Xie Fei

Xie Fei, born in Yan'an in 1942, is a renowned Chinese director and film educator, serving as a professor and head of the Directing Department at the Beijing Film Academy. His works are celebrated for their humanitarian concern and have won the Golden and Silver Bears at Berlin as well as numerous major international awards. By analyzing the BaZi (Ba Zi) chart of Xie Fei, we can gain deep insight into the trajectory of his destiny and his life achievements.

BaZi Chart

Core Analysis

The BaZi of Xie Fei centers on a Ji Earth Day Master. The Hour Pillar and Year Pillar both display Wu Fire, serving as the source of his favorable element; Fire generates Earth, revealing the warm, nourishing power behind his creative work and his passion for his subject matter. However, the chart also contains Ren Water and Hai Water to keep it in check. Water overcomes Earth, creating an internal tension that manifests as the compassion for his characters and the aesthetics of conflict prevalent in his films. The Heavenly Stems reveal a protruding Geng, a Hurting Officer (Shang Guan), which supports his powers of expression and artistic talent. The Month Pillar of Wu Shen, together with latent movements of Metal and Water in branches like Shen and You, forms a combination of the Hurting Officer paired with Resource and the Eating God (Shi Shen) generating Wealth, configurations highly favorable for creative output and international exchange. The progression of his Luck Pillars shows that from the 1960s through the 1980s, he moved through periods of the Hurting Officer and Eating God, promoting his early creativity and the formation of his style. The 1990s brought an Indirect Wealth Luck Pillar, ushering in international acclaim and awards. The 2000s saw a Direct Officer Luck Pillar, aligning perfectly with his roles in educational management and institutional advocacy. In recent years, his Direct Resource Luck Pillar has leaned toward academic consolidation and the recognition of his lifetime achievements.

Trait Analysis

1. Artistic Creativity: The chart reveals a protruding Hurting Officer generating the Eating God, supporting his expression through cinematic language and visual innovation. As a result, his works frequently feature unique narratives and poetic imagery.
2. Academic and Educational Influence: Having entered the field at a young age and remaining to teach, his chart features Friend (Bi Jian) and Rob Wealth (Jie Cai) alongside a later Direct Officer Luck Pillar. This demonstrates his capacity for organization, mentorship, and institution building, making him ideally suited to cultivate the next generation.
3. International Awards and Public Recognition: Entering an Indirect Wealth Luck Pillar in the 1990s, this Indirect Wealth was further nourished and supported by the Eating God. This facilitated his films reaching the international stage, earning him accolades at film festivals and widespread external renown.
4. Sense of Responsibility and Humanitarian Spirit: As a Ji Earth Day Master, he is sustained and borne up by Wu Fire. His humanitarian concern stems from the steadiness and warmth brought by Earth being transformed by Fire in his chart, yet it is also tempered by the influence of Water, which forms a profound and heavy social consciousness.

Life Timeline

1. 1957: Admitted to the high school section of Beijing No. 4 High School. Outside of his academic studies, he actively participated in drama productions, cross-dressing to play a female role in Cai Wenji. This ignited his passion for the art of cinema, showcasing his early artistic talent and spirit of exploration.
2. 1960: Successfully admitted to the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy, officially embarking on his professional study of cinematic arts and taking the crucial first step toward becoming a director.
3. 1965: Graduated from the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy and remained at the school as a teacher in the department, launching his dual career of education and creation in the field of cinematic arts.
4. 1970: Impacted by the "Cultural Revolution," Xie Fei was sent down along with the faculty and staff of the Beijing Film Academy to perform agricultural labor at a farm in Baiyangdian, Hebei, for a period of four years. This was a special chapter in his life, taking him far from his profession and embedding him deeply at the grassroots level.
5. 1974: Returned to Beijing to participate in the production of the film Azalea Mountain, directed by the famous Xie Tieli, serving as an assistant director. This was a pivotal step in his reconnection with and dedication to filmmaking.
6. 1976: Following the end of the "Cultural Revolution," Xie Fei officially returned to the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy, resuming his teaching and creative career after years of interruption. This marked a new era of stable development in both his career and his life.
7. 1978: Co-directed the film Huo Wa with Zheng Dongtian. This was his first foray into filmmaking in the capacity of a director, marking the transition of his career from theoretical research to practical execution and setting the stage for a glorious directing path.
8. 1979: Co-directed the film The Guide with Wang Xinyu and Zheng Dongtian. The film won the Ministry of Culture's 1979 Outstanding Film Award, serving as an important early milestone in his directing career and marking the official recognition of his artistic talent.
9. 1983: Independently directed his first feature film, Our Fields, with educated youth as the subject matter. This marked the formal establishment of his personal artistic style and opened a path of cinematic exploration centered on humanitarian spirit.
10. 1986: The film Xiangnu Xiaoxiao, adapted from a novel by Shen Congwen, won the Don Quixote Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain. His artistic achievements received international recognition, elevating his professional reputation to new heights.
11. 1992: The production of Women from the Lake of Scented Souls was completed. The film profoundly exposed the fates of rural women and sparked widespread social discussion, becoming a significant work in his directing career.

By analyzing the BaZi chart and life experiences of Xie Fei, we can see that the trajectory of his destiny aligns highly with BaZi predictions. His artistic talent, educational achievements, and international reputation all benefit from the balance of generation and restraint among the Five Elements in his chart, as well as the boosting force of his Luck Pillar progressions.