Iconic director Zhang Yimou, who has won more than 500 awards domestically and overseas during his filmmaking career which spans nearly four decades, received a lifetime achievement award at the festival.

"We have always been working hard to promote and publicize Chinese film culture. I was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy at the age of 28 and directed my first film Red Sorghum at the age of 38. It has been around 40 years since then. On the path of making films, I am still learning and consider myself a young person," said Zhang, emotionally.