Xie Tian (; 18 June 1914 – 13 December 2003), born Xie Hongkun (), was a Chinese actor and director. He is best known for portraying Mr. Lin in ''The Lin Family Shop'' and directing ''The Teahouse'', based on the play of the same name by

Lao She Shu Qingchun (3 February 189924 August 1966), known by his pen name Lao She, was a Chinese writer of Manchu ethnicity, known for his vivid portrayal of urban life and his colorful use of the Beijing dialect, such as in the novel '' Rickshaw Boy' ...

. In 1980, Xie won the

Hundred Flowers Award The Hundred Flowers Awards () are, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards honouring the best in Chinese cinema, as well as Hong Kong cinema and the Cinema of Taiwan. They are classified as the Chinese equiva ...

for

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

for his film, ''A Sweet Life''.

Early life

Born on 18 June 1914, Xie used to perform in stage plays at his hometown. In 1935, he moved to

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and joined

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

drama troupe, Society of Shanghai Amateur Actors, and appeared in several productions from Star Motion Picture Company such as ''The Qingming Festival'', ''Lucky Money'', and '' Street Angel'' (uncredited).

Career

After the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

, Xie joined Shanghai Film Actors' Drama Troupe. In 1940, he had a

lead role A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

in He Mengfu's patriotic film ''Snow Storm over the Taihang Mountains''. In the late 1940s, he worked for Central Motion Picture Company, appearing in films such as ''The Holy City'', ''Pursuit'', and ''Fragrance Fills up the Courtyard''. In 1949, Xie joined Beijing Film Studio and appeared in films as the villain in ''New Heroes and Heroines'', Professor Song in ''March of the Democratic Youth'', and

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

Mr. Lin in ''The Lin Family Shop'' which was well received. From 1955 to 1957, Xie studied film directing at

Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; zh, first=s, s=北京电影学院, labels=no) is a municipal public college in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the City of Beijing and co-funded by the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the National Radio ...

. In 1959, Xie directed his first two films, ''Life of a Swimmer'' and ''A World of Joy''. In the following years, Xie would direct many more films such as ''Red Guards of Lake Hong'', ''A Happy Plus'', and ''Three Little Red Flowers''. In 1979, Xie directed ''A Sweet Life'', which won him the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Director in 1980. After the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, Xie resumed his career in the 1980s, directing films more centered on recent historical events such as ''Red Heart'' and ''Sweet Business''. In 1981, Xie's film ''The Seventh Grade Sesame Official'' won the Best Opera Film Award at the

4th Hundred Flowers Awards Ceremony for the 4th Hundred Flowers Awards was held on May 23, 1981, Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of n ...

. In 1982, Xie directed a film adaptation of

's play ''Teahouse'' titled ''The Teahouse'', which was well-received and won the Special Award at the

3rd Golden Rooster Awards The 3rd Golden Rooster Award honoring the best in film of 1983, was given in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, May 27, 1983.新华社1984年5月18日：第三届中国电影金鸡奖和第六届''大众电影''百花奖授奖活动 Winners and nominees ...

. He directed his last film, ''Tears of a Courtesan'', in 1988. Xie still continued acting, appearing in films such as

Xie Jin Xie Jin (; 21 November 1923 – 18 October 2008) was a Chinese film director. He rose to prominence in 1957, directing the film '' Woman Basketball Player No. 5'', and is considered one of the Third Generation directors of China. Most recently h ...

's '' An Old Man and His Dog'' and Huang Jianzhong's ''Hongniang''.

Death

Xie died on December 13, 2003, at Jishuitan Hospital from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

. He was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and his ashes were scattered in the

Bohai Sea The Bohai Sea ( zh, c=渤海, p=Bó Hǎi, l=Bo Sea) is a gulf/inland sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects via the Bohai Strait. It ...

References

External links

* {{Hundred Flowers Award Best Director 1914 births 2003 deaths 20th-century Chinese actors Chinese film directors