74 Notable alumni of Beijing Film Academy
Updated: June 06, 2026 EliteDegrees
Beijing Film Academy is 4208st in the world, 1st in North America, and 343st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 74 notable alumni from Beijing Film Academy sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Beijing Film Academy won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Wang Chao
1964-. (aged 62)
film director
screenwriter
Wang Chao is a Chinese film director and screenwriter, sometimes considered part of the loosely defined "sixth generation." Wang began his career serving as an assistant director to the fifth generation auteur, Chen Kaige, working with the elder director on epics like Farewell My Concubine and The Emperor and the Assassin. At the same time, he began to write fiction...
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2. Liu Jiang
1969-. (aged 57)
television producer
television director
film director
Liu Jiang is a Chinese television director, producer and screenwriter best known for his work Before Dawn, A Beautiful Daughter-in-law Era and Let's get married.
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3. Fan Popo
1985-. (aged 41)
writer
videomaker
film director
Fan Popo is a Chinese filmmaker, film critic, and LGBT activist. Fan's documentaries have focused on performance-based activism (New Beijing, New Marriage, and The VaChina Monologues) and coming out as LGBT in the Chinese filial context (Chinese Closet and Papa Rainbow). He is known for the documentary Mama Rainbow and his well-publicized legal case against the Chinese state media regulator...
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4. Zhang Nuanxin
1940-1995 (aged 55)
film director
screenwriter
Zhang Nuanxin was a Chinese film director, and a leading figure of the Fourth Generation of Chinese directors.
5. Liu Yonghong
1970-. (aged 56)
cinematographer
Liu Yonghong is a Chinese cinematographer, based in Beijing. His work was recognized at the 23rd Manaki Brothers International Film Camera Festival, for his work as director of photography on Seafood (2001). As well as at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, for his work as director of photography on Blind Shaft (2003).
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6. Chenyang Zhao
film director
screenwriter
Chenyang Zhao, Beijing Film Academy graduate, a Chinese director, and screenwriter. Some of Zhao's major works are Ten Month Pregnancy, The Lying Lover, Love till Eternity, AA lifestyle, The Marriages in Laomi Family, Companionate Couple, Marry to The West, Pretty Li Hui Zhen and so on. Zhao's artistic style focuses on the realistic theme of people's bittersweet, then turn it...
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7. Wang Gongliang
1989-. (aged 37)
singer
Wang Gongliang; born Wang Keda (Chinese: 王柯达), is a Chinese singer, actor and model.
8. Dayyan Eng
1975-. (aged 51)
film director
screenwriter
Dayyan Eng, known as Wu Shixian in China, born in Taiwan in 1975, is a Chinese-American filmmaker of Chinese, English, and Persian ancestry, who grew up in three continents. He studied film arts at the University of Washington and transferred to the Beijing Film Academy, where he finished his undergraduate studies in directing. Eng started his career directing numerous TV...
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9. Matt William Knowles
1985-. (aged 41)
film actor
Matthew Knowles, known professionally as Matt William Knowles or Ma Tai, is an American actor known for his work in multiple Chinese films and television series such as Asura, Love Me If You Dare, Deng Xiao Ping at History's Crossroad, Red Sorghum, Eastern Battlefield and Red Star Over China.
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10. Ding Sheng
1970-. (aged 56)
screenwriter
film director
film editor
Ding Sheng is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. Born in Qingdao, Shandong in 1970, his directorial works include Little Big Soldier, Police Story 2013 and Railroad Tigers (2016), all starring Jackie Chan.
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11. Hu Mei
1958-. (aged 68)
television director
politician
film director
Hu Mei is a Chinese film director, television director and producer.
12. Yu Dong
1971-. (aged 55)
entrepreneur
film producer
Yu Dong, also known as Don Yu, is a Chinese businessman, film producer and presenter. He is also as the chairman of Bona Film Group, a production company and film distributor, which has distributed and co-produced over 100 Chinese-language films, such as Confession of Pain, Dragon Tiger Gate, and Flash Point.
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13. Wu Tianming
1939-2014 (aged 75)
screenwriter
director
film director
film producer
actor
Wu Tianming was a Chinese film director and producer who was considered one of the leading "Fourth Generation" directors. He is best known for his film The King of Masks (1995).
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14. Li Shaohong
1955-. (aged 71)
film director
Li Shaohong is a Chinese film and television director and producer. She is considered a member of the Fifth Generation movement, and China's top woman director. Her films have won multiple awards in China and abroad, including the Golden Montgolfiere at the 1992 Three Continents Festival (for Bloody Morning), and the Silver Bear at the 1995 Berlin International Film Festival...
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15. Peng Xiaolian
1953-2019 (aged 66)
screenwriter
director
film director
Peng Xiaolian was a Chinese film director, scriptwriter and author. A graduate of the 1982 class of the Beijing Film Academy, she was a member of the Fifth Generation, although her style differed from the other members of this group. She is known for her series of films about Shanghai, including Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (1998), which won...
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16. Xie Fei
1942-. (aged 84)
screenwriter
director
film director
Xie Fei is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, producer, film professor and film critic.
17. Yao Xingtong
1983-. (aged 43)
actor
Yao Xingtong is a Chinese actress. She is also known as Helen Yao and Anna Yao. She is fluent in French and English.
18. Ning Hao
1977-. (aged 49)
film actor
screenwriter
film director
Ning Hao is a Chinese film director. Ning studied at the Taiyuan Film School, where he majored in scenic design. He later transferred to the Art Department of Peking University. Ning eventually graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2003 with a degree from the Photography Department.
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19. Miao Pu
1977-. (aged 49)
actor
Miao Pu is a Chinese actress.
20. Zu Feng
1974-. (aged 52)
actor
television actor
film director
Zu Feng is a Chinese actor and director. Zu first attracted attention in 2008 for his role as Li Ya in the successful TV drama Lurk. He has earned and been nominated for numerous awards during his career, including winning the Best New Actor Award at the 2011 Chinese Young Generation Film Forum for his role in The Founding of...
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21. Xiaolu Guo
1973-. (aged 53)
screenwriter
writer
film director
Xiaolu Guo FRSL is a Chinese-born British author, filmmaker and academic. Her writing and films explore migration, alienation, memory, personal journeys, feminism, translation and transnational identities.
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22. Wang Quan'an
1965-. (aged 61)
screenwriter
film director
film editor
film producer
actor
Wang Quan'an is a Sixth Generation Chinese film director. Wang was born in Yan'an, China. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1991. He had a ten-year relationship with actress and muse Yu Nan, which ended in 2009.
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23. Huang Haibo
1976-. (aged 50)
actor
television actor
Huang Haibo is a Chinese actor of Manchu descent, known for his roles in film The Dream of A Young Soldier (2001), and in television series Chasing, A Beautiful Daughter-in-law Era, Forever Designation and Let's Get Married!. He was blacklisted in China for a prostitution scandal in 2014.
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24. Wang Xiaoshuai
1966-. (aged 60)
screenwriter
director
film director
film producer
actor
Wang Xiaoshuai is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, and occasional actor. He is commonly grouped under the loose association of filmmakers known as the "Sixth Generation" of the Cinema of China. Like others in this generation, and in contrast with earlier Chinese filmmakers who produced mostly historical drama, Wang proposed a “new urban Chinese cinema has been mainly concerned with...
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25. Tian Zhuangzhuang
1952-. (aged 74)
screenwriter
film director
film producer
actor
Tian Zhuangzhuang is a Chinese film director, producer and actor.
26. Lu Chuan
1971-. (aged 55)
film director
screenwriter
Lu Chuan is a Chinese filmmaker. One of China's Sixth Generation directors, he is known for his films Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004), City of Life and Death (2009), and The Last Supper (2012).
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27. Hu Bo
1988-2017 (aged 29)
novelist
screenwriter
film director
Hu Bo, also known by his pen name Hu Qian (Chinese: 胡遷), was a Chinese novelist and film director, best known for his only feature film An Elephant Sitting Still (2018), which garnered widespread praise from critics. He died by suicide on 12 October 2017 at the age of 29, soon after he finished that film.
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28. Jiang Yiyan
1983-. (aged 43)
actor
singer
Jiang Yiyan is a Chinese actress and singer.
29. Huang Mengying
1990-. (aged 36)
actor
Huang Mengying, also known as Maggie Huang, is a Chinese actress who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy. She rose to fame for her role as Sujin in Eternal Love (2017), and gained increased recognition for her supporting roles in Princess Agents and Lost Love in Times.
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30. Zhang Tian'ai
1988-. (aged 38)
actor
Zhang Tian'ai, also known by her English name Crystal Zhang, is a Chinese actress and model. She is best known for her breakout role in the 2015 hit web-drama Go Princess Go.
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31. Lou Ye
1965-. (aged 61)
film producer
screenwriter
film director
Lou Ye, born 1965, is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of the Sixth Generation" directors, Lou is known for his art-house vérité films about modern China, which often run afoul of Chinese censors. In June 2018, Lou became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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32. Jiang Wenli
1969-. (aged 57)
screenwriter
film director
producer
actor
Jiang Wenli is a Chinese actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. A native of Tianjin, she graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 1992. Li ranked 52nd on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2014. In 2008, she became the first Chinese actress to win the "Grand Slam", after winning "Best Actress" trophy at the three biggest Chinese-language television awards including...
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33. Hai Qing
1978-. (aged 48)
actor
Hai Qing is a Chinese actress who has appeared in such films as Sacrifice (2010), Finding Mr. Right (2013), Operation Red Sea (2018), and Return to Dust (2022). For her role in the 2009–10 television series A Beautiful Daughter-in-law Era, she was nominated for numerous TV awards, including a Flying Apsaras Award for Best Actress and a Golden Eagle Award...
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34. Wang Luodan
1984-. (aged 42)
actor
singer
Wang Luodan is a Chinese actress. She rose to fame with the TV series Struggle (2007), followed by TV series My Youthfulness (2009) and A Story of Lala's Promotion (2010). Her notable films include Driverless (2010), Caught in the Web (2012), for which she won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress, and The Dead End (2015).
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35. Yuan Shanshan
1987-. (aged 39)
actor
film actor
Yuan Shanshan also known as Mabel Yuan is a Chinese actress and singer. She is noted for her roles as in the Gong series: Palace II (2012) and Palace III (2013); as well as Swordsman (2013) and Jian Bing Man (2015).
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36. Jiang Qinqin
1975-. (aged 51)
actor
singer
Jiang Qinqin is a Chinese actress. Early in her career, she was credited as Shui Ling (水灵; 水靈), a stage name given by Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao.
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37. Yin Zheng
1986-. (aged 40)
actor
singer
Tan Junpeng, known by his stage name Yin Zheng (Chinese: 尹正; pinyin: Yǐn Zhèng), is a Chinese actor. He is known for his roles in Love Me, If You Dare, Goodbye Mr. Loser, Sparrow, Original Sin and Winter Begonia.
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38. Zhang Fengyi
1956-. (aged 70)
actor
television actor
Zhang Fengyi is a Chinese actor best known for his role as "Duan Xiaolou" in Farewell My Concubine (1993), Jing Ke in The Emperor and the Assassin (1998), and Cao Cao in Red Cliff (2008–2009).
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39. Du Chun
1981-. (aged 45)
television producer
television actor
actor
film actor
Du Chun is a Chinese actor.
40. Jia Zhangke
1970-. (aged 56)
actor
screenwriter
film screenwriter
film actor
film director
Jia Zhangke is a Chinese filmmaker. Jia gained fame for his Hometown Trilogy, Xiao Wu, Platform, and Unknown Pleasures, and rose from an underground filmmaker to a leading figure of China’s Sixth Generation of directors. Jia won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Still Life, the Leopard of Honour at the Locarno Film Festival in 2010, and...
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41. Huang Bo
1974-. (aged 52)
singer
film director
television actor
voice actor
actor
Huang Bo is a Chinese actor, film director, singer and the current vice-chairman of China Film Association. After unsuccessfully pursuing a singing career for many years, he rose to fame with the surprise hit Crazy Stone (2006), and went on to build a successful film career throughout the 2010s, becoming known for his grassroots, street-smart comedic roles. Huang ranked 34th...
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42. Yu Nan
1978-. (aged 48)
actor
film actor
Yu Nan is a Chinese actress. Born in Dalian, Yu Nan studied at the Beijing Film Academy, where she graduated in 1999.
43. Ma Tianyu
1986-. (aged 40)
actor
singer
television actor
Ma Tianyu, also known as Ray Ma, is a Chinese singer and actor. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy.
44. Chen Kaige
1952-. (aged 74)
actor
screenwriter
director
writer
film director
Chen Kaige is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese directors, Chen is known for his visual flair and epic storytelling. For Farewell My Concubine (1993), Chen became the first Chinese director to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
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45. Zhou Ye
1998-. (aged 28)
film actor
Zhou Ye is a Chinese actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Better Days (2019) and Moments We Shared (2024), and the series Word of Honor (2021), Back from the Brink (2023), Scent of Time (2023), Love Me, Love My Voice (2023), Everyone Loves Me (2024), and Legend of the Female General (2025).
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46. Zhang Ruoyun
1988-. (aged 38)
television actor
film actor
Zhang Ruoyun is a Chinese actor. He is known for his leading roles in Chinese television series such as Sparrow, Medical Examiner Dr. Qin, Joy of Life, Sword Snow Stride and Ordinary Greatness.
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47. Shawn Dou
1988-. (aged 38)
actor
television actor
Shawn Dou is a Chinese Canadian actor best known for his role Laosan in film Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) and Yan Xun in costume drama Princess Agents (2017). He is married to Laurinda Ho, daughter of Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho.
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48. Zhu Yilong
1988-. (aged 38)
singer
actor
television actor
Zhu Yilong is a Chinese actor. He first gained recognition in television series such as Guardian (2018), The Story of Minglan (2018), Reunion: The Sound of the Providence (2020), and The Rebel (2021). Zhu is best known for his performance as Mo Sanmei in the drama film Lighting Up the Stars (2022), for which he won the Best Actor awards...
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49. Huang Shengyi
1983-. (aged 43)
model
singer
entrepreneur
actor
Huang Shengyi, also known as Eva Huang, is a Chinese actress and singer.
50. Chen Kun
1976-. (aged 50)
singer
television actor
writer
film actor
philanthropist
Chen Kun, sometimes credited as Aloys Chen, is a Chinese actor, singer and producer. He rose to fame for the television series Love Story in Shanghai (2001) and The Story of a Noble Family (2003). He gained critical acclaim for the films The Knot (2006) and Painted Skin (2008). His other notable works include films Flying Swords of Dragon Gate...
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51. Guan Xiaotong
1997-. (aged 29)
actor
Guan Xiaotong is a Chinese actress and singer. She is known for her roles in films The Left Ear, Shadow, and in the television series To Be a Better Man. Guan was twice named one of the New Four Dan Actresses by Sohu and by CCTV-6.
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52. Wu Jinyan
1990-. (aged 36)
actor
Wu Jinyan is a Chinese actress. She is best known for her roles in television series Beauties at the Crossfire (2013), Story of Yanxi Palace (2018), The Legend of Haolan (2019), and The Double (2024).
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53. Zhou Dongyu
1992-. (aged 34)
model
actor
Zhou Dongyu is a Chinese actress. She rose to fame for her role in Zhang Yimou's film Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010). She is also known for her roles in Soul Mate (2016), for which she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress, Us and Them (2018), and Better Days (2019), for which she won both the Hong...
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54. Li Xian
1991-. (aged 35)
film actor
actor
television actor
Li Xian is a Chinese actor, known for his roles in the films Feng Shui (2012) and Who Sleeps My Bro (2016), as well as the TV dramas Tientsin Mystic (2017), Go Go Squid! (2019), Flourished Peony (2025) and In the Name of Blossom (2025). He ranked 19th on the 2020 Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.
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55. Luo Jin
1981-. (aged 45)
television actor
opera singer
singer
actor
Luo Jin is a Chinese actor and singer. He graduated from Beijing Film Academy in 2006.
56. Wang Junkai
1999-. (aged 27)
actor
singer
television actor
Wang Junkai, also known as Karry Wang, is a Chinese singer and actor. He was a trainee of TF Family since 2010 and debuted as the leader of TFBoys in 2013. He is estimated to have a personal net worth of 248 million yuan (US$36 million) as of December 2016.
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57. Gülnezer Bextiyar
1992-. (aged 34)
actor
Gülnezer Bextiyar, also known by her pinyin transliteration name Gulinazha or its diminutive form Nazha, is a Chinese actress and model who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2011.
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58. Alyssa Chia
1974-. (aged 52)
television presenter
television actor
voice actor
actor
film actor
Alyssa Chia Ching-wen is a Taiwanese actress and television host. She is known for her roles in television series such as the period dramas The Prince of Han Dynasty (2001), The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (2002) and Lady Wu: The First Empress (2003), as well as the contemporary social realist series The World Between Us (2019). For her role...
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59. Zhao Wei
1976-. (aged 50)
film director
singer
actor
film actor
Zhao Wei, also known as Vicky or Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese actress, singer, filmmaker, and businesswoman. Regarded as one of China's Four Dan Actresses, she rose to fame for her role in the television series My Fair Princess (1998–1999), followed by such popular dramas and films as Romance in the Rain (2001), Shaolin Soccer (2001), Moment in Peking (2005),...
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60. Ai Weiwei
1957-. (aged 69)
film director
sculptor
architect
social activist
artist
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly critical of the Chinese government and its stance on democracy and human rights. He investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan...
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61. Huang Xiaoming
1977-. (aged 49)
singer
television actor
model
Huang Xiaoming or Mark Huang is a Chinese actor and singer. Huang rose to prominence for playing Emperor Wu of Han in the television series The Prince of Han Dynasty (2001), followed by popular series such as The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006), Shanghai Bund (2007), The Patriot Yue Fei (2013), Cruel Romance (2015), Nirvana in Fire 2 (2017),...
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62. Leo Wu
1999-. (aged 27)
actor
television actor
Wu Lei, also known as Leo Wu, is a Chinese actor. He started appearing in commercials at the age of three. In 2007, he made his acting debut as Nezha in the series The Legend and the Hero. He is known for his supporting roles in Nirvana in Fire (2015) and The Whirlwind Girl (2015) and for his starring roles...
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63. Zhang Yimou
1950-. (aged 76)
screenwriter
film director
cinematographer
film producer
actor
Zhang Yimou is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of China's Fifth Generation directors, he is considered as one of the most successful filmmakers in the world.
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64. Liu Yifei
1987-. (aged 39)
model
singer
actor
film actor
Liu Yifei is a Chinese American actress. She has appeared multiple times on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list and was named one of the New Four Dan actresses of China by Tencent Entertainment in 2009. She is known for her roles in Chinese TV shows such as The Story of a Noble Family, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Chinese Paladin, A Dream...
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65. Yang Mi
1986-. (aged 40)
singer
actor
television producer
Yang Mi, also known as Mini Yang, is a Chinese actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress in Tang Ming Huang (1990) and transitioned to adult roles in the 2000s, gaining recognition with Wang Zhaojun (2007), which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 24th China TV Golden Eagle Awards. She further rose to prominence...
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66. Jing Tian
1988-. (aged 38)
actor
Jing Tian is a Chinese actress. She graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy and Beijing Film Academy.
67. Yang Zi
1992-. (aged 34)
actor
Yang Zi, also known as Andy Yang, is a Chinese actress and singer. Known for her roles in both film and television, she has received several accolades. Yang has ranked among china's most influential and highest paid actresses and was named as one of the Four Dan Actresses of the post 90s generation by Southern Metropolis Daily. Yang was listed...
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68. Wu Ershan
1972-. (aged 54)
film director
screenwriter
Wuershan is a Chinese film director of Mongol descent, who was born in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia on June 10, 1972.
69. Qiao Zhenyu
1978-. (aged 48)
actor
television actor
Qiao Zhenyu is a Chinese actor who is a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy.
70. Yao Chen
1979-. (aged 47)
film actor
actor
stage actor
Yao Chen is a Chinese actress and philanthropist. She achieved early success with her role in the sitcom My Own Swordsman (2006) and went on to star in the television series Lurk (2008), Divorce Lawyers (2014), and All Is Well (2019). Her notable film credits include Caught in the Web (2012), Firestorm (2013), Lost, Found (2018), and Send Me to...
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71. Zhang Yuan
1963-. (aged 63)
film director
screenwriter
Zhang Yu'an is a Chinese television personality and radio host, who is currently active in South Korea. He was a cast member in the talk show Non-Summit and its spin-off travel-reality show, Where Is My Friend's Home.
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72. Frant Gwo
1980-. (aged 46)
film producer
screenwriter
film director
Guo Fan, credited as Frant Gwo in Latin script, is a Chinese filmmaker. Gwo debuted as a director in 2011 with the film Lee's Adventure, and then directed the box-office hit My Old Classmate in 2014. In 2019, he directed China's first big-budget science fiction film, The Wandering Earth, which became one of the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time,...
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73. Gao Xixi
1962-. (aged 64)
television producer
director
television director
Gao Xixi is a Chinese television director and producer, famous for directing a number of commercially successful Chinese television series.
74. Pema Tseden
1969-2023 (aged 54)
screenwriter
university teacher
film director
writer
film screenwriter
Pema Tseden, also called Wanma Caidan (simplified Chinese: 万玛才旦; traditional Chinese: 萬瑪才旦; pinyin: Wàn mǎ cái dàn; December 1969 – 8 May 2023) was a Tibetan film director and screenwriter. He was a professor at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou and a member of the Film Directors Guild of China, China Film Association, and Chinese Film Literature Association....
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