Gao Xiaosong

Gao Xiaosong was born in 1969 into an educated family in Shanghai. He spent his childhood there. From 1982 to 1988, he attended Beijing No. 4 High School in Beijing. Afterwards, he was admitted to the Department of Electronics Engineering, Radio Speciality at Tsinghua University, beginning his studies in 1990. During his time at university, he formed an outside-band called "Bronze Ware Band" with students from various universities and performed at karaoke lounges in Hainan Island. He also stayed for about half a year at "Campus Village" at Xiamen University, where he completed drafts of several campus folk songs.

In 1991, during his third year at university, Gao Xiaosong realized that scientific research was not his path. He decided to withdraw from Tsinghua University and transferred to the Graduate Program in Directing at Beijing Film Academy to study film. In 1992, after failing to be admitted to the graduate program in directing at Beijing Film Academy, he interned at the Asian Television Arts Center, involved in advertisement production, shooting MTVs for several singers, and writing the screenplay for the TV series "Heart Sacrifice." In 1994, he co-published the music compilation "Campus Folk Songs I" with Huang Xiaomao, and gradually entered the music industry thereafter.

In 1995, his work "Classmate You" became popular through Lao Lang's rendition and won first prize at CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. The same year, the song "Love in the Dust," which he wrote for Lao Lang's album "Loving Dust," received multiple Golden Melody Awards. In 1996, he released his first personal album "Youth Without Regret," which had broad influence. At the end of that year, he held his own concert at the Wutai Mountain Sports Hall in Nanjing, with an audience of 12,000 people.

Between 1997 and 1999, he began traveling in Europe and America, writing the novel "The Face on the Wall" and the screenplay "When Flowers Bloomed." In 1999, he directed and wrote the film "When Flowers Bloomed," starring Zhou Xun, Xia Yu, and others. In 2002, he directed and scored the film "My Heart Flies," which won the top prize at the Lyon International Film Festival in France and the Jury Prize at the Snow City Film Festival. Subsequently, he engaged in multiple fields including advertising and television, serving as director and producer for various works.

In 2005, he began creating the musical epic "Origins of Darkness" and shared personal memories through his blog. He continued releasing collections of works, served as a producer and participant in film and TV projects, and remained active across music, film, and variety shows. Gao Xiaosong has also been a judge on several variety programs such as Hunan TV and Dragon TV; he has directed and hosted shows like "Xiao Shuo" and "Qipa Shuo." Moreover, he participated in the production of numerous films and TV series, released multiple albums of original music, and composed songs.

Regarding his family, his grandfather was Gao Jingde, former president of Tsinghua University; his father Gao Liren was a professor at Tsinghua; his mother is the architectural expert Zhang Kqun. Gao Xiaosong married Shen Huan in 1999, but they divorced three years later. In 2008, he married Xu Cankin in the United States, with whom he has a daughter. The couple separated in 2014. He also engaged in business investments and held senior positions at several music companies.

Gao Xiaosong has participated in social welfare and cultural activities, including fundraising for charitable projects and publishing numerous articles. He has received various awards and widespread societal recognition.