章子怡 Zhang Zi Yi - A Tribute

章子怡

Zhang Ziyi was born the 9th of February 1980, in Beijing, China, and is the daughter of an economist father and a kindergarten teacher. Raised with her older brother in an urban, working-class part of Beijing, Zhang was originally interested in dance and gymnastics.

Her entrance into the dance world came when she was 11, as she was accepted to a secondary school affiliated with Beijing Dancing College. During the 4 years that she was trained in dance, she managed to pick up some awards, including one at the National Young Dancer competition.

But even though a career in dance seemed promising for the graceful Zhang, she became frustrated with the art by the time she was 15, and opted to act instead.

Waiflike, ethereal and yet somehow a martial arts film favorite, Zhang Ziyi played high-kicking, fist-fighting heroines in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and House of Flying Daggers (2003). Zhang was born in China and spent six years at the Beijing Dance Academy before switching to acting studies at the Central Academy of Drama.

Her first leading role was in the poetic village romance The Road Home (1999), and one year later she landed a high-profie part as the aristocratic (and acrobatic) young rebel Jen Yu in Ang Lee's hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The role brought Zhang to the attention of international audiences, where her porcelain good looks and steely undertones proved to be a popular combination.

The next year she co-starred with Jackie Chan in the action comedy Rush Hour II, and in 2004 she played a mysterious samurai-like courtesan in the art house action film House of Flying Daggers. Zhang and her Crouching Tiger co-star Michelle Yeoh reunited for the Hollywood film Memoirs of a Geisha.

Zhang Ziyi - Nude at the Beach with Boyfriend