Yao Chen (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yáo chén; Peh-e-j: Iâu Sîn, born 5 October 1979) is a philanthropist and actor from China. Yao was named one of Time magazine's Time 100 most influential individuals in 2014. Forbes ranks her as the 83rd most influential woman in the world as of 2014. Several English-language news outlets have dubbed her "China's Angelina Jolie."
In 2013, Yao was placed 56th on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list, 69th in 2014, 41st in 2015, and 60th in 2019.
Yao was born on October 5, 1979, in Shishi City, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, to a middle-class family. She studied Chinese folk dancing at the Beijing dancing Academy from 1993 to 1997, and then at the Beijing Film Academy from 1999 to 2003.
Yao married Chinese actor Ling Xiaosu in 2004, but the couple separated in January 2011. In November 2012, Yao married cinematographer Cao Yu. In 2013, she gave birth to their first child.
Career
In a 2005 television production of My Own Swordsman, Yao played the daughter of a powerful martial artist. The series was extremely popular and catapulted her to celebrity in China. Following that, in 2008, she portrayed a famous guerilla leader in the television series Lurk. The spy drama was a major hit in China, and Yao won Best Actress at both the Huading and Golden Eagle Awards.
She made her stage debut in 2009, playing a white-collar heroine in A Story of Lala's Promotion. She also appeared as a supporting actress in Zhang Ziyi's romance comedy Sophie's Revenge. Yao's portrayal of a money-hungry woman earned applause from the crowd, a change from her normal style. Yao then acted as an aspiring fashion magazine editor in the romantic comedy Color Me Love (2010), which became one of her most well-known film performances.
Yao appeared as a truth-seeking journalist in Chen Kaige's social drama Caught on the Web in 2012. She next co-starred in the action thriller Firestorm with Andy Lau, earning her the Outstanding Actress award at the Chinese Film Media Awards.
In the 2014 drama Divorce Lawyers, Yao portrayed a lawyer. The show was a big success in China, sparking online debates about emotion, truth, and the rule of law.
Yao was most recently seen in the blockbusters Monster Hunt (2015), Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe (2015), and Journey to the West 2 (2015). (2017). Yao was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Monster Hunt at the Hundred Flowers Awards. She also played an ambitious young woman in MBA Partners (2016).
Yao served on the jury of the 23rd Shanghai Television Festival in 2017.
In 2018, Yao co-starred with Ma Yili in the mystery film Lost, Found, a remake of the South Korean film Missing.
Yao appeared in the 2019 family drama All Is Well. During its run, the series was immensely popular, and Yao saw a comeback in popularity.
Activism
Yao was awarded the UNHCR's Honorary Patron for China and has visited refugees in the Philippines, Thailand, Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia, among other countries. During her stay, her microblogging followers expanded substantially, drawn in by her genuine, courageous communication and open participation with current world affairs. She was named the UNHCR's first goodwill ambassador in China in 2013.
Yao is one of the most followed persons on Weibo, with 79 million followers. She uses her power and reach to raise awareness about topics such as the refugee crisis, pollution, and censorship.
Yao received the 2016 Crystal Award for her work on behalf of the United Nations Refugee Agency in increasing awareness of the global refugee problem. The World Economic Forum named her one of the "Young Global Leaders" in 2016 the same year. At the You Bring Charm to the World award presentation, Yao was also given the Top Influence Award.
Filmography
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Axis of War: My Long March | 我的长征 | Su Ma |
| Big Movie | 大电影之数百亿 | Luo Qian | |
| 2007 | Falling in Love | 追爱总动员 | |
| Two Stupid Eggs | 大电影2.0之两个傻瓜的荒唐事 | Yan Zi | |
| Crossed Lines | 命运呼叫转移 | Ma Ting | |
| 2009 | Sophie's Revenge | 非常完美 | Lily |
| All's Well, Ends Well | 家有喜事2009 | Xiao Yazhen | |
| Freeway | 天堂凹 | Jin Hong | |
| 2010 | If You Are the One 2 | 非诚勿扰2 | Mango |
| Love in Cosmo | 摇摆de婚约 | Wang Shunjia | |
| Color Me Love | 爱出色 | Wang Xiaofei | |
| 2011 | My Own Swordsman | 武林外传 | Guo Furong |
| 2012 | Caught in the Web | 搜索 | Chen Ruoxi |
| The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven | 大闹天宫 | ||
| 2013 | My Lucky Star | 非常幸运 | Lily |
| Control | 控制 | Jessica | |
| Firestorm | 风暴2 | Yan Bing | |
| 2015 | Monster Hunt | 捉妖记 | Cooking Master |
| Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe | 九层妖塔 | Shirley Yang | |
| 2016 | Everybody's Fine | 一切都好 | Guan Qing |
| The New Year's Eve of Old Lee | 过年好 | ||
| MBA Partners | 梦想合伙人 | Lu Zhenxi | |
| 2017 | Journey to the West 2 | 西游伏妖篇 | Jiu Gong |
| 2018 | Goddesses in the Flames of War | 那些女人 | |
| Lost, Found | 找到你 | Li Jie | |
| 2019 | Send Me to the Clouds | 送我上青云 | Sheng Nan |
| A Journey to the Seaside | 亲密旅行 | ||
| 2020 | The Eight Hundred | 八佰 | Ho Hsiang-ning |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | City Girl | 都市男女 | Su Qingqing |
| 神鞭 | Zhan Jiarong | ||
| 2004 | Chui Shi Ban's Story 2 | 炊事班的故事2 | Xiao Yao |
| 2006 | Life Concern | 人命关天 | Meng Ting |
| My Own Swordsman | 武林外传 | Guo Furong | |
| 2007 | 房前屋后 | Gu Lili | |
| Chui Shi Ban's Story 3 | 炊事班的故事3 | Xiao Yao | |
| 2008 | Six Cities | 都市六人行 | Fang Fang |
| China's Volunteers | 中国志愿者 | Ye Meng | |
| Lione | 防火墙5788 | Song Yuxiu | |
| Hundred Years Past Events | 百年往事 | He Jiabi | |
| 2009 | Health Team's Story | 卫生队的故事 | Xiao Yao |
| Lurk | 潜伏 | Wang Cuiping | |
| 2010 | Niu Tie Han and his Daughters | 牛铁汉和他的儿女们 | Gu Xiaoxin |
| Days with the Air Hostess | 和空姐一起的日子 | Ran Jing | |
| 2013 | Longmen Express | 龙门镖局 | Lu Qingning |
| 2014 | Wonder Lady 3 | 极品女士第三季 | Lawyer Luo |
| Divorce Lawyers | 离婚律师 | Luo Li | |
| 2019 | All Is Well | 都挺好 | Su Mingyu |
| 2021 | Vacation of Love | 假日暖洋洋 | Xu Keyi |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Searching" | 寻找 | Fuwa OST |
| 2014 | "Don't Let Love Be Lost" | 别让爱迷路 | Divorce Lawyers OST |
| 2016 | "A Letter Home" | 一封家书 | Everybody's Fine OST |
| 2017 | "Love in a Life Time" | 一生所爱 | Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back OST |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Lurk | 27th Flying Apsaras Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated |
| 2010 | 2nd Huading Awards | Best Actress | Won | |
| 25th China TV Golden Eagle Award | Audience's Choice for Actress | Won | ||
| 2011 | Love in Cosmo | 5th Huading Awards | Best Actress in Romance Film | Won |
| My Own Swordsman | 18th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Most Popular Actress | Won | |
| — | 13th Golden Phoenix Awards | Society Award | Won | |
| Color Me Love | 11th Chinese Film Media Awards | Outstanding Actress | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Firestorm | 14th Chinese Film Media Awards | Outstanding Actress | Won |
| 2015 | Divorce Lawyers | 15th Huading Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Nominated |
| 21st Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 13th Sichuan Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Monster Hunt | 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
| 13th Changchun Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | ||
| Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe Goddesses in the Flames of War | 3rd China Australia International Film Festival | Special Jury Award | Won | |
| 2019 | Lost, Found | 26th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actress | Won |
| 25th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 21st Far East Film Festival | Golden Mulberry award for outstanding achievement | Won | ||
| All Is Well | 25th Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 24th Busan International Film Festival | Asian Contents Awards - Best Actress | Won | ||
| 6th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actress (Sapphire Category) | Nominated | ||
| 26th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 8th China Student Television Festival | Most Watched Actress | Won | ||
| Tencent Video All Star Awards | TV Actor of the Year | Won | ||
| Film and TV Role Model 2019 Ranking | Best Actress | Won | ||
| Tencent Entertainment White Paper | Television Actress of the Year | Won | ||
| Reputable Actress of the Year | Won | |||
| Send Me to the Clouds | 32nd Golden Rooster Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival Gold Crane Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
| — | Night of the Film | Film Commemoration Award | Won | |
| 2020 | Send Me to the Clouds | 29th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated |
| Body Measurements | 29-22-31 inches |
| Bodytype | Slim |
| Height | 5 feet 5 inches (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 46 k (101 lbs) |
| Waist | 22 inches |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Shoe Size | 7.5 (US) |
| Dress Size | 4 (US) |
| Nickname | Yao |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 43 years old (in 2023) |
| Date of Birth | October 5, 1979 |
| Full Name | Yao Chen |
| Profession | Actress, Philanthropist |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Birthplace | Shishi, Quanzhou, China |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
Qualification: Beijing Film Academy
Profession: Actress, Philanthropist
Known For: All Is Well (TV series)
Net Worth: $15 Million Approx
Marital Status: Married
Husband: Cao Yu (m. 2012)
No. of Children: 2
Son: Xiao Tudou
Daughter: Xiao Moli
Hobbies: Dance, Shopping, Guitar
Favorite Destination: United Kingdom
Favorite Food: Ice Cream
Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Pets: Cat
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