Ziyi Zhang

About Ziyi Zhang

Well, here we are at last. It seems there has been much confusion rendered here by the Chinese tradition of putting the family name first. (Thus, "Ziyi" would actually be her first name as viewed by the Western world.) So nearly as I can tell, "Ziyi Zhang" and "Zhang Ziyi" are one and the same person, right down to their birth particulars at bodysize.org, but with two very different photos, listed eye colors, and measurements. Only one was given any biography, so huh? (Note that wikipedia only lists the one, under "Zhang.") In any case, she's a Chinese actress born in Beijing, and an Aquarius--with all that THAT implies. She has been career-active since 1995, after attending the Central Academy of Drama. She has also done modeling.

"ZZ" is considered one of only Four Dan Actresses in China (yes, that's a thing) and one of the most well-known Asian actresses in the West (just after Lucy Liu). Her first major acting role was in The Road Home. She later achieved widespread fame for her role in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000); incidentally ,she is known in her culture as a "Yimou girl" for her frequent collaborations with director Zhang Yimou.

Some of her other best-known roles include: RUSH HOUR 2 (2001), HERO (2002), HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004), 2046 (2004), and THE BANQUET (2006). Among her more critically-acclaimed works are THE GRANDMASTER (2013), which won her 12 different Best Actress Awards and caused her to become the most-awarded Chinese actress for a single film. Big showoff. Also on the list is 2005's THE GEISHA, which won her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, an actual BAFTA award for Best Actress, and a SAG Award for Original Performance by a Female Actress in a Leading Role. (Boy, try saying that one three times fast!)

(I've found it's fairly usual for my sources to conflict. What is not so usual is for them to conflict with THEMSELVES. Accordingly, I lay out the areas of disagreement bodysize.org has yet to reconcile within its two different accounts. Hair and eyes: Black/brown for "Ziyi Zhang," but black/black for "Zhang Ziyi." 29-22-33 with a 34B cup for "Ziyi" but 32-24-33 with a 36B cup for "Ms. Zhang". Shoe size was only given once, and only in European units. What good are those for spending in the Americas? Biography, as mentioned, only given once. The conclusion is fairly obvious: The Chinese must IMMEDIATELY and HENCEFORWARD adopt only Western conventions in their naming patterns! It's truly the one rational solution...)

(Enough on this topic for the moment--but I shall return...)