Started working as a cinematographer, then was given an acting role that he was given an award for. When Yimou was employed by Guangxi Film Studio in which he made his directorial debut. His films began to be controversial to the Chinese government. They believed it put them in a bad light and the films were banned in China.

Some of his films after that were influenced by an Italian Neorealism. He changes his tone from politically overt films to more a more grounded approach, he also changed which actors he was using.

After this was when he began to reinvent himself with big blockbuster Wuxia films. These incorporated martial arts and gymnastics.

In an interview centred around his 2016 film “The Great Wall” he said that he was trying to bridge the gap and be a Chinese filmmaker working international.