Zhang Yishan (, born 5 May 1992) is a prominent Chinese actor and former child star. Zhang is noted for his roles as Liu Xing in the family sitcom ''

Home with Kids ''Home with Kids'' (; pinyin: Jiā yǒu érnǚ, literally ''Home with Sons and Daughters''), is a sitcom/drama from Mainland China. There are 4 seasons of ''Home with Kids'', i.e. ''Home with Kids 1'', ''Home with Kids 2'', ''Home with Kids 3'' ...

'' (2004), and as the protagonist in the crime thriller '' Yu Zui'' (2016).

Early life and education

Zhang was born and raised in

Xicheng District Xicheng District () is a district of Beijing. Xicheng District spans , covering the western half of the old city (largely inside the 2nd Ring Road - the eastern half is Dongcheng District, Beijing, Dongcheng District), and has 706,691 inhabitant ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. When he was 5, his father sent him to Shichahai Martial Arts School to study

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

. Through a teacher's recommendation, he was sent to a Speech Studio for children to study. There, he was noticed by a director who cast him in his first television project. Zhang enrolled in

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 ...

in 2011, majoring in acting. He graduated in 2014.

Career

Zhang began his career by appearing in small role in ''Little Soldier Zhang Ga'' at the age of 9. Under the recommendation of his co-star Li Yingqi, Zhang went to audition for a role in ''

'', and successfully earned the role of Liu Xing. The large-scaled

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

hit national TV screens in 2004, and ran for four seasons till 2007. Zhang deeply impressed the Chinese audience with his portrayal of a naughty but witty trouble-maker, and became a highly-popular child star in China. Zhang, with his facial features that resemble those of well-established Chinese actors

Jiang Wen Jiang Wen (born 5 January 1963) is a Chinese actor, screenwriter, and director. As a director, he is sometimes grouped with the "Sixth Generation" that emerged in the 1990s. Jiang is also well known internationally as an actor, having starred wit ...

and

Xia Yu Xia Yu may refer to: *Yu the Great, also known as Xia Yu, legendary founder of the Xia dynasty * Xia Yu (actor) (born 1978), Chinese actor *Ha Yu (actor) Wong Sing (born 14 June 1943), better known by his stage name Ha Yu, is a Hong Kong actor ...

, became a favorite with Chinese directors. He has played in some twenty Chinese films and TV series, including the 2009 production '' Looking for Jackie'' starring veteran actor

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

, and patriotic tribute ''

The Founding of a Party ''The Founding of a Party'', alternatively titled in English ''Beginning of the Great Revival'' for its international release,Patrick Frater, 21 May 2011Party becomes Revival for int'l release, Film Business Asia is a Chinese propaganda film relea ...

'' in 2010. Zhang won the New Performer Award at 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 his performance in ''Deng Enming's Childhood'' (2011). Zhang gained mainstream popularity in 2016 for playing the titular protagonist in the

crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

web series '' Yu Zui'', based on Chang Shuxin's popular novel. The series received over 450 million hits when it aired in the

online video platform An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...

iQiyi, and earned positive reviews from the audience. In 2017, Zhang starred in the youth romance drama ''

Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day ''Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day'' () is a 2017 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Beijing, Beijing'' by Feng Tang. Starring Zhang Yishan and Zhou Dongyu, the series is a coming-of-age story about young love and brotherhood among ...

'' alongside

Zhou Dongyu Zhou Dongyu () is a Chinese actress, who gained recognition after appearing in Zhang Yimou's film '' Under the Hawthorn Tree''. She was also chosen by '' Southern Metropolis Daily'' as one of the " Four Dan actresses of the post-90s Generation" ...

, based on the novel ''Beijing, Beijing'' by Feng Teng. The same year, he starred in ''Seven Faced Man'', a remake of the Korean television series ''

Kill Me, Heal Me ''Kill Me, Heal Me'' () is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Ji Sung, Hwang Jung-eum, Park Seo-joon, Oh Min-suk, and Kim Yoo-ri. It aired on MBC from January 7 to March 12, 2015 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes. ...

''. In late 2017, he began filming the drama ''Collision'', directed by

Guan Hu Guan Hu (, born August 1, 1968) is a sixth generation Chinese film director.Zhang, Zhen (2007), The Urban Generation: Chinese Cinema and Society at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century', Page 54. Duke University Press. . Google Book Search. Re ...

. In 2018, ''Forbes China'' listed Zhang 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. In 2019, Zhang featured in ''

Chong Er's Preach ''Chong Er's Preach'', also known as ''The Legend of Chong Er'' () is a 2019 Chinese historical romantic comedy television series directed by Lai Shuiqing and Zhao Jian and starring Wang Longhua, Baby Zhang, Zhang Yishan, Madina Memet, Purba Rgyal, ...

'', in which he played

Duke Hui of Jin Duke Hui of Jin (died 637BC), born Yiwu, was the duke of Jin (.650–637BC) during the Spring and Autumn Period of China's Zhou dynasty. Life Early life Yiwu was one of the nine sons of Duke Xian. His mother was Xiao Rongzi. He was the young ...

. It is his first costume drama so far.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Variety show

Discography

Awards and nominations

Forbes China Celebrity 100

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Yishan 1992 births Living people Male actors from Beijing Beijing Film Academy alumni Chinese male child actors Chinese male film actors Chinese male television actors Chinese male voice actors 21st-century Chinese male actors