Yao Chen

Yao Chen is a prominent Chinese performer and philanthropist who gained widespread national recognition through her television and film performances. Born on October 5, 1979, in Fuzhou, Fujian province, she grew up in a middle-class household. She pursued early training in Chinese folk dance at the Beijing Dance Academy between 1993 and 1997. She subsequently entered the Beijing Film Academy in 1999, studying alongside fellow actors such as Ling Xiaosu, Yu Bo, and Ye Jing, before graduating in 2003.

Her acting career took off with her breakout portrayal of a martial artist's daughter in the hit sitcom My Own Swordsman. She achieved further critical acclaim in 2008 by starring as a guerrilla leader in the period drama Lurk, a performance that earned her Best Actress honors at both the Huading Awards and the Golden Eagle Awards. In 2009, she made her stage debut in A Story of Lala's Promotion and featured in the romantic comedy Sophie's Revenge, followed by a starring role in the 2010 film Color Me Love as an aspiring magazine editor.

Throughout the 2010s, Yao expanded her repertoire across high-profile features and television projects. She portrayed an investigative journalist in Chen Kaige's 2012 drama Caught in the Web and co-starred with Andy Lau in the 2013 action feature Firestorm, winning the Outstanding Actress title at the Chinese Film Media Awards. Her popularity continued to grow with major roles in the 2014 legal series Divorce Lawyers and blockbuster features including Monster Hunt, Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe, MBA Partners, and Journey to the West 2. Her work in Monster Hunt secured a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Hundred Flowers Awards.

In 2017, Yao served on the jury of the 23rd Shanghai Television Festival. She followed this with starring performances in the 2018 mystery drama Lost, Found and the 2019 family series All Is Well, winning the Best Actress Award at the Busan International Film Festival's Asia Contents Awards for the latter. In 2019, she received a Golden Rooster Award for Send Me to the Clouds and was honored with the cinema icon award at the Singapore International Film Festival. She later appeared in the 2023 film If You Are the One 3.

Beyond acting, Yao gained massive public attention on social media after joining Sina Weibo in 2009. She maintained the highest follower count on the platform from late 2009 to 2012, earning the designation of Weibo Queen and winning the inaugural title at the 2011 Weibo Night. Her immense public presence was reflected in numerous international listings; she appeared on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list across multiple years between 2008 and 2019, was named to the Time 100 list of most influential people in 2014, and was listed as the world's 83rd most powerful woman by Forbes in 2014.

Yao is also widely recognized for her international humanitarian work. She became the UNHCR's Honorary Patron for China in 2012, visiting displaced populations in Thailand, the Philippines, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. In 2013, she was designated as the first official UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in China. Her refugee advocacy earned her a Crystal Award in 2016, the same year she was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and received the Top Influence Award at the You Bring Charm to the World ceremony. In 2023, she was honored with the Asia Game Changer Award by the Asia Society.

In her commercial career, Yao has represented major international fashion and luxury brands, including serving as a brand ambassador for Etro in 2018, joining Breitling's Spotlight Squad in 2021 alongside Charlize Theron and Misty Copeland, and representing Italian jeweler Pomellato as a Chinese brand ambassador starting in 2021. In her personal life, she married actor Ling Xiaosu in 2004 before their divorce in 2011. She married cinematographer Cao Yu in November 2012, giving birth to a son in 2013 and a daughter three years later, before announcing on Weibo in March 2026 that they had been divorced for many years.