Joan Chen is famous both in China, where she grew up, and in the United States,where she now lives. How did Joan become a famous actress in two countries? It’s an interesting story.
Joan Chen was born in Shanghai in 1961. When she was 14, some people from a film studio (制片厂) came to her school and chose her to study at the studio. She was happy about this chance, but mainly she liked the idea of getting out of school. Soon, however she discovered that she really liked acting. At age 18, she won the Golden Rooster, China's top film prize.