The 17th Asian Film Awards ceremony will be held on March 10th at the Theatre Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong. On the 7th, the conference announced that the highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, will be awarded to mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou. The conference stated that this is Zhang Yimou's second award at the Asian Film Awards, following his 2010 award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Film and his 2021 award for Best Director for his film One Second. In addition, Man Jianghong, directed by Zhang Yimou, also won the award of "the highest box office Asian film of 2023" at this year's Asian Film Awards. Zhang Yimou, known as one of the representative figures of China's fifth generation directors, enrolled in the Photography Department of Beijing Film Academy in 1978. In 1988, he directed "Red Sorghum" for the first time and made a sensation in the international film industry. He won the Golden Bear Award for Best Film at the 38th Berlin Film Festival, marking the first time in Chinese history that China had won the highest award among the three major film festivals in the world. Regarding being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, Zhang Yimou stated that movies are a bridge that connects our hearts. Having been in the film industry for over forty years, he is grateful to his friends who have loved his movies. He will continue to learn and work hard. He also sent a message to the young new director, "The most important thing is to persevere! Even when faced with difficulties, you must persevere because you love it." It is understood that the Asian Film Awards have been held since 2007, and since 2014, the hosting rights have been handed over to the non-profit organization Asia Film Awards Academy, jointly founded by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, and Fushan International Film Festival. The purpose of this award is to showcase excellent Asian film works internationally, promote and praise Asian films and industry talents. (Lai Xin She)