Guan Xiaotong

Guan Xiaotong is a Chinese performer and vocalist who gained widespread fame through her acting roles in television and cinema. She is particularly recognized for her appearances in movies such as The Left Ear and Shadow, as well as the television drama To Be a Better Man. Her prominent standing in the entertainment industry led to her twice being designated as one of the New Four Dan Actresses by media outlets Sohu and CCTV-6.

Born on September 17, 1997, in Beijing, Guan was raised in a family deeply connected to the arts. Her father worked as an actor, while her grandfather established Beijing Qinshu. Encouraged by her relatives from a young age, she began her screen career at age four by appearing in the movie Nuan, an adaptation of Mo Yan's short story The White Dog and the Swing that earned favorable recognition across China and Japan. In 2016, she gained entry to the Beijing Film Academy after securing top marks in both the practical and written portions of the national entrance examinations.

During her early career, Guan earned attention as a child performer in Chen Kaige's film The Promise, portraying a younger version of a character played by Cecilia Cheung. She gradually expanded her screen credits across various projects. Her breakthrough came in 2014 through her appearance in the high-rated television series May December Love and her role in One Servant of Two Masters. The latter earned her the Best Supporting Actress accolade at the Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China, and her prominent presence in these productions led domestic media to dub her the Nation's Daughter.

In 2015, Guan featured in the coming-of-age movie The Left Ear, receiving the Most Promising Actress honor at the inaugural Gold Aries Award presented by the Macau International Movie Festival. She also participated in the well-received web short Love of Magic on Sohu and debuted her first solo musical project, the album Eighteen. The following year, she acted in the family drama Papa Can You Hear Me Sing, adapted from a classic Taiwanese motion picture.

Guan's television work continued with the successful romance series To Be a Better Man, which achieved strong viewership and secured her a Best Supporting Actress award at the Shanghai Television Festival. She took on her initial adult leading role in the fantasy series Novoland: Castle in the Sky, winning Best Actress at the 7th Macau International Television Festival. In 2017, she took the lead in the fantasy action series Xuan-Yuan Sword: Han Cloud and the romantic comedy Love of Aurora.

Her screen work in 2018 included the historical romance show Untouchable Lovers and the romantic sports comedy Sweet Combat. That same year, she garnered positive reviews for playing a double-faced princess in Zhang Yimou's wuxia film Shadow, and she was cast alongside Dylan Sprouse in the fantasy romance movie The Story of Turandot. Her impact earned her a place on the Forbes China 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2017.

In 2020, Guan starred in the youth-oriented modern drama Twenty Your Life On as well as the romantic comedy feature Oversize Love. Outside her entertainment career, she served as an ambassador in 2017 for World Life Day, an initiative supported by the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and The Nature Conservancy. On October 8, 2017, she publicly confirmed her relationship with her Sweet Combat co-star Lu Han.