Yang Zi (actress)

Yang Zi (simplified Chinese: 杨紫; traditional Chinese: 楊紫; pinyin: Yáng Zĭ; born 6 November 1992), or Andy Yang, is a Chinese child star and actress.^[1] She is regarded as one of the "Four Dan actresses of the post-90s Generation" (Chinese: 90后四小花旦), along with Zheng Shuang, Zhou Dongyu and Guan Xiaotong.^[2][3]

Yang is noted for her roles as Xia Xue, Qiu Yingying and Lu Xueqi in the television series Home with Kids, Ode to Joy and Noble Aspirations respectively.

Career

Early life

Yang was born and raised in Fangshan District, Beijing, where she was accepted to Beijing Film Academy.

Debut and beginnings as child actor

Yang made her acting debut in Ru Ci Chu Shan, playing Zhou Qiong.

In 2002, Yang had a minor role as little Consort Donggo in Xiaozhuang Epic, which starred Ning Jing as Steve Ma.^[4]

In 2003, Yang made her film debut in Girl Diary, for which she received the Best Young actor nomination at the Tongniu Awards and the Special Jury prize at the 24th Golden Rooster Awards.

Yang first rose to prominence in 2005 for playing Xia Xue in the television series Home with Kids. The series reached number one in the ratings when it aired in China, and Yang won the Outstanding Child Actress award at the Flying Apsaras Awards. Yang reprised her role as Xia Xue in the sequel Home with Kids 2.^[5]

In 2008, Yang released her first solo album Jia You Xiao Xue (家有小雪). She also performed the voice dub for the animation film A lot of trouble Ma Xiaotiao and won the Best Newcomer Award at the 13th Huabiao Awards.

In 2009, Yang starred in the romantic comedy television series Girl Rushes Forward, opposite Jiang Bairan and Huang Shengyi.^[6] She also appeared in a few other dramas.

Adult leading roles and critical acclaim

In 2011, she starred in family drama Love Comes Knocking on the Door, based on the novel Stepmother by Yan Geling. Her role as a rebellious teenager allowed her to successfully shed her image of a "child star".

In 2013, for performance in the movie Insisrence, Yang won the Best Newcomer Award at the Golden Phoenix Awards.^[7] She also starred in youth inspirational drama Flowers in Fog, written by Chiung Yao.

Yang then starred in her first war drama Battle of Changsha, adapted from the novel of the same Chinese title and directed by Magnolia Award winner Kong Sheng. She portrayed a young girl who is forced to grow up during war times, and becomes a nurse in order to save lives. Through this role, Yang hopes to shed her image of "Xiao Xue". Battle of Changsha was voted Best Drama of 2014 in major streaming website Douban after being broadcast on CCTV-8 beginning mid-July 2014.

In 2015, Yang joined the first season of the travel reality show Sisters Over Flowers as a cast member.

In 2016, she starred in modern drama Ode to Joy, depicting the life and growth of five women who live in the same apartment. The series received critical acclaim for its down-to-earth showcase of reality. It became highly popular, spurring much discussions among viewers online.

She then portrayed Lu Xueqi in the television series adaption of the best-selling book Zhu Xian, alongside Li Yifeng and Zanilia Zhao. The television series was broadcast on 31 July 2016 and premiered to great reception, placing first in ratings and receiving positive critics.^[8]

The same year, she co-starred with Oho Ou and Zhang Huiwen in Crying Out In Love, a film adaptation based on the novel Socrates in Love by Japanese novelist Kyoichi Katayama. The film was released on 26 August 2016.^[9]

Yang is currently filming Dragon Pearl, alongside Qin Junjie, Mao Zijun and Shu Chang.^[10] She has also been confirmed to return for the sequel of Ode to Joy, as well as the female lead for the drama adaption of the popular novel A Heartwarming Decade.

Works

Film

Television

Awards

References

External links

• Yang Zi on Sinablog
• Yang Zi on Sina Weibo
• Yang Zi on Tencent Weibo