Zhang Tian'ai (; born 28 October 1988), also known by her English name Crystal Zhang, is a Chinese actress and model. She is best known for her breakout role in the 2015 hit web-drama '' Go Princess Go''.

Early life and education

Zhang Tian'ai was born 28 October 1988 in

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

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

Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; zh, first=s, s=北京电影学院, labels=no) is a municipal public college in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the City of Beijing and co-funded by the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the National Radio ...

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. He is the recipient of five Baeksang Arts Awards, two Grand Bell Awards and one Blue Dragon Film Award. Kim made his television debut in 2007 with the family sitcom ''Kimchi Che ...

. 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 ( zh, s=孙红雷; born 16 August 1970) is a Chinese actor. His critically acclaimed television series '' Lurk'' (2008) earned him the Best Actor trophy at the three most prestigious Chinese-language television awards including 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 '' Go Princess Go''. 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'' alongside

Deng Chao Deng Chao ( zh, s=邓超, t=鄧超, p=Dèng Chāo, born 8 February 1979) is a Chinese actor and director. Deng received recognition for the television series ''The Young Emperor'' (2003) and ''Happiness as Flowers'' (2005). He later shifted his ...

. 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'' with Da Peng and Fan Wei, and in fantasy adventure film '' Legend of the Naga Pearls'' 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, it ...

'' as

Soong Mei-ling Soong Mei-ling (also spelled Soong May-ling; March 4, 1898 – October 23, 2003), also known as Madame Chiang (), was a Chinese political figure and socialite. The youngest of the Soong sisters, she married Chiang Kai-shek and played a prom ...

, as well as fantasy-mystery film ''

Legend of the Demon Cat ''Legend of the Demon Cat'' () is a 2017 Xianxia fantasy mystery film co-written and directed by Chen Kaige, based on the Japanese novel series by Baku Yumemakura. A Chinese- Japanese-Hong Kong co-production, the film released in December 22, 2 ...

'' directed by

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige ( zh, s=陈凯歌, link=no; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese filmmaker. A leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese directors, Chen is known for his visual flair and epic storytelling.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: His ...

. Zhang was nominated at the

Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress The Hundred Flowers Awards, Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress was first awarded by the China Film Association in 1962. 1980–2004 Since 2006 Records References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hundred Flowers Award For Best Supporti ...

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. Early life and education Zhang was born in Beijing, on 24 August 1988, to Zhang Jian (), a director and producer. His grandfather is ...

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

Martial Universe ''Martial Universe'' () 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 first season of the ser ...

'' 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 ''CMG New Year's Gala'', formerly known as 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). I ...

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, 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