From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Zhao Tao (Chinese: 赵涛, born 28 January 1977) is a famous Chinese actress, work in China and Europe, she has over 10 films to her credit since starting her career in 1999, muse of director Jia Zhangke. Zhao first came into international prominence through close collaboration with Chinese director Jia Zhangke and is credited with helping to bring Chinese cinema to Europe, especially Italy. As Shun Li in Io sono Li, her best starring role to date, she became the first Asian actress to win a prize at David di Donatello. Zhao's native language is Jinese, but she is multilingual, having learned to speak Italian, Mandarin and Szechuanese. Biography She was born January 28, 1977, in Taiyuan, Shanxi, which is also the hometown of the heroine in Still Life. As a child, she studied classical Chinese dance. In 1996, she enrolled in the folk dance department at Beijing Dance Academy. After graduation, she became a dance teacher in Taiyuan Normal College, where she was spotted by Jia during casting for Platform. Since then they work frequently together. In 2011 she starred in the Italian movie Shun Li and the Poet by Andrea Segre, the movie was screened in the Venice Days section of the 68th Venice International Film Festival. Zhao won the David di Donatello Award, the Italian Oscar, for Best Actress for her bilingual role.

Filmography

• 2026Torino Shadow
• 2024Caught by the Tides — Qiao Qiao
• 2021Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue — Producer
• Love is All — Theme Song Performance, Lyricist, Compositor
• 2018Ash Is Purest White — Zhao Qiao
• 2017Revive
• 2017Where Has Time Gone?
• 2016The Hedonists — Writer
• 2015Mountains May Depart — Shen Tao
• 2015Smog Journeys
• 2013A Touch of Sin — Xiao Yu
• 20113.11 A Sense of Home Films — (segment "Alone Together")
• 2011Shun Li and the Poet — Shun Li
• 2010Ten Thousand Waves — Blue Goddess
• Living — Hong Yu
• 200824 City — Su Na
• 2008Black Breakfast
• 2008Cry Me a River
• 2008Remembrance
• 2008Useless — Producer
• 2007Our Ten Years
• 2006Still Life — Shen-Hong Guo
• 2006Walking on the Wild Side
• 2004The World — Tao
• 2002Unknown Pleasures — Qiao Qiao
• 2001Platform — Yin Ruijuan
• Mamma Dunhuang

Appearances as themselves (2)

• 2016Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang — Self
• 2010I Wish I Knew — Self