Zhang Tian'ai (; born 28 October 1988), also known by her English name Crystal Zhang, is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

actress and model. She is best known for her breakout role in the 2015 hit web-drama ''

Go Princess Go ''Go Princess Go'' () is a 2015 Chinese web series produced by LeTV and adapted from the novel of the same name by Xian Chen. The series stars Zhang Tianai, Sheng Yilun, Yu Menglong, Jiang Qilin and Guo Junchen in the lead roles. It premiered in ...

''.

Early life and education

Zhang Tian'ai was born 28 October 1988 in

Harbin Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest ...

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

. Zhang attended high school in Japan, majoring in costume design. She then enrolled in 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 h ...

Career

2008–2014: Beginnings and rising popularity

In 2008, Zhang was invited by South Korean director Woody Han to star in Korean short film ''Cherry Blossom'' alongside Korean actor

Kim Soo-hyun Kim Soo-hyun (; born February 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. One of the highest-paid actors in South Korea, his accolades include four Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards and one Blue Dragon Film Award. From 2012 to 2016 and in ...

. After which, she continued to appear in minor supporting roles whilst working as an advertisement model. Zhang made her official acting debut in the drama ''The Second Life of My Husband'', which aired in 2013. Zhang first gained attention in 2014 when she acted alongside

Sun Honglei Sun Honglei (; born 16 August 1970) is a Chinese actor. Early life Sun was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, on 16 August 1970. Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the ...

in spy drama ''The Legendary Sniper''. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2nd Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China for her performance.

2015–present: Breakout and leading roles

In 2015, Zhang starred in the historical romance web drama ''

''. The low-budget series unexpectedly became a commercial hit, and shot Zhang to fame. Following her fame, Zhang was cast in bigger projects. In 2016, Zhang starred in the romance film ''

I Belonged to You ''I Belonged to You'' is a 2016 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Zhang Yibai and starring Deng Chao, Bai Baihe, Yang Yang, Zhang Tianai, Yue Yun-peng, Du Juan and Liu Yan. It was released in China on September 29, 2016. Plot I Belonged To ...

'' alongside

Deng Chao Deng Chao (, born 8 February 1979) is a Chinese actor, comedian, director and singer. His recent films, '' The Breakup Guru'' (2014), '' The Mermaid'' (2016) and ''Duckweed'' (2017) are among the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time in ...

. The film was a commercial success and earned more than 800 million yuan ($118 million) at the box office. In 2017, she starred in comedy film ''

Father and Son Father and Son or Fathers and Sons may refer to: Literature * ''Father and Son'' (book), a 1907 memoir by Edmund Gosse *Father and Son (comics), cartoon characters created by E. O. Plauen * ''Fathers and Sons'' (novel), an 1862 novel by Ivan Tur ...

'' with Da Peng and Fan Wei, and in fantasy adventure film ''

Legend of the Naga Pearls ''Legend of the Naga Pearls'' ( Chinese: 鲛珠传) is a 2017 Chinese fantasy adventure film directed by Yang Lei, starring Wang Talu, Zhang Tianai and Sheng Guansen. It is the first film to be set in the fictional world of Novoland. The film ...

'' with

Darren Wang Darren Wang Talu (; born May 29, 1991) is a Taiwanese actor. He is best known for his breakout role as Hsu Tai-yu in the coming-of-age film, '' Our Times''. Career Wang made his debut in the 2008 drama series ''Mysterious Incredible Terminator' ...

. She also featured in the war film ''

The Founding of an Army ''The Founding of an Army'' is a 2017 Chinese historical drama produced by the China Film Group Corporation to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. Produced by Han Sanping and directed by Andrew Lau, i ...

'' as

Soong Mei-ling Soong Mei-ling (also spelled Soong May-ling, ; March 5, 1898 – October 23, 2003), also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek or Madame Chiang, was a Chinese political figure who was First Lady of the Republic of China, the wife of Generalissimo and ...

, as well as fantasy-mystery film ''

Legend of the Demon Cat ''Legend of the Demon Cat'' () is a 2017 Xianxia fantasy mystery film directed by Chen Kaige, based on the novel ''Śramaṇa Kūkai'' (Japanese: 沙門空海　唐の国にて鬼と宴す) written by Japanese writer Yoneyama Mineo, known under the ...

'' directed by

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 wit ...

. Zhang was nominated at the

Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress The Hundred Flowers Award 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 classif ...

with her performance as Soong. In 2018, Zhang starred in the romantic comedy drama ''The Evolution Of Our Love'' alongside

Zhang Ruoyun Zhang Ruoyun (, born 24 August 1988) is a Chinese actor. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2007. Career 2004–2014: Beginnings Zhang made his acting debut in 2004, acting as the younger version of the male protagonist in ''The Sea' ...

. The same year, she starred as the female lead Ying Huanhuan in fantasy-action drama ''

Martial Universe ''Martial Universe'' ( Chinese: 武动乾坤) is a 2018 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Wu Dong Qian Kun'' by Tiancai Dudou. It stars Yang Yang, Zhang Tianai, Wang Likun and Wu Chun. The series is divided into two seasons. The ...

'' alongside Yang Yang. In 2019, Zhang starred in the aviation disaster film '' The Captain'' as a flight attendant. The same year she starred in the workplace romance drama ''Crocodile and Plover Bird'' as an aspiring environmentalist. In 2020, Zhang appeared in

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 ...

for the first time, performing a dance number titled "Quan". She is set to star in the historical film ''A'mai Joins the Army'' as the titular character. The same year, she was cast in the wuxia drama ''Sword Snow Stride'' written by Wang Juan. From May 20 to August 5, 2022, Zhang participated in the third season of

Sisters Who Make Waves ''Sisters Who Make Waves'' () is a 2020 Chinese reality television show that was broadcast on Mango TV from 12 June to 4 September 2020. It features 30 female celebrities over 30 years old who must compete to debut in a seven-member girl group. ...

, a Chinese survival reality television show where female celebrities over 30 years old competes to debut in a ten-member girl group. She eventually placed tenth in the finals and debuted in X-Sister.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Television shows

Variety show

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Tian'ai Chinese film actresses Chinese television actresses 1988 births Living people 21st-century Chinese actresses Actresses from Harbin Beijing Film Academy alumni