Over the several years following her 1987 acting debut in '' Red Sorghum '' , Gong received international acclaim for her roles in several more Zhang Yimou films . She starred in '' Ju Dou '' in 1990 ; her performance in the Oscar-nominated '' Raise the Red Lantern '' ( 1991 ) put her in the international spotlight ; she was named Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in '' The Story of Qiu Ju '' ( 1992 ) . These roles established her reputation , according to '' Asiaweek '' , as " one of the world 's most glamorous movie stars and an elegant throwback to Hollywood 's golden era " . In many of her early movies , Gong represents a tragic victim and an abused soul ( physically or emotionally ) , trying to release herself from an impossible maze of corruption , violence and suppression . In '' Raise the Red Lantern '' and '' Shanghai Triad '' ( 1995 ) an additional tragic element is added to her being as she unintentionally becomes the executioner of new innocent victims , making her realize that she has assisted the dark cynical system . In 1993 , she received a New York Film Critics Circle award for her role in '' Farewell My Concubine '' ( 1993 ) . Directed by Chen Kaige , the film was her first major role with a director other than Zhang Yimou . In the same year , she was awarded with the Berlinale Camera at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival . '' Premiere '' magazine ranked her performance in '' Farewell My Concubine '' as the 89th greatest performance of all time . She also worked with renowned director Stephen Chow in comedy films '' God of Gamblers III : Back to Shanghai '' ( 1991 ) and '' Flirting Scholar '' ( 1993 )
43rd Berlin International Film Festival
43rd Berlin International Film Festival
Gong Li