1. Zhou Dongyu first gained recognition after appearing in Zhang Yimou's film Under the Hawthorn Tree.
23 Facts About Zhou Dongyu
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Zhou Dongyu was chosen by Southern Metropolis Daily as one of the "Four Dan actresses of the post-90s Generation", along with Zheng Shuang, Guan Xiaotong, and Yang Zi.
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Zhou Dongyu followed up with roles in Us and Them and Better Days, the latter earning her both the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress and Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress.
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Zhou Dongyu ranked 71st on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2017,7th in 2019, and 3rd in 2020.
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Zhou Dongyu was born in Shijiazhuang, Hebei to an ordinary working family.
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Zhou Dongyu practiced gymnastics as a child and joined the Shijiazhuang gymnastics team at the age of 12.
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In 2010, Zhou Dongyu was picked by Zhang Yimou to star in his film Under the Hawthorn Tree, despite having no acting experience prior to taking on the role.
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Zhou Dongyu rose to fame for her appearance in the film and won several awards, including the Best Actress at the 56th Valladolid International Film Spain Festival, Outstanding New Actress at the 14th Huabiao Award and Best New Performer at the 20th Shanghai Film Critics Awards.
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Variety praised her performance saying, "Zhou Dongyu holds the screen very well, turning an initially daft personality into an angsty but stoical heroine".
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The film topped China's box office and Zhou Dongyu was praised for her "acting breakthrough".
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Opposite to her usual pure and fresh image, Zhou Dongyu challenged the role of a "Smart" in the film.
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Zhou Dongyu achieved breakthrough with her performance in the film Soul Mate, based on the novel of the same name by Anni Baobei.
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Zhou Dongyu received the Best Actress award at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards together with her Soul Mate co-star Sandra Ma, and won Best Actress at the 28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award.
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Zhou Dongyu starred in her first television series, spy war drama Sparrow.
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Zhou Dongyu was praised by both the audience and director for successfully tackling a challenging role.
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In 2017, Zhou Dongyu starred alongside Takeshi Kaneshiro in the romantic comedy This Is Not What I Expected.
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In 2018, Zhou Dongyu starred in Rene Liu's romance film Us and Them alongside Jing Boran.
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In 2019, Zhou Dongyu starred in the youth film Better Days helmed by Soul Mate director Derek Tsang, that tackles school bullying.
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Zhou Dongyu won the Best Actress at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards for her performance.
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Zhou Dongyu ranked seventh on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2019, the highest for female celebrities.
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In 2021, Zhou Dongyu starred alongside Xu Kai in the series Ancient Love Poetry.
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In 2023, Zhou Dongyu starred in the film The Breaking Ice by Singaporean director Anthony Chen, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and competed as part of the Un Certain Regard.
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In March 2021, Zhou Dongyu terminated her contract with Burberry as brand ambassador after the company announced that they would discontinue cotton purchases from the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang amidst allegations of forced labor, human rights violations and persecution of the Uyghur ethnic minority population in China by the US State Department.