Like the cinematographer turned director Gu Changwei, Huo Jianqi began his cinematic career in the art department.
"[2] Huo attended the Beijing Film Academy in the early 1980s as part of the "Fifth Generation" (which also included directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige).
Huo's own career as a director did not begin, however, until 1995 with The Winner and would not achieve true international success until his 1999 film, Postmen in the Mountains.
The simple tale of a father and son traveling through the mountains of Hunan delivering mail proved a success in both China, where it eventually won the Golden Rooster for best film, best director, and best actor Teng Rujun, and abroad in foreign festivals.
Huo scored another success with his adaptation of author Mo Yan's The White Dog and the Swing, entitled Nuan.