Zhou Xu (周旭) is a Chinese director born in Lukou Town, Zhuzhou County, Hunan Province in 1978. He studied painting freely and loved all kinds of art. However, he was not admitted to high school due to poor cultural performance. After graduating from the technical school, he worked as a fitter in a gear factory. In 1997, he was admitted to the Xu Beihong Studio of the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. It was in 2003 that he first came into contact with the film and television industry. In 2006, he moved to France to study at the Conservatoire Libre du Cinéma Français. Upon moving back to China in 2008, he established his own director studio.