Guo Baochang

Guo Baochang (, August 1940 – 11 October 2023) was a Chinese director, screenwriter, writer and playwright.

Life and career Born in Beijing, at the age of two Baochang lost his father, and his mother and aunt sold him to a wealthy family. After graduating in film direction and screenwriting from the Beijing Film Academy in 1965, he made his directorial debut in 1980 with the film Mist Over Fairy Peak ( The Mist of Goddess Peak). In the 1980s he worked as artistic director at Guangxi Film Studio, where he actively supported and promoted the projects of the so-called Fifth Generation film movement, which included Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and Tian Zhuangzhuang.

As a director and screenwriter, Baochang is best known for The Grand Mansion Gate, a semi-autobiographical television series which he later also adapted into a stage play and a novel, and whose writing process started when he was 16 years old.

In addition to the novelization of The Grand Mansion Gate, Baochang authored several books, including an autobiography and a history of the Peking opera. He occasionally also worked as an actor. He died on 11 October 2023, at the age of 83.