Chinese female director Chloe Zhao (Zhao Ting) was named top director at the 2021 Golden Globes on Sunday night for "Nomadland," becoming the first Asian woman and only the second female director to win the prize in the Globes' 78-year history.

The 38-year-old filmmaker is also the first woman in 38 years to take the prize since Barbra Streisand won for "Yentl."

Zhao's critically acclaimed work "Nomadland" also took home the top prize for best drama film. The picture previously won multiple coveted awards including the Golden Lion at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.

"This award belongs to the whole Nomadland team, the entire cast and crew... you know who you are," Zhao, who was born in Beijing in 1982, said. "I want to thank my partner, Josh, and my family for keeping me sane all these years, and I especially want to thank the nomads who shared their story with us."

"Compassion is the breakdown of all the barriers between us – a heart-to-heart bonding. Your pain is my pain. It's mingled and shared between us," said Zhao via video link, quoting Bob Wells, one of the real-life nomads who inspired her film and appears as himself in the movie.

"This is why I fell in love with making movies and telling stories, because they give us a chance to laugh and cry together. They give us a chance to learn from each other and to have more compassion for each other."

Zhao's win was applauded by her Chinese peers and celebrated on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, where many praised her talent.

"Each of the awards is such a big surprise beyond our expectation. A Chinese girl, who couldn't speak English, went abroad to study when she was 16, embarking on a journey that is not easy but respectable," commented renowned Chinese actress and Zhao's stepmother Song Dandan.

"Today, [you] earned such a recognition and created such records. You're a legend in our family. [I] believe that your story will be a huge inspiration for countless Chinese children."

Award-winning actress Zhang Ziyi ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," 2000) reposted Song's post, saying "Congratulations Zhao Ting! [At the upcoming] Oscars, we can expect more!"

"This is the first time a Chinese female director has ever won. Congratulations director Zhao, I'm so proud of you, and looking forward to your next award," said one user.

"[Zhao] is a huge inspiration for Asian women, especially female filmmakers. It is a win for women everywhere," read another comment.

Zhao's fellow nominees this year were David Fincher ("Mank"), Regina King ("One Night in Miami"), Emerald Fennell ("Promising Young Woman), and Aaron Sorkin ("The Trial of the Chicago 7"). It marks the first time that more than one woman was shortlisted for the title of best director.

"Nomadland" stars veteran actress Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves home to live a nomadic lifestyle in a van and travel across the American West. It pocketed two prizes, sharing the same number of accolades with Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" and Disney-Pixar's animated "Soul."

The most emotional moment on Sunday evening came as the late Chadwick Boseman won best actor in a dramatic motion picture for the 1920s blues drama "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

The late star's wife Taylor Simone Ledward accepted the award, saying that "He would thank God, he would thank his parents, he would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices."

The Golden Globe Awards 2021 winners were announced on February 28 at a mostly virtual show amid the coronavirus pandemic, marking the beginning of Hollywood's traditional awards season. The three-hour bicoastal show was hosted by Tina Fey in New York and Amy Poehler in Beverly Hills, California.

(Cover: Chloe Zhao accepts the Best Director Motion Picture award for "Nomadland" via video at the 78th Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton and broadcast in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., February 28, 2021. /CFP)