Sandra Ma Sichun (, born 14 March 1988) is a Chinese actress of Hui ethnicity. She is noted for her roles in the films ''

The Left Ear ''The Left Ear'' is a 2015 Chinese coming of age film directed by Alec Su. It is Su's directorial debut, and based upon the novel of the same name by Rao Xueman. Rao also wrote the film's screenplay. Filming completed and went into post production ...

'' (2015) and '' Soul Mate'' (2016), for which she won the

Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress The Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress is given at the Golden Horse Film Awards. Superlatives The following individuals received two or more Best Actress awards: The following individuals received four or more Best Actress nomi ...

alongside her co-star

Zhou Dongyu Zhou Dongyu () is a Chinese people, Chinese actress, who gained recognition after appearing in Zhang Yimou's film ''Under the Hawthorn Tree (film), Under the Hawthorn Tree''. She was also chosen by ''Southern Metropolis Daily'' as one of the "Fo ...

; and in television series '' Love Me If You Dare'' (2015) and '' Age of Legends'' (2018).

Early life

Ma was born in

Bengbu Bengbu () is a city in northern Anhui Province, China. Its population was 3,296,408 registered residents at the 2020 census. 1,968,027 lived in the built-up area made of four Bengbu urban districts and Fengyang County in Chuzhou Prefecture, larg ...

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

on March 14, 1988, to Jiang Wenjuan (), a broker. Her aunt,

Jiang Wenli Jiang Wenli (, born 20 June 1969) 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. Early life J ...

is a noted actress. Ma graduated from

Communication University of China The Communication University of China (CUC) () is a leading public university in Beijing. It is one of the China's key universities of 'Double First Class University Plan', directly administered by the Ministry of Education of the People's Repub ...

Career

Beginnings

Ma Sichun began her career as a child actress at age 7, when she appeared in ''The Winter of Three Persons'', which stars Jiang Wenli and Zhao Jun. 5 years later at the age of 13, she starred in ''

The Grand Mansion Gate ''The Grand Mansion Gate'' (; pinyin: Dàzháimén) is a 2001 Chinese historical television series written and directed by Guo Baochang. Guo is also the author of the original novel of the same name. The television series stars Siqin Gaowa, Chen B ...

''. Both productions co-star her aunt,

. Ma became well known after working as a book cover model for Rao Xueman's novel ''Joy & Sorrow''. Thereafter, she was chosen as the female lead by director Shen Yan for the television series ''Lover'', based on the novel ''Daddy, I have your baby''. In 2012, Ma won the

Golden Phoenix Awards Golden Phoenix Awards (), China's equivalent to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, is a bi-annual accolade given by the China Film Performance Art Academy to recognize outstanding performances in film. In 1987, the first annual awards ceremony held ...

for Best Newcomer for her performance in the film ''Time Flies Soundlessly''.

2015–present: Rising popularity and acclaim

Ma achieved wider recognition after starring in the

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be ...

film ''

'', directed by

Alec Su Alec Su You-peng (born 11 September 1973) is a Taiwanese actor, singer, television producer, and film director. Su became a popular teen idol in the 1980s as a member of the boyband '' Xiao Hu Dui''. He was known as the "Obedient Tiger" (乖� ...

. Her role as the rebellious and daring Li Bala received acclaim from critics and she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...

. The same year, she co-starred with

Wallace Huo Wallace Huo Chien-hwa (, born 26 December 1979) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and producer. He is known for his roles in '' At Dolphin Bay'' (2003), '' Chinese Paladin 3'' (2009), '' Swordsman'' (2013), '' Battle of Changsha'' (2014), ''The Journey ...

in the hit crime drama '' Love Me If You Dare'', which contributed to her rise in popularity. In 2016, Ma starred in adventure film ''

Time Raiders ''Time Raiders'' () is a 2016 Chinese fantasy-action-adventure film directed by Daniel Lee and starring Jing Boran and Luhan. It is based on the online novel series '' Daomu Biji'' written by Xu Lei. The film was released in China by Le Vision Pi ...

'', based on the popular tomb-raiding novel series ''

Daomu Biji ''Daomu Biji'' () variously translated as ''Grave Robbers’ Chronicles'',Title of the English translation of the book. ''Grave Robbery Note''Title seen on manhua edition of the story. and ''The Lost Tomb'',Title seen on serial edition of the sto ...

''. The same year, she starred in romance film '' Soul Mate'', playing the beautiful, kind yet rebellious protagonist. Ma won the

alongside her co-star

. In 2017, Ma was cast as the female protagonist in the third installment of the ''Detective Dee'' film series by

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...

. She also starred in the campus romance film ''Nuts''. In 2018, Ma starred alongside

William Chan William Chan Wai-ting (born 21 November 1985) is a Hong Kong singer, dancer and actor. In 2003, he participated in New Talent Singing Awards where he won several awards. He was then signed under Emperor Entertainment Group. He began his singing ...

in the crime action drama '' Age of Legends''. ''Forbes China'' listed Ma under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields. Ma also starred in chinese variety show '' Who's the Keyman''. In 2019, Ma starred in

Lou Ye Lou Ye (), born 1965, is a Chinese screenwriter-director who is commonly grouped with the " Sixth Generation" directors of Chinese cinema. Films Born in Shanghai, Lou was educated at the Beijing Film Academy. In 1993, he made his first film '' W ...

's crime film, '' The Shadow Play''; and romance drama film ''Somewhere Winter'' written by Rao Xueman. The same year, she was cast in period romance film ''Love After Love'', directed by

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in H ...

. On the small screen, Ma starred in the romance comedy drama ''Mr. Fighting'' alongside

Deng Lun Deng Lun () also known as Allen Deng, is a Chinese film and television actor, born on October 21, 1992, in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. He graduated from the Performance Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy. He made his acting debut in t ...

. In 2020, Ma was cast in the military romance drama ''You Are My Stronghold'' as a medic. The same year, she starred in youth drama film ''Wild Grass''.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

Forbes China Celebrity 100

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Sichun Living people 1988 births Chinese film actresses Chinese television actresses Communication University of China alumni People from Bengbu Hui actresses 21st-century Chinese actresses Actresses from Anhui