The Central Academy of Drama (), abbreviated Zhong Xi (), is a

drama school A drama school, stage school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pr ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China. It is a Chinese state Double First Class University Plan university identified by the Ministry of Education of China. The school is the first theatre higher educational institution of the People's Republic of China. It is ranked as the best top-level drama, film, and television arts institution in China and has been selected into the country's Double First Class University Plan. The Central Academy of Drama is a central subordinate university and is also an art college directly under the Ministry of Education. It is the highest institution of education in dramatic art among the world's leading art institutions in Chinese drama, visual arts teaching and research center. The Central Academy of Drama is also the headquarters of the World Theatre Education Alliance (WTEA), China Alliance of Theatre Higher Educational Institutes and Asia Theatre Education Centre (ATEC). The Central Academy of Drama has engaged in the practice of drama and the visual arts for more than 50 years and is a bastion of experimental theater drama in China. The school also holds the UNESCO Chair on Theatre Education.

Location

The academy is located at 39 E Mianhua Hutong, Dongcheng Qu, Beijing Shi, 100009.

History

The academy was established in April 1950 with

Ouyang Yuqian Ouyang Yuqian (; May 12, 1889 – September 21, 1962) was a Chinese playwright, Peking opera actor and writer, film screenwriter and director, and drama educator. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of Chinese spoken ...

as its first president and was named by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

. It inherited the drama department of Lu Xun Art Academy in

Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...

, the art school of North China University and the National Drama College in Nanjing. Many famous actors, actresses and directors have graduated from the Academy including

Zhang Ziyi Zhang Ziyi (; ; born 9 February 1979) is a Chinese actress and model. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. Her first major role was in '' The Road Home'' (1999). She later gained international recognition for her role in ...

, Jiang Wen,

Gong Li Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaoni ...

and Li Landi.

Rankings and reputation

The Central Academy of Drama is regarded as the most prestigious drama school in China and ranked 2nd in Asia and 32th in the world by the 2021

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

Performing Arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

Notable alumni

Note that class year indicates the entrance year, not graduating year. ; Acting Department *Class of 1950: Jin Yaqin *Class of 1954: Zheng Zhenyao *Class of 1959: Yan Shunkai *Class of 1960: Wen Xingyu *Class of 1974: Chen Baoguo, Guo Lianwen *Class of 1979:

Chen Daoming Chen Daoming (born 26 April 1955) is a Chinese actor who has starred in various genres of film and television series. Career Chen graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. His first notable role was "Puyi" (the last emperor of China) in the ...

*Class of 1980: Jiang Wen, Lü Liping, Yue Hong *Class of 1982: Ni Dahong *Class of 1984: Zhang Hanyu,

Wu Xiubo Wu Xiubo ( , born 5 September 1968), is a Chinese actor, musician and producer. He is most widely known as Xinjie Liu, the protagonist in the television series ''Before the Dawn'', for which he received several awards. Wu ranked 43rd on ''Forbes ...

*Class of 1985:

Jia Hongsheng Jia Hongsheng (; 19 March 1967 – 5 July 2010) was a Chinese actor who became known in the late 1980s and early 1990s for roles in movies like ''The Case of the Silver Snake'' (1988), ''Good Morning, Beijing'' (1991), ''A Woman from North Shaan ...

, Wei Zi, Chen Wei *Class of 1986: Chen Zhihui *Class of 1987: Hu Jun,

Xu Fan Xu Fan (, born 16 August 1967) is a Chinese actress and Asian Film Awards winner. She married film director Feng Xiaogang Feng Xiaogang (; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and politician ...

*Class of 1988: Guo Tao,

*Class of 1989: Tao Hong *Class of 1990:

Li Yapeng Li Yapeng (; born September 27, 1971) is a Chinese actor. He starred in two CCTV television adaptations of Louis Cha's ''wuxia'' novels; playing Linghu Chong in the 2000 series, ''Laughing in the Wind'', and Guo Jing in the 2003 series ''The L ...

, Chen Jianbin *Class of 1991:

Huang Zhizhong Huang Zhizhong, () born 5 March 1969 in Tianjin, China is a Chinese actor. Background Huang was a basketball player at a young age. After he retired from basketball team, he worked in Tianjin Textile manufacturing factory as a Machinist fitt ...

*Class of 1993:

Zhu Yuanyuan Zhu Yuanyuan (; born 18 March 1974) is a Chinese actress. Zhu is noted for her roles as Tao Hua and Song Yu in the film and television series ''The Forest Ranger'' and ''The Forest Ranger'' respectively. Early life Zhu was born and raised in Sh ...

Wang Qianyuan Wang Qianyuan is a Chinese actor who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. He won Best Actor at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival for his role in the movie, ''The Piano in a Factory ''The Piano in a Factory'' () is 2010 Chine ...

*Class of 1994: Tao Hong, Gong Beibi, Duan Yihong *Class of 1995: Xia Yu *Class of 1996:

, Liu Ye, Qin Hailu,

Mei Ting Mei Ting (Chinese: 梅婷, born 30 April 1975) is a Chinese actress. She received the Best Actress awards at the 22nd Cairo International Film Festival and 5th Huabiao Awards for her performance in "A Time to Remember". Early life In the 1980s, ...

Yuan Quan Yuan Quan (, born 16 October 1977), also known as Yolanda Yuan, is a Chinese actress and singer. She graduated from the Central Academy of Drama where she majored in drama. Career Yuan starred in her first film ''Rhapsody of Spring'' (1998), w ...

Qin Hao Qin Hao (Chinese name: ) is a Chinese actor. He is known for starring in the 2009 film ''Spring Fever'' and the 2020 television series '' The Bad Kids''. Early life In 1996, Qin entered China's Central Academy of Drama. He graduated from the Ce ...

*Class of 1997: Chen Hao,

Calvin Li Calvin Li or Li Zonghan (; born 7 November 1976) is a Chinese actor of Manchu ethnicity. Li is noted for his roles as Wu Yong and Yang Zhenjiang in the television series and film ''All Men Are Brothers'' and ''Hushed Roar'' respectively. Life E ...

*Class of 1998: Deng Chao, Zhu Yuchen *Class of 1999: Chen Sicheng,

Zhang Luyi Zhang Luyi (born 7 June 1980), also known as Edward Zhang, is a Chinese actor and director. Background and career Zhang first studied film direction at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, before entering Peking University where he obtained ...

*Class of 2000:

Zhou Yun Zhou Yun (; born 17 December 1978) is a Chinese actress. Zhou is noted for her roles as Hua Jie and Shu Man in the film and television series ''Let the Bullets Fly'' and ''Golden Marriage 2'' respectively. Life Early life Zhou was born in a m ...

, Liu Yun,

Gao Lu Gao Lu (; born 8 October 1982) is a Chinese actress best known for her roles in ''The Lady Iron Chef'', ''Mature Male Develop a Mind'', ''My Economical Man'', and '' All Is Well''. Early life and education Gao was born in Beijing on October 8, 1 ...

*Class of 2001: Zhang Xinyi *Class of 2002: Wen Zhang, Tiffany Tang,

Tong Yao Tong Yao (; born 11 August 1985), also known as Tanya Tong, is a Chinese actress, best known in film for portraying Chen Shu in ''A Big Deal'' (2011), May in '' Snowfall in Taipei'' (2012) and Annie Yang in '' To Love Somebody'' (2014), and has ...

Bai Baihe Bai Baihe (, born 1 March 1984) is a Chinese actress. She was among the highest paid film actresses in China. She is best known for her roles in such films as '' Love is Not Blind'', ''Personal Tailor'', ''Monster Hunt'' and ''Go Away Mr. Tumo ...

Cao Xiwen Cao Xiwen (; born 16 November 1983) is a Chinese actress. She is noted for her roles as Consort Xiao and Gao Cuilan in the television series '' Beauty World'' and ''Journey to the West'' respectively. Early life Cao was born and raised in Jinhu ...

Bai Jing Bai Jing () (4 June 1983 – 28 February 2012) was a Chinese actress. She was best known for her role in the 2010 film '' Kung Fu Wing Chun'' in which she played the Chinese folk heroine Yim Wing-chun. Background Bai Jing graduated from Centra ...

, Yang Shuo, Zhang Mo *Class of 2003: Wang Kai, Hans Zhang *Class of 2004:

Tong Liya Tong Liya ( zh, 佟丽娅, born 8 August 1983) is a Chinese actress of Xibe ethnicity. Background Tong was born in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang province. Her father Tong Jisheng () was of Xibe ethni ...

, Wang Zhi,

Hu Sang Hu Sang (; born 10 November 1988) is a Chinese actress best known for her roles in the films ''Fatal Invitation'' and '' The Resistance''. Career In 2000 Hu Sang was admitted to the Beijing Dance Academy High School. In 2012 she graduated from ...

Zheng Qingwen Cheng Ch'ing-wen (; 16 September 1932 – 4 November 2017) was a Taiwanese writer and a graduate of National Taiwan University. He worked at the then government-run for forty years. His works in English are generally under the transliteration ...

*Class of 2005:

Chen Xiao Chen Xiao (, born 5 July 1987) is a Chinese actor and model. He is best known for his roles in ''Swordsman'' (2013), ''Legend of Lu Zhen'' (2013), ''The Romance of the Condor Heroes'' (2014), ''Who Sleeps My Bro'' (2015), '' Nothing Gold Can St ...

Mao Xiaotong Mao Xiaotong (, born 16 February 1988), also known as Rachel Momo, is a Chinese actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in ''Empresses in the Palace'' (2012), ''Love O2O'' (2016) and ''The Princess Weiyoung'' (2016). Early life and ...

Lin Xiawei Rosina Lam (Chinese: 林夏薇; Jyutping: Lam4 Ha6-mei4; born 30 June 1987) is a Hong Kong actress currently signed with Shaw Brothers Pictures. Biography Early life Rosina Lam is the only child of her family and also singer-actor Raymond Lam' ...

Lin Peng Lin Peng (, born October 25, 1986) is a Chinese actress. Peng began her career by appearing in a Jackie Chan film ''Little Big Soldier ''Little Big Soldier'' () is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Ding Sheng and produced and written by ...

Ying Er Ying Er (, born 12 December 1988) is a Chinese actress. Her real name is Liu Ying (). She is best known for her roles in the television series '' Sealed with a Kiss'', ''Xiao Ju's Spring Day'' and '' Decoded''. Filmography Film Television ...

Zhang Jianing Zhang Jianing (, born 26 May 1989), also known as Karlina Zhang, is a Chinese actress. She is best known for her roles as Lin Beixing in Shining for One Thing and Muyun Yanshuang in Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy. Career In 2009, Zhang d ...

*Class of 2006:

Liu Yuxin Liu Yuxin (born March 13, 1988) is a Chinese actress and model. She is best known for her role as Gororo Mingyu in the 2011 television series ''Scarlet Heart''. She graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. Biography Liu bought and owned the ...

, Song Yi *Class of 2007: Wei Daxun, Cheng Yi *Class of 2008: Ma Ke,

Lan Yingying Lan Yingying (born 16 April 1990), also known as Lyric Lan, is a Chinese actress. She is known for her roles as Huanbi in '' Empresses in the Palace'' (2011). Career Lan made her movie debut playing the role of Haitang in ''Mural'' in 2011. She ...

, Gao Weiguang *Class of 2009: Bai Yu *Class of 2010: Yang Yang, Qiao Xin, Liu Xueyi,

Qin Junjie Qin Junjie (, born 1 September 1991) is a Chinese actor. He made his debut in the 2006 film ''Curse of the Golden Flower''. He is best known for his starring roles in the TV series ''Noble Aspirations'' (2016), ''Legend of Dragon Pearl'' (2017), ...

Zhao Yingzi Zhao Yingzi (; born 16 December 1990), previously known as Zhao Han Ying Zi (), is a Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu ...

*Class of 2012: Yang Xuwen, Liang Jie *Class of 2013:

Zhang Ming'en Zhang Ming'en (, born 6 May 1995), is a Chinese actor. He made his official acting debut in 2016 with the tomb-raiding series ''The Mystic Nine''. He has also acted in the series ''Tientsin Mystic'' and ''Nice to Meet You''. Career Zhang Min ...

*Class of 2014:

Dong Zijian Dong Zijian (, born 19 December 1993) is a Chinese actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Young Style'' (2013), ''Mountains May Depart'' (2015), ''De Lan'' (2015) and ''At Cafe 6'' (2016). Early life and education Dong is born in Beijing, Ch ...

, Chen Xingxu *Class of 2015: Liu Haoran, Dong Sicheng,

Liang Sen Liang may refer to: Chinese history * Liang (state) (梁) (8th century BC – 641 BC), a Spring and Autumn period state * Wei (state) (403–225 BC), a Warring States period state, also known as Liang (梁) after moving its capital to Daliang * ...

*Class of 2016: Zhang Xueying, Zhao Jiamin *Class of 2018:

Jackson Yee Jackson Yee (, Chinese name Yi Yangqianxi, born on 28 November 2000) is a Chinese actor, dancer and singer. After a talent manager discovered him at a children's talent competition, where he performed a hip-hop dance, and signed to TF Entertainm ...

Hu Xianxu Hu Xianxu (, born August 17, 2000) is a Chinese actor. Career In 2009, Hu made his first appearance in the CCTV program ''Fei Chang Liu Jia Yi''. He next participated in program called ''Dang Hong Bu Ran'', coming in second, and subsequently s ...

, Li Landi , Luo Yizhou *Class of 2019:

Jiang Yiyi Jiang Yiyi (, born 1 January 2001) is a Chinese actress. Career Jiang is a child actress who is known for portraying the younger counterparts of many notable characters in television and films. She made her first acting appearance in the 2007 dr ...

, Li Faner *Class of 2020:

Zhao Jinmai Zhao Jinmai (born September 29, 2002) is a Chinese actress. She is best known for her roles in the dramas '' Balala the Fairies: The Magic Trial'' (2014), '' Balala the Fairies: Princess Camellia'' (2015), ''A Little Thing Called First Love'' ( ...

*Class of 2021:

Wen Qi Vicky Chen Wen-chi (; born 10 August 2003), better known by her stage name Wen Qi (), is a Taiwanese actress. The daughter of a Taiwanese businessman, Chen and her parents moved to Suzhou in 2007, where she spent most of her childhood. In 2017, ...

Deng Zeming Deng may refer to: * Deng (company), is a Danish engineering, electrical, solar power and sales company in Accra, Ghana * Deng (state), an ancient Chinese state * Deng (Chinese surname), originated from the state ** Deng Xiaoping, paramount lea ...

*Class of 2022:

Song Yaxuan Song Yaxuan (; born March 4, 2004), is a Chinese idol, actor, and singer. He is the main vocal of the Chinese boy band . Early life and education Song Yaxuan was born on March 4, 2004, in Binzhou City, Shandong, China. He grew up with his ...

Directing Department:

Bao Guo'an Bao Guo'an (born 4 June 1946) is a Chinese actor and professor in the Central Academy of Drama. Best known for his role as Cao Cao in the 1994 television series ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', Bao won two Best Actor awards at the 1995 Golden ...

(Class of 1977),

Li Baotian Li Baotian (; born November 1946) is a Chinese actor. Li is a member of China Television Artists Association and China Film Association. His career accolades include one Flying Apsaras Award, six China Golden Eagle Awards, and two Hundred Flo ...

(Class of 1979), Zhang Yang (Class of 1988),

Zhang Jingchu Zhang Jingchu (, born 2 February 1980) is a Chinese film actress. Zhang is best known for winning the China Film Media Award Best Actress award for the 2005 film ''Peacock'', which was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival. Early l ...

(Class of 1997), Lin Yongjian (Class of 1999),

Tang Wei use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

(Class of 2000),

Papi Jiang Jiang Yilei (; born February 17, 1987), known as the online moniker Papi Jiang () is a Chinese comedian known for her comedy on video blogs, where she pokes fun at everyday topics including entertainment news, dating and family relationships. Ea ...

(Class of 2005) Department of Musical Theatre: Sun Honglei (Class of 1995), Jin Dong (Class of 1999), Zhang Xincheng (Class of 2014) Department of Stage Design: Zhang Lei (Class of 1995) Department of Dramatic Literature: Zhang Yibai (Class of 1986), Diao Yinan (Class of 1987),

Cai Shangjun Cai Shangjun () is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. Cai graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 1992. Since then, his major work has been that of a professional screenwriter. Cai was part of the team, along with Zhang Yang, D ...

(Class of 1988),

Yilin Zhong Yilin Zhong () is a British Chinese journalist, screenwriter and author. She is the author of seventeen novels, two film screenplays, ten books and many other work including poems and literary reviews. She now lives in London. Early life Y ...

(Class of 1993)

References

External links

*
Central Academy of Drama official site
(or https://web.archive.org/web/20070125013704/http://218.249.21.170/ when connection problems)
http://www.chntheatre.edu.cn/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Academy of Drama Universities and colleges in Beijing Film schools in China Drama schools in China Educational institutions established in 1950 1950 establishments in China Mass media in Beijing Dongcheng District, Beijing Schools in Dongcheng District, Beijing Schools of Chinese opera