A-Mazing Johnny Huang

Huáng Jǐngyú 黃景瑜

Mini Profile

Note: pictures links to their sources; info compiled from fan sites, Wikipedia, Baidu etc.; many thanks to ADWG (MDL member) for help with the fandom section and her views about the Bonnie Wang controversy. - To view my drama "companion pieces" or other mini or full actors/actresses profiles, click on the link to this List.

1. Some Biodata :

He was born November 30, 1992 (age 31 years), in Dandong, Liaoning province, PRC - Star signs Monkey and Sagittarius. His foreign stage name is "Johnny Huang", his nickname is Whale (because of the near homophone 鲸鱼 Jīngyú). Fans also call him "Huang Lao ban" (boss Huang), "Huang dabao" , "Yu baobao" etc..

Huang Jingyu is 1.87m (6'1") tall and weighs between 70 and 90 kg (198 lbs); very muscular, he works out every day..

He went to Eastern Liaoning University to study, aiming to become a flight attendant. He had worked several part-time jobs before he was introduced by his friends to work as a model. In 2016, Huang became the first celebrity to be featured on a Chinese Bank card (see Fandom, below) and he was invited to Milan Fashion week by Dolce Gabbana fashion brand (picture, left).

Since then, he has been brand ambassador for Pantene in 2017, Dior and Elisabeth Arden fragrances, Johnnie Walker whisky, Abercrombie & Fitch clothing and skincare brands SNP (Shining Nature Purity) and Sesderma in 2018, Bally footwear in 2021 and since, for Breitling watches and Fila sportswear.

In 2016, he made his acting debut in the "danmei" BL web drama Addicted, which propelled him to fame. But the drama was then banned by Chinese authorities before its finale due to its depiction of homosexuality, even though several explicit scenes were cut; the depiction of such "Boys love" contributed to the ban of all BL related or suspected dramas after 2020. The two lead actors, Huang Jingyu and Xu Weizhou, were briefly hampered for acting projects but found their way back to studios nonetheless.

Xu Weizhou, besides being an actor, is a successful rock and pop singer, who married recently a non-celeb who he keeps firmly out of the limelight, for their peace of mind ; Huang Jingyu had a marriage or relationship with a minor celeb painter which ended in a protracted 6 year feud on Internet, where contradictory allegations had fans and public take sides despite a court ruling that grounds were not found for any sentence (see below: shrews story).

Huang Jingyu is busy with his career as model (brands mentioned above), sportsman (he is a brown belt champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and also likes active sports such as motor racing, all kinds of things with wheels like cars, motorcycles, bikes, can also play ball games from tennis to rugby), actor and occasional singer on stage, although he does not consider himself as a pro at singing.

My GIF excerpt of the official MV for "Under the National Flag", a song for the 2021 Chinese Literature and Arts Circle's Spring Festival Gala, which fits well with the patriotic feelings of the "King of soldiers" actor (click on to listen to his singing voice).

Right: My Gif excerpt from a 2022 video on Youtube showing one of Huang Jingyu's way of exercising, and various pictures from fan sites of the sports he practices, and of a Fila sportswear promo event in Chengdu in 2024 where he added his autograph on a jacket.

His personality is very friendly, warming and caring, he speaks forthright, according to his fans and colleagues.

He likes to travel, and to exercise every day, to walk alone in the streets, and/or to walk his dogs, the most well known of which is his Doberman, cutely called "Hotpot" (ehm- HJY's favorite dishes are BBQ and ...hotpot, but no dogs in those pots, even if some Dongbei people are supposed to appreciate those soups in winter, but Dongbei est vast and many even would not touch rabbit stew, preferring pork, beef , lamb skewers or ... sauerkraut filled jiaozi! Hmm, bit too close to kimchi for my taste, which is more Southern, or plain Beijing laojia.). Huang jingyu has raised several other dogs : "Billy" the Samoyed and another dog called "Local" (I'm not sure about which dog that one is) ; there are several videos showing him with many dogs, big or small.

Aside from exceptional belts, brown belt is the highest ranking color belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It requires at least five years of dedicated training to achieve. It is awarded for mastery of attack techniques.- Johnny Huang tackling a young student and, on Happy Camp Jan.2017, "tougher" Xu Weizhou '"ZZ". (My GIF from three videos).

My Gif adapted from picture + Huang Jingyu and his love of dogs (YouTube, May 2022, by TANHT75). Also on this Twitter and this Douyin page.

Fandom :

Huang Jingyu has many fans, both in China and internationally . Since his given name is near homophonous with "Whale" (鲸鱼 Jīngyú), he created himself on the 5th of March 2016, his fandom name "Hù jīng tuán" 护鲸团 " which means "Whale Guards Group" .

The fans call each other Yu jiejie, and view themselves as "Dolphins" cause Johnny used dolphin variety show "Feel the World 2019".

Johnny Huang has fan bases on Facebook from different countries who are actively sharing Johnny's news, on the Thailand (not maintained since end 2023), Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines, even French fan pages. There are also fan accounts on IG who are actively sharing Johnny's news. To be more up to date with news, best sources are Chinese social media such as Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu : searchin Johnny's mane "黄景瑜" will yield latest updates. And, of course, his Weibo page showing the "whale" design :

Weibo social media page which mentions 2326万粉丝 (23.22 million fans) 128关注 (followers) 3.78亿转评赞 (378 million likes and retweets), and 1.94 billion total discussions.
(2024, September 17)

Fandom colour is Ocean Blue.
Fanchant is 一路风景瑜你同在 "yīlù fēng Jǐng yǔ nǐ tóng zài ("Will go all the way together with Jingyu" ).
There is also have a fan song written for Johnny by fans, with same title.Although Huang Jingyu has appeared on stage for events and some songs, there is no official light stick as for pop stars. He hasn't done concert/fan meetings for a long time, staying low key and focusing on acting instead.
The last time he had a fan meeting was on 30th November 2018 for his birthday party.

Fannish made keyrings

[Thank you to ADWG (MDL member) for help and precisions about HJY fandom]

In November 2016 China Merchants Bank issued a debit card with the whale logo, and ivited HuangJingyu for the launch

Dramas and Movies

Shooting first, here is my GIF copy of the interesting 9 linked "movie micro bits" posted to the Chinese social media Weibo account of Johnny Huang / Huang Jingyu, related to his latest aired work in 2024 : The First Shot (Snow Maze) the drugs-busting team thriller drama.

In the original post, the three last three feature sentences said aloud, but I can't get sound in here. Click on links to find the relevant "movie bit" and listen !

My GIF version with some additional mentions and correction of Johnny Huang 18 movies and dramas from 2016 to 2022. (give a click to thank Xum, author of the original "22 top drama list" video!)
Some dramas were not yet included with final titles:
19. Bright eyes in the Dark (Sept-Oct 2023)
20. Lost Identity (June-July 2024)

My GIF excerpt from Addicted (2016), ep1, HJY as Gu Hai, Xu Weizhou as Bai Luoyin.

My GIF excerpt from trailer on FB for Operation Red Sea re-run on CCTV6, 2024-09-10.

To recap 2016-2023:

2016 Demon Girl 2 was a 20 eps. fantasy web drama and HJY's only costume drama
Guns and Kidneys was China’s first zombie-themed black comedy film, it is shelved since 2017
2017 Three Life and Three Life for Beauty was a short 30 mins movie

2018 Operation Red Sea, directed by Dante Lam, became the highest-grossing Chinese film that year. His performance as a soldier in the film earned Huang Jingyu the Best Newcomer Award at the Asian Film Awards.
2018 Moonshine and Valentine 25 eps., was his first romance drama, starring as cultural relics specialist Helan Jing Ting / He Lan Xi / A Xi
2018 My Story for You 48 eps. romance drama had HJY as guest role
2019 Chairman Mao 1949, historical movie, had him as support role
2019 Pegasus directed by Han Han , was a motorracing comedy ; HJY reprised the role in 2024 Pegasus 2
2019 The Thunder 48 eps. police drama starred HGY as Li Fei [Dongshan Narcotics Officer]
2020 Love Designer (aka Love Advanced Customization), 45 eps. business romance drama, starred HJY as Song Lin, boss of an e-commerce company, with Dilraba Dilmurat
2020 three movies : Sixth Sense of Man, Wild Grass, and Oversize Love had him in main roles, while he had a guest role in the comedy Lost in Russia
2020 Something Just Like This was a 47 eps. business romance starred HJY as Duan Ran
2020 With You was a polyphonic slice-of-life drama lauding the people involved in the fight against covid; HJY played as Lu Chao Yang (Ep. 9-10)
2021 My Dear Guardian 40 eps. military medical drama starred HJY as officer Liang Mu Ze.
2021 Lucky with You 40 eps. business romance drama, starred HJY as Hou Jue / "Marquis"
2021 Ace Troops 40 eps. military drama, starred Xiao Zhan and HJY again as soldier
2022 Chasing the Undercurrent 40 eps thriller drama, starred HJY as Chang Zheng, vice captain of the criminal police brigade
2023 The Procurator was a legal thriller movie
2023 Bright Eyes in the Dark 40 eps. firefighter drama, starred HJY as Lin Lu Xiao
2024 Lost Identity, 40 eps. Republican era spy drama, starred HJY as Ou Xiao An
2024 The First Shot, 32 eps. thriller drama, starring HJY as police officer Shi ZhengBei, leader of the drugs ring busting squad, alongside Wang Ziqi (Gu Yiran the chemicals specialist), Lin Boyang (ZhengNan, ZB'sbsister), Liu Runnan (Zhao Xiaoguang, young detective),"Chloe" Xi Keyin ("Mad dog Yao"), Zhao Yutong (Ding Guozhu the forensic), and amazing Zhang Yu (Xiaohai/Lele, adoptive son and sister of gangster kingpin and empress) in an impressively talented cast.

Where to watch The First Shot :

direct link to Youku's YouTube channel playlist : click on the picture above.
My GIF from the promo event of 2024-09-24, posted to YouTube, linked for full view; far left, Zhang Nan : Zheng Bei's sister (Lin Boyang), the five in the squad: ZhengBei (Huang Jingyu, waving) and Hu Yiran (Wang Ziqi, tan jacket)...; far right: Xiaohai (Zhang Yu).

My GIF excerpt of the BTS "vlog" posted to YouTube, Sept.12, 2024 about sets, director (Lu Xing, offering a snack to HJY), etc.

My GIF version of Hoang Canh Du's short video on Youtube : "Johnny Huang comes back in Snow Maze" (give it a click to watch in full with music!) It shows Johnny Huang /Huang Jingyu ("Zheng Bei") with sunglasses ; Wang Ziqi ("Gu Yiran") with eye glasses; Chloe Xie /Xie Keyin (fights happy "Zhang Xueyao") investigating a club in Halan.
My GIF from Zheng Nan's funny attempt at flirting with Gu Yiran the newcomer, professing her love of Yue language and Cantopop, and brushing off jealous Xiaoguang : a sweet interlude in the thrilling and convoluted, layered drugs-busting drama. (From a YouTube short, linked to view and listen to the dialogue in full)

From Elea Kayne on FB French fan site ; click on to enlarge.

Looking for the real names inspiring those of the cities in this drama ? Here is a map of the Dongbei (North-East) region and "Halan" + "Shengcheng" cities between which the Special Investigation Team(s) (SIT) was(were) moving to hunt down drug dealers in 1997:

And next drama :

Our Dazzling Days (烟花少年 Yan Hua Shao Nian) is adapted from the web novel "Zi Di" (子弟) by Pan Yi Zhi (潘一掷); it stars Huang Jingyu as Zhang Xiaoman (ML) who launches the Tiexicheng Factory together with two friends from college after going overseas.

Booting ceremony on May 27, 2024, after start filming since 22 May 2024.

Why has Huang Jingyu been targeted by haters :

There may be many sides to a story... Considering the documentation, this is my opinion now:

Documents used for this GIF summary of the 6-7 year feud :

"Johnny Huang Jingyu and Ex-Wife Debacle That's Been Going on for Years" (Yule updates, Nov.19, 2023, Youtube, 5'27);
Johnny Huang Jingyu issues statement refuting domestic abuse allegations, by admin, Nov.4, 2018, 38Jiejie. detailing the accusations and fabrications spread by a crypted name unknown person posing as assistant to Bonnie Wang.
Wang Yuxin Released from the hospital, alleges she and Johnny Huang Jingyu divorced two years ago, admin, May 19, 2020, 38Jiejie in which the daughter claim was exposed to be false, Wang Yuxin, born 21 April 1986 according to the picture of the marriage license picture (6 yrs older than HJY), stated she did not have children and that the two were divorced around 2018 -- time of the ugly accusations. No precision on date of wedding. In 2020 she was treated for overdosing on sleeping pill, according to her assistant.
Johnny Huang's alleged ex wife Wang Yuxin threatens lawsuit against slanderers, by Heidi Hsia, March 6, 2023, The Hive Asia ;
"Johnny Huang Jingyu's ex wife now speaking out against him after previously making peace", by Chase Shê, Nov.9, 2023, Dramapanda ;
Johnny responds to Divorce rumors, by kiki, June 24, 2024, Jayne Stars bringing this to the table : "Even though his previous rumored marriage to artist Wang Yuxin (王雨馨) was exposed in 2018, Johnny (黃景瑜) never spoke up about this relationship until now. ... Johnny posted on Wang Yuxin’s account on Weibo : “My family member and also friend, I wish you all the best in the future.” At the same time, Wang Yuxin also issued a statement saying : “My family and assistant have never spoken out against Johnny. We are still friends and even more so, family members. We had an amicable split and always maintained a peaceful relationship. Please stop spreading false content.” Jayne Stars concluded : "Since Johnny had never admitted to being married in the past, referring to Wang Yuxin as a “family member” can be considered the first time he has admitted to their marriage."

See also the long comment on the situation by Johnny Huang's fan ADWG ; I think the point is also well made that be they officially married or not is not really important. What is, is that it looks like he got targeted by a clique of people with an agenda to harm.

The Court's ruling was in favor of the actor, since the other party did not bring any reliable opposition to the refutation of the accusations thrown at the actor, and it even was established that it started with a third party for several of those rabble rousing claims ; no reliable proof of injuries were documented by hospital or police. The ex partner claimed that she supported HJY with money, when it's clear he was no pauper! Delusional people jumped into the arena to slander her as backlash with claims that she had an illegitimate child (with whom? she plain denied having children). She used the occasion to fight back (ok) but also to drag, again, her former flame into the heat (why? not ok). Some people can be narcissist toxic shrews and it looks like "poor" (? I doubt it!) Johnny and perhaps Bonnie (not destitute either!) as well got themselves caught in such a rat's maze...

So, what is she doing now? She has been chosen as main lead for a "feminist" movie 《栖身塔》(Tower shelter / Habitat) aired in June 2024, for which she was nominated as Best Actress at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2024, despite this being her first role and she is a non professional (reported by Sohu.com 2024-06-24). According to her bio, she was born in 1986 in Jiangsu province, graduated from Nanjing Normal University ; her background is in arts, with studies at the London College of Art ; she painted and became the chairman of the US-China Art Foundation, vice president of Yancheng Oil Painting Academy, editor-in-chief of MC magazine and founder of Hoffen Gallery. Her entering c-ent is new and she is too new an actress to be found on dramawiki or MDL, or even on Baidu ; she was nominated but did not get any award.