianning (), was a local film projectionist, and her mother, Chen Yiqin (), was a salesperson at a department store. She had her schooling in Quzhou No.1 Middle School. After she graduated, Zhou enrolled at the Zhejiang Arts Institute to further her interest in dramatic arts, against the wishes of her parents, who wanted her to graduate from a university. She was handpicked for a role in the film ''Strange Tales Amongst Old and Desolate Tombs'' during her teenage years in school.

Acting career

1995–2004: Beginnings and breakthrough

Zhou debuted in the comedy movie ''The Pampered Wife'' (1995). She next starred in

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wit ...

's films, '' Temptress Moon'' (1996) and '' The Emperor and the Assassin'' (1999). But it was not until in 2000 that Zhou received recognition in China. With her role as young Princess Taiping in historical drama '' Palace of Desire'', Zhou received the Audience's Choice for Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards at the 18th

. Zhou achieved breakthrough on the big screen with Lou Ye's ''

'' (2000), which won her the Best Actress award at the 15th

. That year, she was named one of the Four Dan Actresses alongside

Zhang Ziyi Zhang Ziyi (; ; born 9 February 1979) is a Chinese actress and model. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. Her first major role was in '' The Road Home'' (1999). She later gained international recognition for her role in ...

Zhao Wei Zhao Wei (; born 12 March 1976), also known as Vicky Zhao or Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese actress, businesswoman, film director, producer and pop singer. She is considered one of the most popular actresses in China and Chinese-speaking regions, an ...

and Xu Jinglei. She further achieved international recognition when she starred in the Franco-Chinese romance drama film '' Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress'' (2002). A string of successful projects followed. In her first Hong Kong film '' Hollywood Hong Kong'' directed by Fruit Chan, Zhou impressed critics with her performance. Hollywood magazine '' Variety'' praise Zhou saying "Zhou is superb, moving with ease between her various personalities and always convincing in each". Among Zhou's earlier notable works also include television series '' April Rhapsody'' (2000), ''

Love Story in Shanghai ''Love Story in Shanghai'', also known as ''Symphony of Rain'', is a 2001 Chinese period television drama series directed by Zhao Baogang, set in 1930s Shanghai. The show was broadcast on 14 national networks almost simultaneously beginning in late ...

'' (2001) and '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' (2003);

2005–2011: Critical acclaim

She next starred in Feng Xiaogang's

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

film '' The Banquet'' (2006), inspired from

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. Zhou plays the girlfriend of the crown prince, equivalent to Ophelia. In 2007, she starred in

Susie Au Susie Au Suet-yee (), is a film-maker and versatile based in Hong Kong. Her works include T.V. commercials, music videos, feature films, documentaries and multi-installations. She is noted for her stunning visual styles. She innovates electrif ...

's film ''

Ming Ming ''Ming Ming'' () is a 2006 Hong Kong film directed by Susie Au and starring Zhou Xun, Daniel Wu, Tony Yang and Jeff Chang. A debut feature-length film by Au, an experienced music video director, Ming Ming premiered on 14 October 2006 during th ...

'', which was highly praised at the 11th Pusan International Film Festival. Zhou played dual roles – twins with absolutely different characteristics and personalities. She then starred in

Cao Baoping Cao Baoping () is a Chinese film director. He has emerged in recent years as a figure in China's "midrange" cinema industry. Some industry watchers, like ''Variety'', have situated directors like Cao between the older fifth generation directors, ...

's romantic thriller ''

The Equation of Love and Death ''The Equation of Love and Death'' () is a 2008 Chinese dramatic film written and directed by Cao Baoping and starring Zhou Xun. The film is a Chinese (Huayi Brothers) and Hong Kong (Sundream Motion Pictures) co-production. It is Cao's second solo ...

'' (2008) as a taxicab driver on the lookout for her missing boyfriend. Critics again praised Zhou, crediting the film's success to Zhou's performance as Li Mi. Zhou went on to receive Best Actress awards at the Asian Film Awards, Shanghai Film Critics Awards, Golden Rooster Film Festival, and Chinese Film Media Awards. The same year she appeared in Gordon Chan's horror-adventure film ''

Painted Skin Painted Skin may refer to: * "Painted Skin" (short story), short story from Pu Songling's ''Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio'' * ''Painted Skin'' (1992 film), Hong Kong film directed by King Hu * ''Painted Skin'' (2008 film), Chinese film dir ...

'', a remake of a classic supernatural thriller of the same title. Next came spy thriller '' The Message'' (2009), about Japanese invaders in China who try to ferret out a spy among their Chinese collaborators. In 2009, Zhou was named the Star of the Year at CineAsia exhibition and distribution convention in Hong Kong. ''Asia-Pacific Producers Network'' (APN) also honored her as the Asian Star of the Year for her exemplary box office achievements. In an interview with ''

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

'', Zhou was named Asia's 25 greatest actors of all time. She filmed the wuxia film '' Flying Swords of Dragon Gate'' (2011) directed by Tsui Hark.

2012–present: Directorial and Hollywood debut, television comeback

In 2011, Zhou made her directorial debut with the short film ''Five Demon Traps'', which stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai as a demon killer. In 2012, Zhou made her Hollywood debut in the science fiction film ''

Cloud Atlas A cloud atlas is a pictorial key (or an atlas) to the nomenclature of clouds. Early cloud atlases were an important element in the training of meteorologists and in weather forecasting, and the author of a 1923 atlas stated that "increasing use ...

'', playing multiple roles in the film. The film grossed over the 700 million yuan ($109.8 million) landmark, becoming the highest-grossing Chinese-language movie of all time then. In 2014, Zhou returned to television after 10 years in '' Red Sorghum'', based on Nobel prize laureate Mo Yan's 1986/1987

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

of the same name. Zhou's performance in the series was highly praised by the author himself for her immaculate grasp of the character's inner turmoil. Zhou won the Best Actress Award at the Asian Television Award. In 2018 she starred in the romance film ''Last Letter'' directed by

Shunji Iwai is a Japanese film director, video artist, writer and documentary maker. Life and career Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987. In 1988 he started out in the Japanese entertainment ...

, and was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Golden Horse Awards. In 2019, Zhou starred in the crime thriller film

Remain Silent ''Remain Silent'' () is a 2019 Chinese crime drama film directed and written by Zhou Ke, and starring Zhou Xun, Francis Ng and Zu Feng. It was released on August 23, 2019. Synopsis Wan Wenfang (Zhou Xun) was assassinated in Hong Kong during ...

. In 2021, Zhou starred in fantasy film The Yinyang Master. Zhou is set to star in the wuxia film ''The Weary Poet'', and family drama film ''The Eleventh Chapter''.

Social activities

Zhou Xun was named the first

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

(UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador for China in 2008 with a special focus of promoting environmental sustainability. Zhou jointly runs a campaign 'Our Part', which promotes 'tips for green living'. On 22 April 2010, she became the Laureate of

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

(UNEP)'s Champions of the Earth (Inspiration & Action). She was the first entertainer in the world to receive this honour.

Fashion

In 2006, Zhou had become a global spokesperson for Miu Miu. In 2008, she selected as a brand ambassador of

Lancel Lancel may refer to: People * Andrew Lancel (born 1970), English actor * Edmond Lancel (1888–1959), Belgian chess master *Serge Lancel (1928–2005), French archaeologist *Lancel Victor de Hamel (1849–1894), Australian politician Other uses *La ...

for Greater China region. Since 2011, Zhou had been an ambassador for

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

. Chanel chief designer

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...

noted Zhou Xun for her strong fashion sense, describing the actress as "a synthesis of young Coco Chanel and Ballet Troupe Zizi Jeanmaire." Zhou has been on the cover of many top fashion magazines including '' Vogue China'' and Vogue Taiwan, Chinese and Hong Kong ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', Chinese and Hong Kong '' Elle'', Chinese and Taiwanese ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...

'', Chinese and Hong Kong ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'', Chinese ''

L'Officiel ''L'Officiel'' () is a French fashion magazine with a USA edition. It has been published in Paris since 1921 and targets upper-income, educated women aged from 25 to 49. In 2006, it had a circulation of 101,719. A men's edition of ''L'Officiel'', ' ...

'', Chinese '' Madame Figaro'', Chinese ''

Numéro ''Numéro'' is an international fashion magazine published by Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers. It has a circulation of 80,000, and the French edition reached its 100th issue in February 2009. The magazine covers international fashion, beauty, design, h ...

'', Chinese '' T'', Chinese '' GQ'', Chinese ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', Chinese ''

Elle Men Elle Man or Elle Men is a magazine for men's featuring the latest trends in style, culture and society, present in 8 countries, the magazine highlights the latest in fashion, grooming, travel and celebrities, adapted from Elle (magazine), Elle, ...

'', Chinese '' Harper's Bazaar Men''.

Personal life

Marriage

Zhou Xun married American actor Archie Kao on 16 July 2014 on stage after a charity event in

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

, China. On 23 December 2020, Zhou announced on her

Sina Weibo Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily acti ...

account that they have divorced. Zhou received Hong Kong citizenship under the "Quality Migrant Admission Scheme" in 2009.

Anecdote

Zhou had underwater phobia due to nearly drowning as a child. However, most dramas that she participated have underwater scenes. For example, during the filming of the film "Painted Skin: The Resurrection", she was required to soak in water for half a month. In an interview with several magazines in 2012, Zhou said that because she was not good at expressing herself and rarely used the Internet, receiving too much information was also a burden, so she did not apply for accounts on popular social networking sites, such as Weibo.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Short films

Voiced films

As producer

As director

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

Forbes China Celebrity 100

References

External links

* *
Zhou Xun
on

Zhou Xun
on

Sina.com Sina Corporation (, "new wave") is a Chinese technology company. Sina operates four major business lines: Sina Weibo, Sina Mobile, Sina Online, and Sinanet. Sina has over 100 million registered users worldwide. Sina was recognized by '' South ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhou, Xun 1974 births Actresses from Zhejiang Contraltos Chinese contraltos Living people People from Quzhou 20th-century Chinese actresses 21st-century Chinese actresses Singers from Zhejiang Chinese environmentalists People's Republic of China Tibetan Buddhists Chinese women environmentalists Chinese film actresses Chinese television actresses 21st-century Chinese women singers Best Actress Asian Film Award winners Chinese emigrants to Hong Kong