Zhang Lanlan (, born 23 September 1980) is a Chinese singer, actor and TV host who has appeared in numerous Chinese television shows. Originally an entertainer for the military, she was once dubbed the military's first beauty and the Chinese

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

. In 2008 she disappeared from public life only to be reappear six years later married to Xi Yuanping, the younger brother of

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader ...

(

paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important political figure in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), often hol ...

Biography

Zhang was born into a working-class family in

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

, China and joined a

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

choir when she was 15. After the death of her father a year later she joined the CPC Central Military Commission Political Department Song and Dance Troupe, a section of the military designed to entertain troops. By 2000 she regularly served as hostess for parties involving the

and the

Communist Party of China The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

. She performed at the 2008 ''

CCTV New Year's Gala The ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'', is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). It is broadcast annually on the eve of Chinese N ...

'', which was her last performance before disappearing from public life. Rumors of her disappearance circulated among the media who speculated that she had an affair with high ranking General

Xu Caihou Xu Caihou (; June 1943 – March 15, 2015) was a Chinese general in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the country's top military council. As Vice-chairman of the CMC, he was one of th ...

. The

State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) is a ministry-level executive agency controlled by the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its main task is the administration and supervision of state-owned enterpr ...

issued an order barring media outlets from talking or publishing photos of her. In 2014, a letter was published in the ''

Shenzhen Daily ''Shenzhen Daily'' is an English-language newspaper published in Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the ...

'' written by Xi Yuanping, the brother of Paramount leader Xi Jinping, announcing they were married with children. In the letter Xi said "Lanlan is a simple and sincere woman. She not only had a successful career, but is also a competent daughter-in-law, good wife and loving mother." The couple are said to have met in 2005 and that she fell out of public view after the birth of their first child.

Filmography

Television series

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Lanlan 1980 births Living people Actresses from Chongqing Singers from Chongqing 21st-century Chinese women singers