Basic information
- real name：姚晨
- Foreign Name：Yao Chen
- birthplace：Quanzhou City, Fujian Province
- Date of birth: October 5th, 1979
- Graduation institution: Beijing Film Academy
- Constellation: Libra
- Blood type: O type
- Height: 168 cm
Yao Chen, born on October 5, 1979 in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, is from Shishi, Fujian Province. She graduated from Beijing Film Academy and is a mainland Chinese actress.
In 2001, Yao Chen entered the entertainment industry by playing Ji Ling in “Seven Weeks Without Sleep”. In 2005, Yao Chen rose to fame for her role as “Guo Furong” in “Wulin Wai Zhuan” and won the Most Popular Actress Award at the 18th Beijing University Student Film Festival for her performance in the drama.
In 2010, Yao Chen played Wang Cuiping in “Undercover” and won the Best Actress Award at the Huading TV Awards. These two plays have enabled Yao Chen to develop steadily in the field of television dramas. In the same year, Yao Chen joined Huayi Brothers Media, which was an important part of her growth. In December 2010, Yao Chen switched from television to movies and starred as the female lead in the Chinese New Year drama “If You Are the One 2”, gaining exposure.
In December 2013, Yao Chen’s film “Storm”, which starred as the female lead, grossed over 300 million yuan three weeks after its release, and won the Most Anticipated Actress award at the 14th Chinese Film Media Awards for her performance in the film. In 2015, he was shortlisted for Time magazine’s “30 Most Influential People on the Internet” list.
In 2019, Yao Chen nominated the best actress of the 32nd China Golden Rooster Award for the film Send Me to the Green Cloud. In January 2023, Our Inn, which was recorded as a “sisters partner”, was broadcast on Zhejiang Satellite TV. In December of the same year, the movie “If You Are the One 3” starring Yao Chen was released.
In 2012, Yao Chen’s Weibo followers reached 19.4 million. In 2016, Yao Chen also won the “Crystal Award” at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, becoming the first Chinese female winner, and was elected as a “Global Youth Leader” in the same year. In December 2022, Yao Chen participated in the China ASEAN Film Co Creation and Development Forum and presented co creation messages with seven filmmakers including Zhang Yimou.
Early experiences
Yao Chen was born on October 5, 1979 in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, and lives in Nanping. Her father Yao Huiyan is a railway workshop cadre, and her mother is an ordinary employee of the post office. Yao Chen was fostered at his uncle’s house when he was a child due to his parents’ busy work schedules. Yao Chen was discovered to have a talent for performing, singing, and dancing when he was young. After growing up, Yao Chen also worked at a fast food restaurant in his hometown.
At the age of 14, Yao Chen went north alone to study in Beijing and enrolled in the Folk Dance Department of Beijing Dance Academy in 1997. After completing her studies at the Beijing Dance Academy, Yao Chen returned to her hometown Fuzhou and joined the local Fuzhou Song and Dance Troupe, leading a stable life. However, at the age of 18, Yao Chen became dissatisfied with the current situation. The passion of her youth and inner passion drove her to let go of her comfort, challenge herself, and choose to retake the college entrance examination to pursue higher academic goals.
This decision was a heavy blow to Yao Chen’s family, as according to the regulations at the time, she needed to pay a compensation of 100000 yuan to the singing and dancing troupe in order to terminate the contract. Yao Chen’s father had to run around and try his best to raise this huge sum of money. With the joint efforts of her entire family, Yao Chen finally succeeded in being admitted to the Beijing Film Academy with outstanding grades in 1999, beginning her artistic career.
Yao Chen rocketed to fame in 2006 for her role in the sitcom “My Own Swordsman.” She also starred in the phenomenally successful TV series “Lurk.” Yao won the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress in 2010. She married Chinese actor Ling Xiao Su in 2004, but they divorced in January this year. Her expression of true feelings on her microblog has garnered her the largest following on Sina Weibo. Yao joined Huayi Brothers in April this year and was involved in an increasing number of commercial advertisements. Her income reached 30.5 million yuan (US$4.72 million) in the assessment period.
Born: Oct. 5, 1979, in Nanping, Fujian Province
Films and TV series: “My Own Swordsman,” “If You Are the One 2,” “Color Me Love,” “Sophie’s Revenge,” “Lurk,” “Undercover”
Personal life
In 1999, Yao Chen became a member of the Performance Department at Beijing Film Academy, where she met her classmate Ling Xiaosu from Xi’an. The two gradually developed feelings during the process of filming together and established a romantic relationship in their sophomore year. Their love story has dramatic twists and turns. At a campus sports meet, in order to motivate Ling Xiaosu, Yao Chen jokingly said, “If you win first place, I will marry you.” Unexpectedly, Ling Xiaosu really won the competition and they held their wedding after graduation in 2003.
After seven years of marriage, the relationship between Yao Chen and Ling Xiaosu began to crack, and on January 28, 2011, they announced their divorce.
Not long after the divorce, Yao Chen started a new relationship. In less than two months, she publicly revealed her relationship with photographer Cao Yu in March 2011. Cao Yu is actually an old friend of Yao Chen, and the two had known each other since filming the movie “Love is Excellent” in 2010.
After more than a year of dating, Yao Chen and Cao Yu held a low-key wedding in New Zealand on November 17, 2012. After marriage, their relationship was very harmonious and they welcomed two children. One was a boy named “Little Potato”, born on July 15, 2013; The other is a girl named “Xiao Moli”, born on November 9, 2016. From then on, Yao Chen began his life as a family of four.
