Zhang Yimou Was So Stressed From Helming Winter Olympics Opening & Closing Ceremonies, He Needed Medication To Be Able To Speak

Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou, 71, who directed the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics and who will also helm the closing ceremony, has seen his health take a major hit due to the stress of the task, according to his wife Chen Ting, 39.

In a Weibo post on Feb 14, she revealed that Yimou had already felt a lot of pressure when he directed the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

The opening ceremony was very well received, though

“From the very start, I’ve never supported his [decision] to become the director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. The stress and pressure [he experienced] during the 2008 Olympics were unprecedented, but no one knew about his journey. He even joked that if he were to mess up, our family should flee from death together,” she wrote.

Chen Ting went on to reveal that she’d cautioned her husband against assuming the role once more, especially since he’s already in his 70s.

But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Yimou, Chen Ting and their three kids

In the end, the stress from directing both ceremonies manifested in the director’s “inability to speak without medication” in the few months leading up to the Winter Olympics.

“[Even though] he was running a high fever for a few consecutive days and suffering from hot and cold flashes even with two quilts [covering him], his workload was not reduced. What’s the price of success? A normal life, time for leisure, health, and your life!” she wrote.

Chen Ting added that she knows her husband will not stop working, and that she only hopes that “the father of our children will be able to be by our sides healthily for a long time”.

Photos: Chen Ting/Weibo

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