Zhao Liying

Zhao Liying, also known as Zanilia Zhao, is a Chinese actress who achieved prominent fame through her performances across television and film. She gained widespread attention for her leading role in the historical drama Legend of Lu Zhen and went on to head numerous television productions, including Boss & Me, The Journey of Flower, The Mystic Nine, Noble Aspirations, Princess Agents, The Story of Minglan, Legend of Fei, and The Legend of Shen Li.

Born on October 16, 1987, in Langfang, Hebei, Zhao completed her education at the Langfang School of Electronic Information Engineering, a secondary professional training facility. Her entertainment career began in 2006 after winning the Yahoo Search Star Game, leading her to sign with Huayi Brothers. She made her acting debut in 2007 in the family drama Golden Marriage. In 2009, she appeared in her initial historical project, The Firmament of The Pleiades, which aired on Japan's NHK channel and earned her the Most Popular Actress award at the Chinese Creative Short Video Awards. She subsequently gained broader public attention through her roles in the 2010 adaptation of The Dream of Red Mansions and the 2011 series New My Fair Princess.

Zhao achieved her career breakthrough in 2013 with Legend of Lu Zhen, playing an ordinary girl who advances to become a top official during the Northern Qi dynasty. The project attracted viewership across China, South Korea, and Japan, earning her multiple local accolades. That year, she departed from her usual sweet image to portray an antagonistic princess in the film Palace: Lock Sinensis. In 2014, she starred in the romantic comedy Boss & Me, which topped domestic ratings and achieved international popularity. She sustained her momentum with dramas such as The Legend of Chasing Fish and Wife's Secret, culminating in her being crowned the Golden Eagle Goddess at the 10th China Golden Eagle TV Art Festival.

Her career reached greater heights in 2015 with the fantasy romance series The Journey of Flower, which achieved a peak rating of 3.89 and became the first Chinese drama to pass 20 billion online views. This performance earned her the Audience's Choice award at the 28th China TV Golden Eagle Award and a Magnolia Award nomination. That year, she also appeared in Best Get Going and Legend of Zu Mountain. In 2016, she starred in high-viewership projects including The Mystic Nine, Noble Aspirations, and Rookie Agent Rouge. By late 2016, her cumulative drama views surpassed 110 billion, setting a record for a Chinese performer.

Transitioning into major film projects, Zhao appeared in Han Han's 2017 feature Duckweed, winning Favorite Actress at the Beijing College Student Film Festival, and acted alongside Aaron Kwok in the revolutionary movie Eternal Wave. She returned to television as the lead in Princess Agents, which broke records as the most-watched Chinese television series at that time. Forbes China named her to their 2017 30 Under 30 Asia list. Her subsequent works included the 2018 movie The Monkey King 3 and the series The Story of Minglan, which yielded her second Magnolia Award nomination.

Zhao went on to star in the series Legend of Fei and the 2024 releases The Legend of Shen Li and Article 20, winning the AFA New Generation Award at the 17th Asian Film Awards for the latter. Her performance in Wild Bloom earned her Best Actress awards at both the Flying Apsaras Awards and Golden Eagle Awards. Beyond acting, she became Hebei's tourism ambassador, vice president of Yi Xia Technology, a brand ambassador for Dior in China, and joined Hesong Media in 2019. She was married to actor Feng Shaofeng from 2018 to 2021, and they share custody of their son.