Zhang Tianmin (张天民)
Zhang Xiaotian (张笑天)

Zhang Tianmin (张天民)

Zhang Tianmin was born on July 12, 1933, in Zhuozhou, Hebei province and died in 2002. He was not only famous for writing scripts but also for publishing novels and collections of poems. Zhang was closely connected to the CCP and after the Cultural Revolution became a party member. He has received much official support and recognition and in 1977, he joined the “Chinese Writers Association” (Zhongguo zuojia xiehui 中国作家协会).
Zhang has held many positions, including:

• screenwriter and editor at Changchun Film Studios, and screenwriter at Beijing Film Studios (Changchun dianying zhipianchang bianji, bianju 长春电影制片厂编辑、编剧，Beijing dianying zhipianchang bianju 北京电影制片厂编剧)
• deputy at the 5th National People’s Congress (Quanguo diwu jie renda daibiao 全国第五 届人大代表)
• deputy at the 5th National People’s Congress (Quanguo diwu jie renda daibiao 全国第五届人大代表)
• board member of the “China Film Association” (Zhongguo dianyingjia xiehui lishi 中国电影 家协会理事)
• board member of the “China Film Foundation” (Zhongguo dianying jijinhui lishi 中国电影 基金会理事)
• vice president of the “Chinese Scripter [sic!] Union” (Zhongguo dianying wenxue xuehui chang wu fu hui zhang 中国电影文学学会常务副)

• “The Golden Childhood” (Jinse de tongnian 金色的童年)
• The Friend of the Sea“ (Haibing de pengyou 海滨的朋友)
• “Young Mao Zedong” (Qingnian Mao Zedong 青年毛泽东), which was also turned into a TV-series in 2002

He furthermore wrote five collections of poems. Among his best known are:

• “Collection of Promenade in the North” (Beifang manbu ji 北方漫步集)
• July Lyrics” (Qiyue shuqingshi 七月抒情诗)
• “The Story of Love” (Aiqing de gushi 爱情的故事)

He won literary prizes such as the Golden Eagle Award (jin ying jiang 金鹰奖) and the literary award of Liaoning and Jilin province.

His film career started when he entered the Chinese Film Academy (Zhongyang dianying xuexiao 中央电影学校) in 1952 which is considered one of the best schools in China for studying scriptwriting. Before he started to work as a scriptwriter in 1955 at the Changchun Film Studios, he worked as an editor at the Department for Film Scripts Writing in Beijing (Beijing dianying juben chuangzuo suo 北京电影剧本创作), which is part of the famous Beijing Film Academy.

In the early phase of his career, he wrote the film scripts “Embroidered Jiangshan“ (Xiu Jiangshan 绣江山) and “The Brant” (Hongyan 鸿雁). “The Brant” depicts the hard life of a postman who walks through rain and snow to deliver mail to the people. This movie was well received by the Chinese public. In 1965, at the time of the Socialist Education Movement (Shehuizhuyi jiaoyu yundong 社会主义教育运动), Zhang went to Sichuan to interview women who had a hard life working on the oil fields. He thereupon wrote a script about them titled “Pioneer Work” (Chuangye 创业), and it was later turned into a movie. Because of this movie, he came into conflict with the later so-called “Gang of Four”. He was harshly criticised and sent into a “cowshed” (niupeng 牛棚), an ad hoc prison where intellectuals, authorities etc. were humiliated and criticised, during the early phase of the Cultural Revolution. In 1969, he was sent to work in the countryside with peasants and labourers.

After the “Gang of Four” was removed from power in 1976 and the Cultural Revolution ended, Zhang was rehabilitated and allowed to write film scripts again. It was at this time that he joined the CCP.
He was very productive in the 1980s and, among others, wrote the following scripts:

• “Be Proud, Mama“ (Zihao ba, muqin 自豪吧，母亲), 1980
• “Wish You a Long Life” (Dan yuan ren changjiu 但愿人长久), 1981
• “A Place Far from the Crowd” (Yuan li renqun de difang 远离人群的地方), 1983
• “The Log Cabin” (Muwu 木屋), 1984
• “Your Smiles” ( Ni de weixiao 你的微笑), 1986

In cooperation with the famous scriptwriter and friend Zhang Xiaotian (张笑天), further including Liu Xing (刘星) and Guo Chen (郭晨) in the process, they wrote the script for the movie “The Birth of New China” (Kaiguo Dadian) in 1989. The script was awarded the “Golden Rooster Award” for best script in 1990.

Zhang Xiaotian (张笑天)

Zhang Xiaotian is one of the most prolific writers of film scripts on historical subjects in China, very often collaborating with the directing couple Li Qiankuan and Xiao Guiyun. Born in 1939 in Heilongjiang province, he graduated from the history department of Northeast Normal University (东北师范大学). Being the son of a teacher, he used to read literary works very early, and soon started to write himself. When he was 12 years old, he won his first writing competition. In 1961, the same year he graduated from university, he started publishing his work on a regular basis. However, some of his works did not meet with approval and for some time he was even labelled a “counter-revolutionary”. He did not stop writing, though, even during the period of the Cultural Revolution when he was assigned to work as a teacher in a middle school in the countryside.
He was rehabilitated and on the invitation of the Changchun Film Studios, in 1975 his own novel “Brant sing at the lakeshore“ (Yan ming hu pan 雁鸣湖畔) was turned into a film and he was to write his first film script. Therewith he entered the film business. After four years in the Film Studios he became member of the regional propaganda department. Shortly after, Zhang Xiaotian started to cooperate on a regular basis with the film directing couple Li Qiankuan and Xiao Guiyun. The productions “Peijian jiangjun” 1981, “Huanghe zhi bin” 1986, “Kaiguo Dadian” 1989, Chongqing tanpan 1993, “Shiji zhi meng” 1998, “Taiping tianguo” 1999 and “Chuanqi huangdi Zhu Yuanzhang” 2006, are all examples of their teamwork.

Since the novel “Brant Sing at the Lake Shore” in 1973, Zhang has published twenty novels, fifty-two novellas, forty film scripts, and many short stories and scripts for TV series. The main topics of his scripts are related to history, while most of his short stories are focusing on the lives of ordinary people.
His important works include:

TV series:

• “High Waves at the River” (Lang juan da jiang 浪卷大江)
• “Cultural Circle” (Wenhua juan 文化圈)
• “A Red Sailing Boat” (Hong fanchuan 红帆船)
• “The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom” (Taiping tianguo 太平天国)
• “Sun Yatsen” (Sun Zhongshan 孙中山)

Movie scripts:

• “She Came From the Mist” ( Ta cong wuzhong lai 她从雾中来), 1981
• “The Last Empress” (Modai huanghou 末代皇后), 1986
• “The Birth of New China” (Kaiguo Dadian 开国大典), 1989
• “The Heroine in the Northeast” (Guan dong nü xia 关东女侠), 1989
• Chongqing Negotiations” (Chongqing tanpan 重庆谈判), 1993
• “White Mountain and Black Water” (Baishan, heishui 白山黑水), 1997
• “Century Dream” (Shiji zhi meng 世纪之梦), 1998
• “The Story of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang” (Chuanqi huangdi Zhu Yuanzhang 传奇皇
  帝朱元璋), 2006

Novels and novellas:

• “Brant Sing at the Lake Shore“ (yan ming hu pan 雁鸣湖畔)
• “Difficult Process” (yanjun de licheng 严峻的历程)
• “Come Back, Roland” (guilai ba, luolan 归来吧，罗兰)
• “Funeral of Love” ( Ai de zangli 爱的葬礼)
• “Dream of the Zhongzheng sword” (Zhongzheng jiang zhi meng 中正剑之梦)
• “Yongning Monument” (Yongning bei 永宁碑)

Zhang’s novels and scripts are not only known in China, but also in Europe. Many of his scripts and novels were given official Chinese awards and once also an international award: For his short novel, “Day and Night of the Former Secretary of the Party Committee of the City“ (Qian shiwei shuji de baizhou he yewan 前市委书记的白昼和夜晚), he won the national novel award (disi jie quanguo youxiu zhongpianxiaoshuo jiang 第四届全国优秀中篇小说奖). For the script of the TV series, “The Taiping heavenly kingdom,” he was awarded with the Chinese TV “Flying Apsaras Award” (Fei tian jiang 飞天奖). For his movie scripts of “Kaiguo Dadian”, Zhang was awarded the “Golden Rooster Award”. For Chongqing tanpan he won the second rating award in a national script contest (quanguo juben zhengwen er deng jiang 全国剧本征文二等奖), and at the Changchun Film Festival even the award for the best script. For “Baishan heishui”, he won the “Xia Yan Film and Literature Award” (Xia yan dianying wenxuejiang 夏衍电影文学奖).
At the 4th International Film Festival in Paris, he received his first international award for “The last empress” (Modai huanghou 末代皇后). His “Century Dream” (Shiji zhi meng 世纪之梦) won the “Stele Award” (Hua biao jiang 华表奖), the Chinese government film award by the Ministry of Culture.
Zhang is not only an author and scriptwriter, but is also involved in several cultural institutions. He holds many important positions, including:

• Vice director of the Changchun Film Studios (Chang ying chang fu changzhang 长影厂 副厂长)
• Board member of the “Chinese Film Association” (Zhongguo dianyingjia xiehui lishi 中国电 影家协会理事)
• Vice chairman of the “Chinese Writers Association in Jilin Province” (Zhongguo zuojia xiehui jilin fenhui fu zhuxi 中国作家协会吉林分会副主席)
• Vice chairman of the “Jilin Television Artists Association” (Jilin dianshi yishuja xiehui fu zhuxi 吉林电视艺术家协会Ó)
• Vice director of the “Chinese Scripter [sic!] Union” (Zhongguo dianying wenxue xuehui fu huizhang 中国电影文学学会副会长)

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