1. Yao Chen is a Chinese actress and philanthropist.
25 Facts About Yao Chen
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Yao Chen gained popularity for her role in the sitcom My Own Swordsman and went on to star in the television series Lurk, Divorce Lawyers, and All Is Well.
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In 2014, Yao was named as one of the most influential people on the Time 100 list, and named by Forbes as the 83rd most powerful woman in the world.
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Yao Chen ranked 56th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013,69th in 2014,41st in 2015, and 60th in 2019.
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Yao Chen was born in Fuzhou, Fujian province on 5 October 1979 to a middle-class family.
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Yao Chen studied Chinese folk dance at the Beijing Dance Academy from 1993 to 1997.
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Yao Chen was propelled to fame by her role as the daughter of a powerful martial artist in the 2005 sitcom My Own Swordsman.
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Yao Chen opened a Sina Weibo account in 2009, becoming one of the earliest celebrities in China to embrace social media, which led to runaway success.
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In 2009, Yao Chen made her theatrical debut, playing a white-collar heroine in A Story of Lala's Promotion.
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Yao Chen had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Sophie's Revenge.
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Yao Chen then starred in romantic comedy Color Me Love as an aspiring fashion magazine editor, which would go on to become one of her most famous film roles.
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In 2012, Yao starred in Chen Kaige's social drama Caught in the Web as a truth-seeking journalist.
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Yao Chen then starred alongside Andy Lau in the action thriller Firestorm, which won her the Outstanding Actress award at the Chinese Film Media Awards.
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Yao Chen played a lawyer in the 2014 TV drama Divorce Lawyers, followed by a series of blockbusters Monster Hunt, Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe and Journey to the West 2.
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Yao Chen was nominated as Best Supporting Actress at the Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance in Monster Hunt.
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Yao Chen starred in MBA Partners, playing an ambitious young woman.
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In 2017, Yao Chen served as the jury of the 23rd Shanghai Television Festival.
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In 2018, Yao Chen starred in the mystery film Lost, Found, a remake of the South Korean film Missing.
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In 2019, Yao Chen starred in the family drama All Is Well, for which she received the Best Actress Award of the Busan International Film Festival's Asia Contents Awards.
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In 2012, Yao Chen was named the UNHCR's Honorary Patron for China and has visited refugees in places including the Philippines, Thailand, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia.
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Yao Chen was awarded the Top Influence Award at the You Bring Charm to the World award ceremony.
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In 2018, Yao Chen was selected as brand ambassador for Italian fashion house Etro.
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In 2021, Yao Chen joined actress Charlize Theron and prima-ballerina Misty Copeland as brand ambassadors for Breitling, dubbed the Breitling Spotlight Squad.
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In 2004, Yao Chen married college sweetheart and Chinese actor Ling Xiaosu.
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Yao Chen gave birth to their son in 2013, and three years later, she gave birth to their daughter.