Zhang Songwen

Zhang Songwen was born in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province. After graduating from high school, he worked successively in a printing factory, a food stall, and a beverage factory. Finally, he worked as a tour guide for five years. Thanks to his professional skills, Zhang Songwen has won the honor of "Best Tour Guide in Guangdong Province".[1] One day when I was 24, I first heard about Zhang Songwen from Beijing Film Academy through a fellow tour guide. In order to pursue his film dream, he immediately quit his job and came to Beijing to sign up for the art examination. And was admitted to the 2000 higher vocational class of the Acting Department of Beijing Film Academy.[2] After entering school, Zhang Songwen was appointed monitor by his teacher because of his old age. Then he became president of the Student Union. After graduating from the school, Zhang Songwen spent eight years as a teaching assistant. [3]

Zhang Songwen has worked as an acting director for several films and TV series. In 2005, he played his first role as a male in a Cantonese sitcom. And the Love on Credit starring Lin Chi-Ling in 2011.

In 2008, Zhang left the Beijing Film Academy to set up Zhang Songwen International Performance Studio. He is devoted to the research of film and television performance techniques and methods of performance.[4]

In 2009, Zhang had his first cooperation with the famous director Lou Ye in Spring Fever (2009), which was shown in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival[5] where it won the prize for best screenplay.

In March 2016, Zhang Songwen was invited to act in the suspense and drama film "Lovers in Hell" (also known as "The Shadow Play") directed by Lou Ye and produced by Zhang Jialu, in which he played the role of Tang Yijie, director of the development zone. The film was shortlisted for Best Director at the 55th Golden Horse Awards.[6]

Later in 2017, Zhang appeared as a teacher father in End of Summer (2017). It made its world premiere in the New Currents section of the 22nd Busan International Film Festival, winning the KNN Award.[7]

Zhang starred in the crime drama film The Shadow Play (2018), as the Chief of the Construction Committee jumped to his death from a tall building.[8] The Shadow Play received critical acclaim and several Golden Horse Awards nominations.[9]

In 2020, Zhang portrayed an aquatic production businessman in the web television series The Bad Kids,[10] which is based on the 2014 Zi Jinchen's novel, Bad Kid (坏小孩).[11] The series released with critical acclaim and became a social media hit.[12][13]

In 2023, Zhang portrayed a criminal lord in the criminal drama The Knockout (狂飙), who rose up step by step from a poor fishmonger at wet market 20 years ago. The drama is sponsored by Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of CCP, portraying the achievements of its signature anti-crime campaign (打黑). However, Zhang played his character so well that people perceive this drama as the evolvement story of the underworld (黑社会) in China in the early 2000s.[14]

• Zhang Songwen at IMDb