Yao Chen (, born 5 October 1979) is a Chinese actress and philanthropist. In 2014, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' named Yao as one of the most influential people on their ''Time 100'' list. As of 2014, she is listed as the 83rd most powerful woman in the world by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

''. Several English-language media outlets have nicknamed her "China's answer to

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...

." Yao ranked 56th on ''

China Celebrity 100 The ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 is a list published annually by ''Forbes'' that ranks the influence of Chinese celebrities. First published in 2004, it is similar to Celebrity 100 also published by ''Forbes''. Factors that are taken into acco ...

list in 2013, 69th in 2014, 41st in 2015, and 60th in 2019.

Personal life

Yao was born in Shishi City, Quanzhou,

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

province on 5 October 1979 to a middle-class family, and studied Chinese folk dance at the

Beijing Dance Academy The Beijing Dance Academy (BDA, ) is a municipal public professional dance college at Haidian, Beijing. The academy is the highest institution for dance education and assessment in the People's Republic of China, conducting the nationwide teache ...

from 1993 to 1997, then studied at the

Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; ) is a coeducational state-run higher education institution in Beijing, China. The film school is the largest institution specializing in the tertiary education for film and television production in Asia. The academy ...

from 1999 to 2003. In 2004, Yao married Chinese actor Ling Xiaosu, but they divorced in January 2011. Yao married cinematographer

Cao Yu Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 — December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important of the 20th century. His best-known works are ''Thunderstorm'' (1933), ''Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man'' (1940). ...

in November 2012. She gave birth to their first child in 2013.

Career

Yao starred as the daughter of a powerful martial artist in a 2005 television production of '' My Own Swordsman''. The series was especially popular and skyrocketed her to fame in China. Following this, in 2008, she played the part of an iconic guerilla leader in the series '' Lurk''. The spy drama became a smash hit in China and Yao won the Best Actress award at the

Huading Awards The Huading Awards are a set of entertainment awards in China. The awards were set up by Tianxia Yingcai Cultural Media Co., LTD () in 2007 in Beijing and are held more than once each year across multiple entertainment media from Chinese televis ...

and the Golden Eagle Awards. In 2009, she made her theatrical debut; playing a white-collar heroine in ''A Story of Lala's Promotion''. She also had a supporting role in the romantic comedy ''

Sophie's Revenge ''Sophie's Revenge'' (; "Very Perfect") is a 2009 Chinese-Korean co-production starring Zhang Ziyi, So Ji-sub, Fan Bingbing, Ruby Lin, Peter Ho, and Yao Chen. This movie is a co-production between Perfect World Pictures with South Korean company ...

'' starring

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 ...

. In a departure from her usual style, Yao's portrayal of a money-grabbing woman received acclaim from the audience. Yao then starred in romantic comedy ''Color Me Love'' (2010) as an aspiring fashion magazine editor, which would go on to become one of her most famous film roles. In 2012, Yao starred in

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wi ...

's social drama ''

Caught in the Web ''Caught in the Web'' () is a 2012 Chinese drama film directed by Chen Kaige. In September 2012 it screened as a special presentation at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Forei ...

'' as a truth-seeking journalist. She then starred alongside

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...

in the action thriller ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

'', which won her the Outstanding Actress award at the

Chinese Film Media Awards Chinese Film Media Awards (华语电影传媒大奖) are presented by '' Southern Metropolis Daily'' annually to honor excellence in Chinese-language cinema. Though based in mainland China, the awards are open to Chinese-language films from Hong Kon ...

. Yao played a lawyer in the 2014 drama ''Divorce Lawyers''. The drama was a huge success in China and sparked discussions online about emotion, truth, and law. Most recently, Yao starred in blockbusters ''

Monster Hunt ''Monster Hunt'' () is a 2015 mainland Chinese-Hong Kong 3D fantasy action comedy adventure film directed by Raman Hui (in his feature directorial debut). The film was released in China on 16 July 2015 in 3D and IMAX 3D. Upon release, it became ...

'' (2015), ''

Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe ''Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe'' () is a 2015 Chinese 3D adventure action film directed and co-written by Lu Chuan, and stars Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan, Li Chen, Tiffany Tang and Daniel Feng. The film is an adaptation of Zhang Muy ...

'' (2015) and '' Journey to the West 2'' (2017). Yao was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the

Hundred Flowers Awards The Hundred Flowers Awards () are, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards honouring the best in Chinese cinema, as well as Hong Kong cinema and the Cinema of Taiwan, they are classified as the Chinese equiv ...

for her performance in ''Monster Hunt''. She also starred in ''

MBA Partners ''MBA Partners'' is a 2016 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Jang Tae-yoo and starring Yao Chen, Tiffany Tang, Hao Lei, Li Chen and a special appearance by Aaron Kwok. It was released in China on April 29, 2016. Synopsis Lu Zhenxi ( Yao ...

'' (2016), playing an ambitious young woman. In 2017, Yao served as the jury of the

23rd Shanghai Television Festival The 23rd Shanghai Television Festival The Shanghai Television Festival (), abbreviated STVF, also known as the Shanghai International Television Festival is the first and one of the largest television festivals in East Asia. Held since 1986, STVF ...

. In 2018, Yao starred in the mystery film ''

Lost, Found ''Lost, Found'' () is a 2018 Chinese drama film directed by Lü Yue and produced by Feng Xiaogang. The film stars Yao Chen, Ma Yili, Yuan Wenkang, and Wu Haochen. It is a remake of 2016 South Korean film ''Missing''. The film premiered at the ...

'' alongside

Ma Yili Ma Yili (, born 29 June 1976) is a Chinese actress. Ma ranked 42nd on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2019. Early life Ma was born in Hongkou District, Shanghai on June 29, 1976, with her ancestral home in Rudong County, Nantong, Jiangsu ...

; a remake of the South Korean film '' Missing''. In 2019, Yao starred in the family drama '' All Is Well''. The series was extremely popular during its run, and Yao experienced a resurgence in popularity.

Activism

Yao was named the

UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrat ...

's Honorary Patron for China and has visited refugees in places including the Philippines, Thailand, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia. The number of followers of her microblogging during this visit increased dramatically, won over by her sincere, fearless communication and her honest engagement with current world events. In 2013, she was named the first UNHCR goodwill ambassador in China. Yao is among the people most followed on Weibo with 79 million followers. She uses her influence and wide reach to spread awareness on issues such as refugees crisis, pollution and censorship. Yao was among the recipients of the 2016 Crystal Award for her work on behalf of the U.N. refugee agency in raising awareness of the world refugee crisis. The same year, she was selected as one of the "Young Global Leaders" in 2016 by the World Economic Forum. Yao was also awarded the Top Influence Award at the You Bring Charm to the World award ceremony.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Yao Chen's official Weibo
(Chinese) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yao, Chen 1979 births Living people Actresses from Fujian Chinese television actresses 21st-century Chinese actresses Chinese stage actresses Beijing Film Academy alumni Chinese film actresses People from Shishi, Fujian Chinese Christians