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 Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County (; Xibe: , Cabcal Sibe beye dasangga siyan, also transliterated as ''Chapchal'', ug, چاپچال شىبە ئاپتونوم يېزىسى; kk, شاپشال سىبە اۆتونوميالى اۋدانى) in Ili Kazakh ...

Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture ( kk, Іле Қазақ автономиялық облысы) (also as Yili) is an autonomous prefecture for Kazakh people in Northern Xinjiang, China, one of five autonomous prefectures in Xinjiang. Yining City ...

, Xinjiang province. Her father Tong Jisheng () was of Xibe ethnicity from Xinjiang while her mother Mao Haiying () was of

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

ethnicity from

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

. Tong majored in dance at the Xinjiang Arts Institute, and due to her excellent results, was able to gain a placement at the Xinjiang Singing & Dancing Troupe. She subsequently obtained a qualification to teach dance at Xinjiang Arts Institute in 2000. In 2004, she enrolled in

Central Academy of Drama The Central Academy of Drama (), abbreviated Zhong Xi (), is a drama school in Beijing, 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 ...

, majoring in performance. Tong was named Ambassador of Xibe in 2011.

Career

Tong made her debut in the Hong Kong television series ''

C'est La Vie, Mon Chéri ''C'est la vie, mon chéri'' () is a 1993 Hong Kong romance film directed by Derek Yee and starring Lau Ching-wan, Anita Yuen and Carina Lau. It won six awards, including Best Film, during the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards. Title The movie is so ...

'' in 2008, and gained attention for her beautiful looks. Following her role as Zhao Feiyan in the 2009 historical drama '' The Queens'', Tong experienced a rise in popularity. Tong successfully broke into the mainstream with her subsequent roles in ''

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

'' (2011) and '' Beijing Love Story'' (2012), which were both major hits. Throughout her career, Tong has portrayed various roles in hit dramas ''My Economical Man'' (2012), ''

Weaning Weaning is the process of gradually introducing an infant human or another mammal to what will be its adult diet while withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk. The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk. The infan ...

'' (2013), ''Sword Family Woman'' (2014) and ''Obstetrician'' (2014); and was named the "Ratings Queen" by the Chinese media. She also starred in films, most notably

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 ...

's wuxia film ''

The Taking of Tiger Mountain ''The Taking of Tiger Mountain'' () is a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong epic action film directed by Tsui Hark, produced by Huang Jianxin and Yu Dong, and based on the novel ''Tracks in the Snowy Forest'' by Qu Bo. The story is based on a conflict be ...

'' (2014) and

Chen Sicheng Chen Sicheng (born February 22, 1978 in Shenyang) is a Chinese actor, director and screenwriter. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, and is known for his leading roles in the films ''A Young Prisoner's Revenge'' and ''Spring Fever''; ...

's comedy film ''

Detective Chinatown ''Detective Chinatown'' () is a 2015 Chinese comedy-mystery buddy film directed by Chen Sicheng and starring Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran. It was released in China on 31 December 2015. A sequel, was released in February 2018, and a third film w ...

'' (2015). In 2015, Tong starred in the period drama ''Ordinary World'' (2015), based on the Mao Dun Literature Prize novel of the same name by Lu Yao. She received acclaim for her performance, and won the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress. In 2017, Tong starred in the wuxia drama ''

Nirvana in Fire 2 ''Nirvana in Fire 2'' () is a 2017 Chinese television series starring Huang Xiaoming, Liu Haoran, Tong Liya and Zhang Huiwen. It is the sequel to '' Nirvana in Fire'', which is based on Hai Yan's novel with the same name. The stories take place a ...

'', the sequel to the critically acclaimed drama ''

Nirvana in Fire ''Nirvana in Fire'' () is a 2015 Chinese historical drama based on Hai Yan's book ''Lang Ya Bang (瑯琊榜)''. It was directed by Kong Sheng and Li Xue, and stars Hu Ge, Liu Tao and Wang Kai as Mei Changsu, Princess Nihuang and Prince Jing. ...

'' by Hai Yan. In 2018, Tong starred in two spy dramas. In ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'', she played the role of a wealthy lady who disguises as a man to infiltrate the underworld to seek revenge for her dead father. In ''Patriot'', she played the role of an underground spy. Tong won the Audience's Loved Character award at the

China TV Drama Awards The China TV Drama Awards (), also known as the Domestic TV Series Ceremony, is an award show presented annually on Anhui Television to award excellence in Chinese television. Categories Main Awards *Top Ten Television Series () *Best Web Series ...

for her portrayal. The same year, Tong won acclaim and numerous accolades for her performance in the romance comedy film ''

How Long Will I Love U ''How Long Will I Love U'' () is a 2018 Chinese fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Su Lun, based on an idea by Xu Zheng who also produced the film. The film stars Tong Liya and Lei Jiayin, and tells a story about a young woman ...

''. In January 2020, she starred in the workplace drama ''Perfect Partner'' as a public relations officer.

Personal life

Tong and actor

got married on 16 January 2014. The couple met and fell in love while filming the television series '' Beijing Love Story'', which Chen directed and co-scripted. They announced their relationship on the set of '' Happy Camp'' in 2012. The couple got married in 2014 at

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

. On 30 January 2016, Tong announced that she had given birth to their first child, a son named Chen Duoduo. On 20 May 2021, Tong and Chen announced their divorce.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

Forbes China Celebrity 100

References

External links

Tong Liya
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tong, Liya 1984 births Living people Central Academy of Drama alumni People from Ili Actresses from Xinjiang Chinese film actresses Chinese television actresses Chinese stage actresses 21st-century Chinese actresses Sibe people