# Feng Xiaogang

Feng Xiaogang (simplified Chinese: 冯小刚; traditional Chinese: 馮小剛; pinyin: Féng Xiǎogāng; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese filmmaker and actor. Rising to fame for directing comedies, all starring Ge You, he played a pivotal role in shaping the Chinese New Year films, especially from the late 1990s to the early 2010s, with films such as Dream Factory (1997), Be There or Be Square (1998), Sorry Baby (1999), Big Shot’s Funeral (2001), Cell Phone (2003), and the film series If You Are the One (2008–2023).
Since the 2000s, he has transitioned from comedies to other genres including war and period dramas, such as A World Without Thieves (2004), The Banquet (2006), Assembly (2007), Aftershock (2010), Back to 1942 (2012), I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016), for which he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Director, and Youth (2017).
As an actor, he won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance in Mr. Six (2015).

## Early life

Feng's father, Feng Fei, courtesy name Kongxiu, was born in June 1921 in Yanbu Village, Xiangtan County, Hunan Province. He attended the National Southwest Associated University and served as an officer in Fu Zuoyi’s army during the Chinese Civil War before defecting to the Chinese Communist Party. In 1950, Feng Fei graduated from the Department of Western Languages at Peking University and later worked as a professor at several universities in Beijing. Feng's mother was a health doctor at a printing factory in Beijing. Feng Fei and his wife had two children, Feng and his sister Feng Xiaojun.
Feng Xiaogang was born in Dongguanying Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing. When he was just over a year old, his parents divorced because his father was designated as a “rightist.” Feng moved with his mother and sister to an area near her workplace at Beili Street, Chegongzhuang. The family lived in the compound of the Beijing Municipal Party School.
After high school, Feng Xiaogang joined the military and worked as a stage designer for the Beijing Military Region’s Cultural and Arts Troupe. In 1977, he began working unofficially for the Propaganda Team of the 6th Armored Division of the 38th Army in Nankou, Changping District, Beijing, entering the unit by borrowing a military uniform after missing the 1977 conscription period. He officially enlisted in 1978. In his autobiography, Feng recalled joining as a trainee in the arts team and being promoted to a Level-23 cadre within three years. However, during the 1984 downsizing of the military initiated by the Central Military Commission, he was discharged, partly due to his romantic relationship with the daughter of a veteran in the drama team. Feng’s seven years in the military arts troupe later served as inspiration for his film Youth.
After his discharge, Feng was initially assigned to work in the propaganda department of the Xizhimen Grain Warehouse in Beijing, but he declined the position. He was then offered two options: to continue serving as a staff officer in the Audio-Visual Education Department of the People’s Armed Police Academy in Langfang, Hebei, or to transition into civilian life as a trade union officer for the Beijing Urban Construction Development Corporation. Feng chose the latter. In 1985, he joined the Beijing Television Arts Center as an art designer.

## Film career
### 1990s

In 1992, Feng collaborated with Zheng Xiaolong on the screenplay for The Dream Factory, which was adapted into a film and earned five nominations at the 13th Golden Rooster Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. In 1994, he made his directorial debut with Gone Forever with My Love, a city-themed drama in which he also served as an art designer. That same year, he worked on Zheng Xiaolong’s TV series A Native of Beijing in New York and, in 1997, released the television series Behind the Moonlight.
Over the next few years, Feng established himself as a key figure in the Chinese New Year film genre with a string of box office hits, including The Dream Factory, Be There or Be Square, and Sorry Baby. His 2000 film Sigh garnered critical acclaim, while Big Shot’s Funeral became a notable black comedy with a satirical tone reminiscent of Hong Kong cinema.
Feng’s comedic style, often referred to as “Feng’s Comedy,” gained widespread recognition during this period. His success in the Chinese New Year film market solidified his reputation as a major commercial filmmaker. Unlike directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, who gained acclaim through prestigious film awards, Feng built his career on audience popularity and commercial success, earning a loyal fan base in the mainland Chinese film market.

### 2000s

In 2003, Feng directed Cell Phone, which propelled Fan Bingbing’s career as a rising film star.
In 2004, Feng directed A World Without Thieves, based on the novel of the same name by Zhao Benfu. The film starred Andy Lau, Rene Liu, Ge You, Wang Baoqiang, and Li Bingbing. It earned ¥120 million at the domestic box office, making it the third-highest-grossing film of the year, behind Kung Fu Hustle and House of Flying Daggers. Feng won the Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Rene Liu earned both the Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Actress and the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress. Wang Baoqiang, playing a pivotal role, became one of the year’s breakout stars.
In 2006, Feng directed his first historical costume drama, The Banquet, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet set during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China. The film starred Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Daniel Wu, and Zhou Xun and grossed ¥130 million domestically. Zhou Xun won Best Supporting Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards for her performance.
In 2007, Feng released the war film Assembly, which competed directly at the box office with Peter Chan’s historical epic The Warlords. Despite the competition, Assembly earned ¥260 million and propelled Zhang Hanyu, previously an unknown actor, into stardom. The film won Best Asian Film at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as Best Feature Film and Best Director at the Golden Rooster Awards.
In December 2008, Feng returned to his signature comedic style with If You Are the One, a romantic comedy starring Ge You and Shu Qi. The film became one of the most commercially successful domestic productions of the year, grossing over ¥300 million in just 19 days. By this point, the total box office earnings of Feng’s films had surpassed ¥1.03 billion.

### 2010s

In 2010, Feng directed two major films: Aftershock and If You Are the One 2. Aftershock, an adaptation of Zhang Ling’s novel The Aftermath, was the first Chinese IMAX film. It depicted the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and grossed a record-breaking ¥660 million domestically, though it was later surpassed by Let the Bullets Fly and Painted Skin: The Resurrection. Aftershock won Best Film at the 4th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The sequel to If You Are the One also outperformed the original, earning nearly ¥500 million.
In 2011, Feng began preparations for Back to 1942, a historical drama that premiered in November 2012. The film won Best Cross-Strait Chinese Film at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards and Best Picture at the 3rd Beijing International Film Festival.
In July 2013, Feng was officially appointed as the chief director of the 2014 CCTV Spring Festival Gala. That same year, he published a collection of personal essays, Trouble Maker, and directed the comedy Personal Tailor. Despite mixed reviews, the film grossed ¥717 million, setting a new box office record for Feng.
In June 2014, Feng’s Haikou-based “Feng Xiaogang Movie Town” officially opened. The ¥5.5 billion project spans 1,400 mu (93 hectares) and features architectural elements inspired by Feng’s films, such as Back to 1942 and Aftershock. The site serves as a film production base and commercial entertainment area.
In 2015, Feng was awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The same year, he served as a judge on Shanghai Dragon TV’s comedy show Laugh Out Loud and Zhejiang TV’s talent show I See You’ve Got Talent.
That year, Feng starred as the lead in Guan Hu’s film Mr. Six, playing a grizzled Beijing street gangster. His performance won Best Actor at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards and the 23rd Beijing College Student Film Festival, and earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the 10th Asian Film Awards. Feng also produced two films, Only You and Bad Guys Always Die, directed by emerging filmmakers Zhang Hao and Sun Hao, respectively.
In late 2015, Feng began filming I Am Not Madame Bovary, an adaptation of Liu Zhenyun’s novel, starring Fan Bingbing. The film premiered in 2016 and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Golden Shell for Best Film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Feng won Best Director at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards and the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In December, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Macau International Film Festival. In March 2017, the film won three awards at the 11th Asian Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography.
In January 2017, Feng began shooting Youth, a drama set against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution and the Sino-Vietnamese War, centered on a military arts troupe. The film was released in December 2017, earning ¥1.42 billion at the Chinese box office and receiving widespread acclaim.
In May 2018, Feng completed filming Cell Phone 2, a sequel to Cell Phone, which reignited the feud with former television host Cui Yongyuan over the original's insinuations of Cui's private life. Cui accused Feng of tax evasion and unethical practices. The accusations escalated into a broader controversy involving "yin-yang contracts"—dual contracts designed to evade taxes—implicating the star of the film, Fan Bingbing. While Feng received a relatively light penalty from the central government, the scandal provoked widespread public backlash. Several of Feng’s companies, including Meila Culture Media, were liquidated or deregistered in the aftermath. Fan Bingbing has since been blacklisted by the Chinese government over "yin-yang contracts."
In 2019, Feng’s company paid nearly ¥70 million in performance compensation due to unmet profit targets set during a 2015 agreement with Huayi Brothers, which had acquired 70% of Dongyang Meila and Zhejiang Dongyang Haohan. In 2019, Feng directed Only Cloud Knows, a romantic drama starring Huang Xuan and Yang Caiyu, reuniting the trio after the success of Youth.

## Personal life

Feng's first wife is Zhang Di. They have a daughter, Feng Siyu, who in 2009 was admitted to the Production Management Department at the Beijing Film Academy and later studied at the New York Film Academy.
Feng's second and current wife is actress Xu Fan, whom he married in 1999. Due to Feng's vitiligo condition, the couple did not have biological children but instead adopted a girl named Duo’er.

## Filmography
### As director

| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Notes |
| 1994 | Lost My Love | 永失我爱 | |
| 1997 | The Dream Factory | 甲方乙方 | |
| 1998 | Be There or Be Square | 不见不散 | |
| 1999 | Sorry Baby | 没完没了 | |
| 2000 | Sigh | 一声叹息 | |
| 2001 | Big Shot's Funeral | 大腕 | |
| 2003 | Cell Phone | 手机 | 27th Hundred Flowers Awards—Best Picture |
| 2004 | A World Without Thieves | 天下无贼 | 42nd Golden Horse Awards—Best Adapted Screenplay |
| 2006 | The Banquet | 夜宴 | |
| 2007 | Assembly | 集结号 | 29th Hundred Flowers Awards—Best Picture 27th Golden Rooster Awards—Best Picture, Best Director |
| 2008 | If You Are the One | 非诚勿扰 | |
| 2010 | Aftershock | 唐山大地震 | Selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards |
| 2010 | If You Are the One 2 | 非诚勿扰2 | |
| 2012 | Back to 1942 | 一九四二 | China Film Director's Guild Awards—Best Film, Best Director Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film from Mainland and Taiwan |
| 2013 | Personal Tailor | 私人订制 | |
| 2016 | I Am Not Madame Bovary | 我不是潘金莲 | 53rd Golden Horse Awards—Best Director |
| 2017 | Youth | 芳华 | |
| 2019 | Only Cloud Knows | 只有芸知道 | |
| 2023 | If You Are the One 3 | 非诚勿扰3 | |
| 2025 | We Girls | 向阳·花 | |

### As writer

| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Notes |
| 1992 | After Separation | 大撒把 | |
| 1994 | A Born Coward | 天生胆小 | |
| 1997 | The Dream Factory | 甲方乙方 | |
| 2001 | Big Shot's Funeral | 大腕 | |
| 2004 | A World Without Thieves | 天下无贼 | 42nd Golden Horse Awards—Best Adapted Screenplay |
| 2008 | If You Are the One | 非诚勿扰 | |
| 2010 | If You Are the One 2 | 非诚勿扰2 | |

### As actor

| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | In the Heat of the Sun | 阳光灿烂的日子 | Mr. Hu | |
| 1997 | The Dream Factory | 甲方乙方 | | |
| 2000 | Father | 冤家父子 | Ma Linsheng | |
| 2001 | The Marriage Certificate | 谁说我不在乎 | | |
| 2004 | Kung Fu Hustle | 功夫 | Crocodile Gang Boss | |
| 2005 | Wait 'Til You're Older | 童梦奇缘 | Drifter | |
| 2007 | Trivial Matters | 破事儿 | Marketing Officer for Assassins Group | |
| 2009 | The Founding of a Republic | 建国大业 | Du Yuesheng, Boss of the Shanghai Green Gang | |
| 2010 | True Legend | 苏乞儿 | Cameo | |
| 2010 | Let the Bullets Fly | 让子弹飞 | Private adviser | |
| 2012 | The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven | 大闹天宫 | | |
| 2015 | Mr. Six | 老炮儿 | Liu Ye | 23rd Beijing College Student Film Festival—Best Actor. China Film Director's Guild Awards—Best Actor. Chinese Film Media Awards—Best Actor. 52nd Golden Horse Awards—Best Actor. |
| 2016 | Rock Dog | 摇滚藏獒 | Germur | Voice acting role |