Zhang Yimou, our national teacher, is out again. This time, it is for the new movie "Article 20", this time with Dong Yuhui and Hui, let many people know that this old man is still on the front line.
Reminds me of an old story.
As an internationally renowned director, Zhang Yimou seems to have been wandering in a world full of beautiful women, but scandals rarely accompany him. In his life, the emotional journey is simple and pure, with only three emotional experiences: the youthful first love with Xiao Hua, the passionate collision with Gong Li, and the hand in hand with Chen Ting, who is 31 years younger than him. After marrying Chen Ting, he was even more strict and self-controlled, and he never had an affair with any actress, and became a veritable good husband and father. However, in an interview, Zhang Yimou revealed a secret buried deep in his heart. He said there was a lady he would never see again in his life.
That woman is Anita Mui.
In the film industry, Zhang Yimou is a highly respected master who has a unique vision and is good at discovering the inner potential of actors. When he decided to shoot "Ambush on All Sides", he already had the ideal candidate in his mind - Anita Mui. Anita Mui, a superstar who shines on the stage, her acting skills are deeply appreciated by Zhang Yimou. When Zhang Yimou sent her an invitation to participate, Anita Mui was ecstatic, she had always been eager to cooperate with this famous director, and she agreed without even asking about the salary.
However, fate played a cruel joke on the talented actress. Soon after, Anita Mui was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer. Faced with this sudden bad news, she couldn't accept that she was about to lose her female integrity and refused surgery**. This news shocked Zhang Yimou, and he couldn't imagine that such a young and promising actress would suffer from such a serious illness. 
But Zhang Yimou did not give up because of this, he immediately wrote an affectionate letter to Anita Mui, in which he expressed his firm support and encouragement for her, so that she could let go of the burden in her heart and treat her with peace of mind. Anita Mui was deeply moved by this letter, and she immediately called Zhang Yimou back, admitting that her life was probably running out, so he didn't have to wait. But Zhang Yimou's answer was still firm, he told Anita Mui that he would keep waiting, and told her to actively cooperate with **, and everything would be fine.
Anita Mui's life is full of ups and downs and misfortunes. As the youngest daughter in the family, she should have been loved by her mother, but her mother's patriarchal concept made her feel cold. After the death of her father, her mother built a singing stage for her livelihood, and Anita Mui, who was only 4 years old, and her sister were forced to sing on stage, while the two older brothers lived a carefree life. In such a growing environment, Anita Mui was under tremendous mental pressure, which also invisibly increased her risk of cervical cancer. When Anita Mui learned of her illness, her sister had already died of cervical cancer for two years. This undoubtedly hit her hard, made her hesitate, and finally missed the best time. In the last moments of her life, she held a meaningful concert in which she married her beloved stage and fans in a wedding dress. Although her condition was very serious, she still insisted on singing the last song, and finally fell into Andy Lau's arms due to physical exhaustion. On December 30, 2003, Anita Mui left us forever at the age of 40. This news made Zhang Yimou's heart ache, and he would never be able to wait for the actress he admired. It was only at this time that Zhang Yimou had to find other actors to replace Anita Mui's role. In order to express his remembrance of Anita Mui, Zhang Yimou put a sentence at the end of "Ambush on All Sides" in which Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, and Zhang Ziyi are all there:"I would like to use this film to remember Miss Anita Mui"., in order to make up for her regret not starring in this film.
After Anita Mui's death, Jiang Zhiqiang attended her memorial service on behalf of the crew of "Ambush on All Sides", while Zhang Yimou personally led the crew to hold a solemn memorial ceremony in Beijing. At this moment of grief, friends and fans in the circle are immersed in deep grief. In stark contrast to Anita Mui's mother's greed and selfishness is Zhang Yimou's character. He always kept his agreement with Anita Mui, and did not turn his back on her even when Anita Mui was sick.
For so many years, Zhang Yimou has always remembered his agreement with Anita Mui, and said in public that Anita Mui is a talent he will never meet again in his life. She is gone, but her voice, smile and beautiful singing voice will remain in our hearts forever!
Zhang Yimou recalled emotionally: I will always wait for her, she is the best actress in my mind.
The stories between them inspire us. Let us cherish every artist and moment of life, feel it with our hearts and give the most sincere praise to their talents. It turns out that heroes cherish heroes and really exist.