Zhang Songwen

Zhang Songwen
张颂文
Born (1976-05-10) 10 May 1976 (age 48)
Alma materBeijing Film Academy
Occupations
Years active2003–present
AgentMountaintop Entertainment
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhāng SòngWén

Zhang Songwen (simplified Chinese: 张颂文; traditional Chinese: 張頌文; pinyin: Zhāng Sòngwén; born 10 May 1976) is a Chinese actor and acting coach, best known for the film The Shadow Play (2018) and the television series The Bad Kids (2020) and The Knockout (2023).

Early life

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Zhang Songwen was born in Shaoguan, Guangdong, on 10 May 1976.[1] His father was a veteran, while his mother was a doctor. After graduating from Shaoguan Vocational High School, he held various jobs, including working at a printing factory, a food stall, and a beverage factory.[1] From 1994 to 1999, he was employed as a tour guide with the China Travel Service.[2] At the age of 24, Zhang first heard about Beijing Film Academy through a fellow tour guide and on the same day, he quit his job and moved to Beijing. He enrolled in the vocational class of the Performance Department at the Beijing Film Academy,[3] where he served as class monitor and student union president. A few years after graduation from the vocational class, he was admitted into the BFA's vocational-to-bachelor’s program. After graduation, he worked as a teaching assistant at the academy for eight years.[4]

Career

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Zhang has worked as an acting coach for films and TV series, including the first season of the sitcom Cheng Long Guai Xu (2005), where he also played his first leading role, and the film Love on Credit (2011).[5]

In 2008, Zhang left his teaching position at Beijing Film Academy to establish his own acting studio.[6]

In 2009, Zhang collaborated with director Lou Ye for the first time in Spring Fever (2009), which won the prize for best screenplay at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.[7] Zhang later starred in the director's The Shadow Play (2018) and Saturday Fiction (2019), both of which received critical acclaim.

In 2017, Zhang appeared in End of Summer (2017), which won the KNN Award at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival.[8]

In 2020, Zhang appeared in the web series The Bad Kids,[9] based on the Zi Jinchen's novel, Bad Kid (坏小孩).[10][11][12]

In 2023, Zhang gained widespread popularity for his role as a fishmonger-turned-crime-boss in the TV series The Knockout (2023).[13]

Filmography

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Film

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Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
2009 Spring Fever 春风沉醉的夜晚 Han Ming
2011 The First President 第一大总统 Ye Ju
2012 Love Lifting 高舉·愛 Chen Chao
Guns and Roses 黄金大劫案 Pu Xiaotong [14]
The Four 四大名捕 Qian Jian
The Last Tycoon 大上海 Bao Yunlong
2013 Ip Man: The Final Fight 葉問:終極一戰 Ip Chun [15][better source needed]
Fake Fiction 摩登年代 Wei Jian
2014 Red Amnesia 闯入者 Policeman
2015 An Inspector Calls 神探駕到 Qi Shixing
The Way Forward 一路向前 Dr. Li
2017 End of Summer 西小河的夏天 Gu Jianhua
2019 The Shadow Play 风中有朵雨做的云 Tang Yijie
Saturday Fiction 兰心大剧院 Ni Zeren
2020 The Best Is Yet to Come 不止不休 Huang Jiang
2021 The Pioneer 革命者 Li Dazhao
2023 The Volunteers: To the War 志愿军:雄兵出击 Wu Xiuquan
Dust to Dust 第八个嫌疑人 He Lan

Television series

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Year English title Chinese title Role Notes Ref.
2005 乘龙怪婿 Jia Fa Also as the acting coach[16]
2006 Empress Feng of the Northern Wei Dynasty 北魏冯太后 Wang Hui
2008 Huo Yuanjia 霍元甲 Nong Jinsun
2009 Bing Sheng 兵圣 Fuchai of Wu [17]
2010 The Legend of Yang Guifei 杨贵妃秘史 Yang Guozhong [18]
2015 Master of Destiny 風雲天地 young Kuang Junhao
2018 The Inquiry In 1938 密查 Sun Dawu
2020 Detective Chinatown 唐人街探案 Wensong
The Bad Kids 隐秘的角落 Zhu Yongping
2021 Medal of the Republic 功勋 Li Tingzhao [19]
2022 Life is A Long Quiet River 心居 Zhan Xiang iQiyi
2023 The Knockout 狂飙 Gao Qiqiang iQiyi [20]
2024 The Boy Who Couldn't See a Shadow 看不见影子的少年 Wang Shitu iQiyi [21]

Literary works

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  • Match Heaven (Reader: All Love) (《火柴天堂》(《读者:全是爱》))
  • The Person who Lights the Lamp in the Heart "(Tianya) (《在心里点灯的人》(《天涯》))

References

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  1. ^ a b Chun Ye (春野) (2023). 张颂文:被演戏耽误的作家 [Zhang Songwen: A Writer Delayed by Acting]. Bosom Friend (in Chinese). 470. Wuhan, Hubei: Hubei Zhiyin Media Group Co., Ltd.: 31–34. ISSN 1007-502X.
  2. ^ Li, Zedong (2023-02-03). "张颂文曾获"广东省最佳导游",90年代一度月入2万!《狂飙》火了,这个地方也出圈了……" [Zhang Songwen was awarded the "Best Tour Guide in Guangdong Province" and once earned 20,000 RMB per month in the 1990s! Mania is a hit, this place is out of the loop...]. National Business Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  3. ^ "表演系2000班(高职)" [Acting Department Class 2000 (Higher Vocational Education)]. Beijing Film Academy. 2000-06-25. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  4. ^ "寻找真实的张颂文" [Look for the real Chang Songwen]. Yu Li (娱理). 2019-05-10. Archived from the original on 2020-07-01. Retrieved 11 April 2023 – via Sina Corporation.
  5. ^ Yi Feifan (艺非凡) (2023). 不像演的,张颂文一直在种菜路上“狂飙” [Unlike in the performance, Zhang Songwen has been "racing" on the road of planting vegetables]. Bosom Friend (in Chinese). 453. Wuhan, Hubei: Hubei Zhiyin Media Group Co., Ltd.: 6–8. ISSN 1007-502X.
  6. ^ Cui, Chen (2021-05-11). 张颂文:名声在外的表演教练终于等到自己上场 [Zhang Songwen: The renowned acting coach finally gets his moment in the spotlight.]. Wenhui Bao. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  7. ^ McCarthy, Todd (April 16, 2008). "Cannes taps heavy hitters". Variety. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Ryan, Fergus (1 September 2017). "Chinese Film 'End of Summer Makes It To Busan International Film Festival". China Film Insider. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  9. ^ 《隐秘的角落》曝海边大片 秦昊王景春张颂文主演. Netease (in Chinese). June 10, 2020. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Liao Fan, Duan Yihong, and Wang Jingchun return, and the 2020 new drama is worth looking forward to" 廖凡、段奕宏、王景春回归2020新剧值得期待. Qilu Evening News. February 27, 2020. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "Zhang Ziyi praised "The Bad Kids." Qin Hao expressed nostalgia for the time spent mountain climbing" 章子怡夸《隐秘的角落》 秦昊表示怀念爬山的时光. Sina Corporation (in Chinese). 2020-06-25. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  12. ^ Meng, Siyuan (2020-06-29). "Hit Thriller "The Bad Kids" is Stirring Conversations About Childhood Trauma - and Chinese TV". RADII. Archived from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  13. ^ Xu, Wei (February 23, 2023). "A knockout success in TV drama highlights a trend toward realism". Shanghai Daily. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  14. ^ 表演系老师张颂文:中国演员赴好莱坞需突破语言关. Phoenix Television (in Chinese). April 17, 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "Full Cast & Crew for Ip Man: The Final Fight". IMDb. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  16. ^ 明星校友 张颂文. Beijing Film Academy School of Continuing Education (in Chinese). March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  17. ^ 《兵圣》力求真实 “夫差”张颂文含泪掌嘴师弟. Sina (in Chinese). July 14, 2008. Archived from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  18. ^ 张颂文《杨贵妃秘史》出演杨国忠 一波三折. Sina (in Chinese). October 14, 2009. Archived from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  19. ^ Xu, Wei (8 October 2021). "Drama series pays tribute to China's heroes". Shanghai Daily. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  20. ^ 被问火了后是开心多还是惶恐多?张颂文这样回复. Netease (in Chinese). 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  21. ^ Luo, Pan (2024-06-05). "《看不见影子的少年》定档 张颂文荣梓杉回归" [The Boy Who Couldn't See Shadows is set to return with Zhang Songwen and Rong Zisan.]. China News Service (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2024-06-08. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
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