Zhao Liying (born 16 October 1987) is a Chinese actress and singer better known as Zanilia Zhao. She is most well-known for her roles in the television series Legend of Lu Zhen (2013), Boss & Me (2014), The Journey of Flower (2015), The Mystic Nine (2016), Noble Aspirations (2016), Princess Agents (2017), The Story of Minglan (2018), and Legend of Fei (2018). (2020).
Zhao was born on October 16, 1987, in Langfang, Hebei. She completed her secondary professional training at the Langfang School of Electronic Information Engineering. She has stated about this time period:
I was born in a village, but it was the experience of rural life that gave me a strong will and a tenacious personality. These experiences have shaped me into the person I am today. So, I believe that a hero is defined by his strong heart, persistent pursuit of dreams, perseverance and steadfastness in the profession in which you are engaged, as well as calmness and stability when confronted with vanity.
Career
2006-2012: The Beginning
Zhao Liying was the grand prize winner of the Yahoo Search Star Game in 2006. She was then signed as a new talent by Huayi Brothers. Zhao made her acting debut in Zheng Xiaolong's 2007 family drama Golden Marriage.
Zhao made her historical drama debut in The Firmament of the Pleiades in 2009. The series aired on the Japanese channel NHK and received critical acclaim. At the Chinese Creative Short Video Awards, Zhao was named Most Popular Actress.
After starring in The Dream of Red Mansions (2010), based on Cao Xueqin's novel of the same name, she first gained recognition from mainland audiences in 2010. Zhao's popularity skyrocketed in 2011 after she landed the role of Princess Qing'er in New My Fair Princess.
Rising Popularity and Breakthrough in 2013-2015
Zhao appeared in the historical drama Legend of Lu Zhen in 2013, playing an ordinary girl who rose through the ranks to become China's first female prime minister. The drama was a smash hit both at home and in South Korea and Japan, propelling Zhao's profile in the region. At local award ceremonies, Zhao received several newcomer and popularity awards. The same year, Zhao appeared in the historical romance film Palace: Lock Sinensis, the fourth and final installment of Yu Zheng's Gong series. In the film, Zhao plays a scheming and evil princess, the polar opposite of her usual sweet and nice image.
Zhao appeared in the 2014 romantic comedy drama Boss & Me, which was based on Gu Man's popular novel Shan Shan Comes to Eat. The series topped ratings in its time slot in China and was also well-liked abroad. Zhao's popularity grew even more in 2014, when she appeared in several high-rated dramas, including The Legend of Chasing Fish and Wife's Secret. Zhao's rising popularity as a result of her numerous successful acting projects earned her the title of "Golden Eagle Goddess" at the 10th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival, where she performed as the opening act.
Zhao appeared in the xianxia romance drama The Journey of Flower in 2015. In China, the drama was a huge success, with a peak rating of 3.89 and becoming the first Chinese drama to surpass 20 billion online views. Zhao's career skyrocketed as a result of the drama's success. Zhao received a slew of awards for her performance in The Journey of Flower, including Best Actress at the 28th China TV Golden Eagle Awards. Zhao was also nominated for Best Actress in a Television Series at the Magnolia Awards. The same year, she appeared in Best Get Going, a modern workplace drama, and Legend of Zu Mountain, a wuxia drama.
From 2016 to the present, mainstream recognition
Zhao starred as a sassy and haughty heiress in the 2016 action adventure drama The Mystic Nine. The series was a commercial success, with over ten billion views total. Zhao was named Best Actress at China's 3rd Hengdian Film and TV Festival for her performance. She was then cast as one of the two female leads, Bi Yao, in Noble Aspirations, a film based on Xiao Ding's popular novel Zhu Xian. The drama has received over 23 billion online views, the most for a Chinese drama at the time. Rookie Agent Rouge, Zhao's first war drama, was released the same year. According to VLinkage, Zhao's combined drama views have surpassed 110 billion as of December 2016, making him the Chinese actor with the most views at the time.
Zhao co-starred with Deng Chao and Eddie Peng in the Han Han-directed film Duckweed in 2017. The unexpected success was both commercial and critical. At the Beijing College Student Film Festival, she received her first film award, Favorite Actress. She then co-starred with Aaron Kwok in the revolutionary drama film Eternal Wave, about Communist Party (CPC) undercover agents operating in Shanghai in the 1930s against the Japanese. Zhao returned to television with the historical action drama Princess Agents, in which she played a slave girl who rose to become a powerful female general. Princess Agents was a commercial success both in the United States and abroad, and it held the record for the most watched Chinese television series at the time. Zhao was named to Forbes China's 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list, which includes 30 influential people under the age of 30 who have made a significant impact in their fields.
Zhao appeared as the Women Country's Ruler in the fantasy adventure film The Monkey King 3 in 2018. Zhao then appeared in Daylight Entertainment's historical drama The Story of Minglan. In its final episodes, the drama received critical acclaim and topped television ratings by more than 2%. Zhao was nominated for a second time for Best Actress in a Television Series at the Magnolia Awards.
Zhao was cast as the female lead in the wuxia drama Legend of Fei, based on the novel You Fei by Priest, in 2019.
Other pursuits
Zhao was named Hebei's tourism ambassador in 2016. Zhao was appointed Vice President of Yi Xia Technology the following year.
In May 2017, Zhao unveiled her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Beijing. Zhao was appointed as a Dior brand ambassador in China the same year.
Zhao announced her partnership with Hesong Media in March 2019.
Private life
On Sina Weibo on October 16, 2018, Zhao announced her marriage to actor Feng Shaofeng. Zhao gave birth to a son on March 8, 2019.
Feng and Zhao announced their divorce on Sina Weibo on April 23, 2021, ending their two-year marriage. They have joint custody of their son.
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Mudan Pavilion | 镖行天下之牡丹阁 | Xiao Hong |
| 2008 | Ten Warriors in Mashi Mountain | 马石山十勇士 | Ying Zi |
| Love Killed Nine River Hall | 爱杀九河堂 | You Lan | |
| 2013 | Palace: Lock Sinensis | 宫锁沉香 | Liu Li |
| 2015 | Crazy New Year’s Eve | 一路惊喜 | Li Nana |
| 2016 | Royal Treasure | 极限挑战之皇家宝藏 | Princess Baihua |
| The Rise of a Tomboy | 女汉子完美恋人 | He Xiuwu | |
| Days of Our Own | 我们的十年 | Zhang Jingyi | |
| 2017 | Duckweed | 乘风破浪 | Niu Aihua |
| Eternal Wave | 密战 | He Lanfang | |
| 2018 | The Monkey King 3 | 西遊記之女兒國 | Ruler of Women's Country |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Century Endless Love | 世纪不了情 | Lin Shanshan | CCTV |
| 2007 | King of Nanyue Kingdom | 南越王 | Empress | |
| Golden Marriage | 金婚 | Tong Duoduo | CCTV | |
| 2008 | Spring Goes, Spring Comes | 春去春又回 | Ren Jie'er | Shandong TV |
| 2009 | Love Tribulations | 锁清秋 | Wen Yan | Shanghai Channel |
| The Firmament of The Pleiades | 苍穹之昴 | Ling'er | Beijing TV | |
| A Husband and Wife | 夫妻一场 | Yingzi | Shanghai Channel | |
| 2010 | Qiao Luo Gang | 锣鼓巷 | Li Qiuping (young) | Nanning Channel |
| The Girl in Blue | 佳期如梦 | An An | Hunan TV | |
| The Dream of Red Mansions | 新红楼梦 | Xing Xiuyan | QTV | |
| The Amateur Imperial Bodyguard | 大内低手 | Chen Xin'er | Nanning Channel | |
| 2011 | Goddess of Mercy | 新玉观音 | A Jing | Beijing Channel |
| New My Fair Princess | 新还珠格格 | Princess Qing'er | Hunan TV | |
| Xia Yan's Autumn | 夏妍的秋天 | Tang Xiaoran | CCTV | |
| 2012 | Best Quality Men and Women | 极品男女日记 | Chu Yang | |
| Palace II | 宫锁珠帘 | Tunggiya Baihe | Hunan TV | |
| Cuo Dian Yuan Yang | 错点鸳鸯 | Su Huan'er / Yang Yiliu | Jiangsu TV | |
| 2013 | Legend of Lu Zhen | 陆贞传奇 | Lu Zhen | Hunan TV |
| The Legend of Chasing Fish | 追鱼传奇 | Hong Ling | ||
| Ex | 我的极品是前任 | Liu Li | Sohu TV | |
| 2014 | Wife's Secret | 妻子的秘密 | Jiang Baihe | Hunan TV |
| Boss & Me | 杉杉来了 | Xue Shanshan | Jiangsu TV | |
| The Romance of the Condor Heroes | 神雕侠侣 | Mu Nianci | Hunan TV | |
| 2015 | The Journey of Flower | 花千骨 | Hua Qiangu | |
| Best Get Going | 加油吧实习生 | Song Nuan | Jiangsu TV | |
| Love Yunge from the Desert | 大汉情缘之云中歌 | Bai He | Hunan TV | |
| Legend of Zu Mountain | 蜀山战纪之剑侠传奇 | Yu Wuxin | iQiyi | |
| The Journey of Flower | 花千骨2015 | Hua Qiangu | ||
| 2016 | Lucky Tianbao | 吉祥天宝 | Yang Ruonan | Tencent |
| The Mystic Nine | 老九门 | Yin Xinyue | Dragon TV | |
| Noble Aspirations | 青云志 | Bi Yao | Hunan TV | |
| Rookie Agent Rouge | 胭脂 | Lan Yanzhi | Dragon TV, Zhejiang TV | |
| Happy Mitan | 欢喜密探 | Bao Bei'er | Youku | |
| Noble Aspirations 2 | 青云志2 | Bi Yao | Tencent | |
| 2017 | Princess Agents | 特工皇妃楚乔传 | Chu Qiao | Hunan TV |
| 2018 | Our Glamorous Time | 你和我的倾城时光 | Lin Qian | Dragon TV, Zhejiang TV |
| The Story of Minglan | 知否？知否？应是绿肥红瘦 | Sheng Minglan | Hunan TV | |
| 2020 | Legend of Fei | 有翡 | Zhou Fei | |
| 2021 | Who Is Murderer | 谁是凶手 | Shen Yu | iQiyi |
| 2022 | The Story of Xing Fu | 幸福到万家 | Xing Fu | CCTV |
| Wild Bloom | 野蛮生长 | Xu Banxia | iQiyi |
| Year | English title | Chinese title |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Gui Zu Pian | 跪族篇 |
| 2017 | Who Love You The Most | 谁最爱你 |
| Love of Jasmine | 茉莉之恋 | |
| Wang You Jiu Guan: Xiang Si Men | 忘忧酒馆-相思门 | |
| Wang You Jiu Guan: Wang You Zhen | 忘忧酒馆-忘忧镇 | |
| 2018 | The Real Illusion | 幻狸录 |
| Goodbye | 再见 | |
| Bobo Snap | ||
| Wang You Jiu Guan III | 忘忧酒馆3 |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Up Idol | 偶像来了 | Cast member | Hunan TV |
| 2017 | 72 Floors of Mystery | 七十二层奇楼 | ||
| 2020 | Chinese Restaurant 4 | 中餐厅4 |
| Year | Song title | Singer |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | To Love You ( 終生角色) | Kenny Kwan |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album | Notes/Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Mood" | 心情 | Legend of Lu Zhen OST | with Chen Xiao |
| 2015 | "Not to Mention" | 不可说 | The Journey of Flower OST | with Wallace Huo |
| "You're an Idol" | 你是偶像 | Up Idol theme song | with various artists | |
| "Ten Years" | 十年 | Days of Our Own OST | Rendition of Eason Chan's song | |
| "Destruction in Chaos" | 乱世俱灭 | Legend of Zu Mountain OST | with Xu Zhian | |
| "I Have Never Existed" | 我从来不存在 | with Julia Yue | ||
| 2016 | "Yearning" | 心念 | Rookie Agent Rouge OST | |
| 2017 | "Gaze" | 望 | Princess Agents OST | with Zhang Bichen |
| "Miss You" | 想你 | with Kris Wu | ||
| 2018 | "Don't You Know" | 知否知否 | The Story of Minglan OST | with Feng Shaofeng |
| Major awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2014 | 10th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival | Golden Eagle Goddess | — | Won |
| 13th Huading Awards | Best New Actress | Legend of Lu Zhen | Nominated | |
| 2015 | 6th Macau International Television Festival | Best Actress | The Journey of Flower | Won |
| 2016 | 19th Huading Awards | Best Actress (Contemporary Drama) | Best Get Going | Nominated |
| Best Actress (Ancient Drama) | The Journey of Flower | Nominated | ||
| 22nd Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 28th China TV Golden Eagle Award | Best Actress | Won | ||
| 11th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival | Most Popular Actress | Nominated | ||
| 3rd Asia Rainbow TV Awards | Best Actress (Ancient Drama) | Nominated | ||
| 3rd Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China | Best Actress | The Mystic Nine | Won | |
| 2017 | 22nd Huading Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Favorite Actress | Duckweed | Won | |
| 8th Macau International Television Festival | Best Actress | Princess Agents | Nominated | |
| 2018 | 9th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Actress | Duckweed | Nominated |
| 2019 | 25th Shanghai Television Festival | Best Actress | The Story of Minglan | Nominated |
| 26th Huading Awards | Best Actress (Historical drama) | Nominated | ||
| Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | 30th China TV Golden Eagle Award | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| Audience's Choice for Actress | Won | |||
| Others | ||||
| 2006 | Search Star Game | — | Won | |
| 2009 | Chinese Creative Short Video Awards | Most Popular Actress | — | Won |
| 2013 | Youku Young Choice Awards | Most Popular Actress (Mainland China) | Legend of Lu Zhen | Won |
| 4th LeTV Film & TV Awards | Most Popular Actress (TV) | Won | ||
| 4th China TV Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Won | ||
| 2014 | 3rd iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Most Popular Actress | Boss & Me | Won |
| 6th China TV Drama Awards | Most Popular Actress (Mainland China) | Won | ||
| 2015 | Weibo Awards Ceremony | Weibo Goddess | Won | |
| 4th iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Most Popular Actress | — | Won | |
| Powerstar Award Ceremony | Most Popular Actress | — | Won | |
| 2nd The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actress (Emerald) | The Journey of Flower | Nominated | |
| 7th China TV Drama Awards | Special Contribution Award | — | Won | |
| Actress with the Most Ratings Appeal | — | Won | ||
| 2016 | Weibo Awards Ceremony | Most Popular Actress | — | Won |
| Weibo Queen | — | Won | ||
| Tencent Star App | Most Popular Actress | — | Won | |
| Chengdu Economic Daily Readers' Reputation Ranking | Television Actress of the Year | — | Won | |
| Chinese Campus Art Glory Festival | Most Popular Actress | — | Won | |
| 5th iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Artist of the Year | The Mystic Nine | Won | |
| Baidu Moments Press Conference | Most Commercially Valuable Female Artist | — | Won | |
| 10th Tencent Video Star Awards | Most Popular TV Actress | Noble Aspirations | Won | |
| 2017 | 2nd China Quality Television Drama Ceremony | Most Talented Actress | Rookie Agent Rouge | Won |
| 2nd Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony | Most Anticipated Film Pairing | The Monkey King 3 | Won | |
| 6th iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Goddess Award | — | Won | |
| 11th Tencent Video Star Awards | Television Actress of the Year | Princess Agents | Won | |
| 24th Cosmo Beauty Ceremony | Beautiful Idol of the Year | — | Won | |
| 2018 | 7th iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Goddess Award | — | Won |
| 2019 | 6th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actress (Emerald Category) | The Story of Minglan | Nominated |
| Tencent Video All Star Awards | Most Commercially Valuable Artist | — | Won | |
| VIP Star | — | Won | ||
| 2020 | Weibo Awards Ceremony | Influential Actor of the Year | — | Won |
| China Literature Awards Ceremony | Actress of the Year | — | Won | |
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 80th |
| 2015 | 43rd |
| 2017 | 4th |
| 2019 | 15th |
| 2020 | 7th |
| 2021 | 7th |
| Body Measurements | 34-26-35 Inches |
| Bodytype | Slim |
| Height | 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 50 kg (110 lbs) |
| Waist | 26 inches |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Nickname | Zanilia Zhao |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 35 years old (in 2023) |
| Date of Birth | October 16, 1987 |
| Full Name | Zhao Liying |
| Profession | Actress, Singer |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Birthplace | Langfang, China |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
Qualification: Langfang School of Electronic Information Engineering
Profession: Actress, Singer
Known For: Legend of Fei
Net Worth: $30 Million Approx
Brother: Zhao Jianfei
Marital Status: Single
Hobbies: Painting, Dancing
Favorite Destination: Germany
Favorite Food: Meat
Favorite Color: Purple
Favorite Pets: Cat
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