Background
Gu was born in Xi"an, Shaanxi in the People"s Republic of China.
Gu was born in Xi"an, Shaanxi in the People"s Republic of China.
Gu is considered one of the major Chinese cinematographers working today. Gu Changwei began his cinematic career in the now legendary 1982 class of the Beijing Film Academy, today known as the Fifth Generation. Since then, Gu has worked with both men on multiple occasions, including on Chen"s magnum opus, 1993"s Farewell My Concubine.
Like fellow cinematographer Zhao Fei, Gu has had the opportunity to work with major American directors as well, notably with Robert Altman, on his film The Gingerbread Manitoba (1997).
Directing
Beginning in 2005, Gu Changwei branched out into film direction with his debut Peacock, a three-hour-long epic about a small family in the 1970s and 1980s. His sophomore feature, And the Spring Comes, was released in 2007.