2004–2009: Lust, Caution and ban In 2004, Tang starred in a TV series,
Policewoman Swallow (2004), and a stage play,
Che Guevara. She also appeared in TV dramas
Sons and Daughters of the Red Cross (2004),
Leaving Seafront Street (2005),
East Meets West (2005),
Born in the 60s (2006) and
Silent Tears (2006). in 2008|left|250x250pxIn July 2006, Tang was cast from more than 10,000 actresses to star in
Ang Lee's classic film
Lust, Caution (2007), adapted from
Eileen Chang's novella inspired by the story of female spy
Zheng Pingru. Tang learned
Shanghainese and
Suzhou Pingtan, which is sung in the
Suzhou dialect, for her role. Despite the critical acclaim for her performance, China's
State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) ordered a media ban on Tang because of the sexual nature of her performance. All print ads and feature content using Tang were removed, and her endorsements were discontinued. In August 2008, Tang obtained Hong Kong citizenship through the
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, which was expected to enable her to work in a relatively censorship-free market. She, however, was replaced by
Maggie Q in
Tian Zhuangzhuang's big-budget period film
The Warrior and the Wolf (2009). In February 2009, during her absence from the show business, Tang briefly attended drama classes at the
University of Reading in the
United Kingdom.
2010–2012: Return to the screen In 2009,
Bill Kong, head of Edko Films and executive producer of
Lust, Caution, gave Tang a chance to relaunch herself with the Hong Kong romantic comedy
Crossing Hennessy (2010), directed by
Ivy Ho. For her role, Tang honed her Cantonese, which she had picked up during her school days in
Shenzhen,
Guangdong.
Crossing Hennessy is the first film starring Tang to be shown in China since
Lust, Caution, marking the lift of the ban. She was nominated for the
Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress and
Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress for this film. From November 2009 to March 2010, Tang filmed alongside
Hyun Bin in
Late Autumn (2010), directed by
Kim Tae-yong. The film was shot in
Seattle, Washington. Tang's performance won over South Korean audiences and made her the only non-Korean to win the
Baeksang Awards for
Best Actress. In September 2010, it was announced that she was to appear in the
CCP tribute film
The Founding of a Party, playing the role of Tao Yi, an early girlfriend of
Mao Zedong. However, her scenes were cut out in the theatrical version, allegedly at the request of
Mao Zedong's grandson,
Mao Xinyu. In December 2011, she dubbed the character of Pia Sahastrabuddhe, originally portrayed by
Kareena Kapoor, in the Chinese version of the
Bollywood film
3 Idiots (2009). Though
Speed Angels was a commercial flop,
Dragon was successful and was named the eighth best movie of 2012 according to
Time magazine.
2013–present: Career resurgence and critical success In 2013, Tang starred opposite actor
Wu Xiubo in the
Xue Xiaolu-directed romantic comedy
Finding Mr. Right. The
sleeper hit grossed $85 million at the box office in China and Tang received rave reviews for her performance. She won Best Actress at 21st
Beijing College Student Film Festival. Tang was then cast to play writer
Xiao Hong in
Ann Hui's biopic
The Golden Era, which closed at the
Venice International Film Festival. Though highly anticipated, the film received mixed reviews and failed at the box office. However, her performance has received high praise from domestic critics. Tang made her English-language film debut in
Blackhat, an action thriller co-starring
Chris Hemsworth and
Wang Leehom, her co-star in
Lust, Caution (2007). She also starred in
A Tale of Three Cities, based on the wartime experiences of
Jackie Chan's parents. During the shooting of
The Tale of Three Cities in Shanghai, Tang fell victim to a telecommunications scam and was swindled out of $34,692 (210,000 yuan). Tang and Wu teamed up again to film the sequel to
Finding Mr. Right (2013), titled
Book of Love (2016)
, which was a commercial success. With this film, she was nominated as the Best Actress in
Hong Kong Film Awards for the sixth time, setting a record for nominations, but did not win the award in history. In 2017, Tang was cast as the female lead of ''
Long Day's Journey Into Night, directed by Bi Gan. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, Tang returned to the small screen with the historical drama Empress of the Ming. The same year, she starred in the film The Whistleblower'' directed by
Xue Xiaolu. In 2022, Tang starred in the
South Korean mystery-romance film
Decision to Leave, directed by
Park Chan-Wook, to critical acclaim. In April 2022, the film was selected to compete for the
Palme d'Or at the
2022 Cannes Film Festival, where Park Chan-wook won
Best Director. For her role as a Chinese immigrant to South Korea who is suspected of murder, Tang became the first non-Korean honored as the Best Actress at the
Baeksang Art Awards, which was for the second time,
Blue Dragon Film Awards,
Chunsa Film Art Awards and
Buil Film Awards. ==Endorsements==