Xie Jin (Simplified  Chinese, 1923-2008), one of the most renowned directors in the contemporary China, became famous for Woman Basketball Player No.5, China's first color sports feature film. His most representative pieces also include The Red Detachment of Women and Stage Sisters. Woman Basketball Player No.5 depicts the different circumstances of Lin Jie, the mother, and Lin Xiaojie, the daughter, as well as the love affair between Lin Jie and Tian Zhenhua, showing the different fortunes of sports players before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Xie Jin skillfully shows the theme of the film through delineating the characters' separation and reunion and their growth, including their inner feelings. The depiction of the characters' love affair, their separation before and their reunion after the birth of new China shows the director's ingenuity. The film is fresh, meaningful, amiable, lyric, smooth and with ups and downs. It gives people a taste of the enjoyment of youth. The film won the Silver Medal at the International Film Festival sponsored by the Sixth World Youth Festival in 1957 and the Silver Cap Prize at the Mexico International Film Festival in 1960.

The Red Detachment of Women and Stage Sisters marked a new height for Xie Jin in the directing art. By then, Xie Jin had developed a profound realistic style characterized by attention to summarization, reflecting social life and the characters' destiny, and touching the hearts of audiences. Since 1 977, Xie Jin has directed Youth, Ah, Cradle, Legend of the Tianyun Mountains, Qiu Jin, The Horse Herder, Hibiscus Town, Wreaths under the Mountain, Last Nobles, The Bell Rings at Qingliang Temple, An Old Man and His Dog, Venus, Behind the Wall of Shames, and The Opium War. He has a strong concern and sense of historical mission. Most of the films he has directed since 1977 draw on important social issues. He is especially skilful at digging deep into these social issues and portraying the characters, especially the women. He knows the audiences' tastes and is adept at depicting human nature and feelings and touching the hearts of the audiences. There has been a high box-office draw for almost each of the films he has made.