Chen Xing Xu mini profile

MINI PROFILE OF CHEN XING XU

Despite being born in Shenyang on March 31, 1996, Chen Xingxu  陈星旭  is as much a Beijinger as those born in the capital since he spent his childhood there and studied there.  He attended   elementary school at Beijing Haidian District Foreign Language Experimental School, later was from middle school to high school a student of the Beijing Dance Academy Affiliated High School,.

Finally, he was  admitted in 2014 with first place in the performance department of the Central Academy of Drama, from which he graduated in 2018.    He has one younger sister He gets along well with her, and pampers her a lot. He also considers his uncle's daughter who is slightly older than his sister, as another sister of his. His father made him choose his own name between 陈星旭  and 陈星宇 (Chen Xingxu and Chen Xingyu) when he was a baby ; he pointed to the first name, and that's how he got it for life

He is also known as Oliver Chen, or Xiao Chen.

PERSONAL DATA

autographed picture	My Boss, ep.29  Cheng Yao's dad needs help  about a "weird guy"! He is 186cm (6'1") TALL and weighs about 76kg (167.2 lbs), black hair, black eyes, right handed. His hand length is 20 cm, so he says he can use it as a ruler to measure!  He narrowly escaped a serious injury when performing a martial arts scene where he twisted his neck and had to suffer numbness for several weeks. His back was more seriously injured when he fell from a horse that he was asked to ride with a blindfold, but the saddle was loose and  turned over ; other horses trampled him and he could not walk for a while. He often got injured on sets but still takes it as a matter of fact and enjoys his "performing family", missing them when filming is over. STAR SIGNS : According to Chinese zodiac, he is a Fire Rat  (smart, adapting easily, capable and generous, kind and considerate, with a bright future, good at managing) ; his star sign is Aries (the natives of which are known for their passion, chemistry in relationships and decisiveness) :  indeed, he has founded his own studio to manage his career and takes care of his own social media.    Lucky Numbers and Colors for him are 1 and 3,  blue and grey, according to his Chinese Zodiac sign, but he prefers simply black and white despite acnowledging that bright colors look better for events and interviews. He likes to wear hats, but doesn't consider himself as good with fashion (nevertheless, he also works as a model, both for clothes and beauty brands, endorsed by fashion companies ; he was in January 2024 at the Milan Fashion Week show, looking good in soft grey suit and simple beige turtleneck).
CXX eating 生煎包	HE IS A HOMEBODY :  He likes to stay at home, and said that he can stay at home for weeks! He likes to get his mom's advice and has always been respectful to his elders.  He spends his birthdays with his family for a meal, and does not do a party (except once at Disneyland), but he will chat on group chat.   He does not like crowds, so for travel, he will choose nature reserves or places that have mountains and rivers (but he did enjoy finding back his childhood spirit, when he visited Disneyland, and loved the thrills of the roller coaster; he also enjoyed sitting on an airlift to climb the Italian Alps mountains in January 2024, on break from his attending a fashion show). He likes to be at peace  and not to  have to make hard choices. LOVED ONES : his two cats ("Bao Xiao Jian" is mentioned in Wikipedia ; but 过本喵 Guò běn miāo and 大黑  Dàhēi /Big black are what he said their names are in the 2019 interview). He lets them out for exercise and feeds them in small cups, each cat getting their own. He is not known to be in a relationship, despite having reached the ripe age of 27 years old. "Chen Xingxu believes that love comes with time." DISLIKES : He is afraid of cockroaches, snakes, and spiders. He dislikes to eat bitter gourd and spicy food.  He doesn't like to draw, but has improved a little until 2019, and he thought he might attend a drawing class, when he would have time off from acting. He dislikes being woken by someone when he is still sleeping, but will set alarm clocks so as not to be late for appointments.
卤煮火烧	FOOD AND BEVERAGES : He likes coffee especially latte.  He also likes crawfish  Shēng jiān bāo 生煎包 (pan-fried mini buns filled with meat and juices or vegetables which are a Shanghai specialty, just like the soup dumplings called xiǎolóngbāo ) filled with crawfish meat ; he lunched with appetite through his lunch box of such 生煎包 in this 2019 video of the BTS of his shooting an ad for the beauty brand Origins.  As for Beijing specialties, he is fond of Lǔ zhǔ huǒshāo 卤煮火烧, a stew of pork guts, intestines, lungs, accompanied by bǐng 饼 flatbread. He also likes oranges (uses one for his Weibo account icon). He can cook 红烧肉  Hóngshāo ròu (red braised pork belly) and a few southern dishes because he likes steamed food Guangdong style,
singing and playing the piano in 2019	LEISURE ACTIVITIES :  He likes to play billiards, to go to the gym, to train at Archery ; he even coached younger actors such as Luo Yizhou, who starred in GenZ,  in  Day Day Up (天天向上) variety show of 29 September, 2022 (23:30-29:53) after showing his own skills.     He also likes to sing (he has said his preferred song on KTV is Hao Jiu Bu Jian 好久不见   (Long Time No See) by Eason Chan), but he is shamefaced about his singing in public and doesn't envision becoming a singer; still, he performed adequately Xiao Xing Xing  (Little Star) together with Peng Xiaoran for Hunan TV’s 2019 China Space Day Gala (lyrics and some more here).  He also regrets he is not good at dancing despite having studied at the BJ Dance Academy.  He said that when he is in a bad mood, he will listen to songs, read books and watch movies to relieve his tension.  He likes to watch Hollywood movies (he speaks and understands English).
嫌弃 Xiánqì (disgusted)	He said that in intimate scenes, it is his ears that flush red!  He views himself as both lazy and shy, unromantic and practical. He won't pursue a love interest. Still, when asked , he said that love was important to him and that he would not choose between love and career. He is afraid of the memes of himself that some friends sent to him!

Sources to this section and in part, next one:  social media, fan accounts (FB, Instagram, Weibo, Youtube), Wikipedia, biodata articles, and a compilation of interviews and talkshows from August 2019. - Most pictures are linked to the videos they are from or to their sources. The GIF (except for the Morticia Addams one) are made by me from videos from YT, Weibo etc re-cut and adapted, including the title one  :-)

A LIFE ON SCREEN

His mother had settled in Beijing for business and to allow her son, who got spotted by child talent scouts, reportedly at the zoo, to get into castings for commercials, as early as 1999 when he was only three years old.  

Shortly after, he was cast as young "Shi Hai", guest child actor, for the 2001 war and family TV series The Years of Passion Burning  激情燃烧的岁月 Jiqing ranshao de suiyue.  One website reports him as also having had child roles in 2003 drama Cao Xue Qin 曹雪芹(playing as Liu'er) ; 2006 Jiang Men Feng Yun 将门风云 (as young Zhou Nanzheng) ; and You Are My Life (as young Tang Hao).

He was just 10 years old  when he was cast in his first main role in 2007 Shining Red Star 闪闪的红星, as "8 years old Pan Dong Zi" child soldier in the Red Army of the 1930s, while also having support roles in 2-4 other 2007 TV series a (Another Lifetime of Fate: The Legend of Meng Li Jun/ Eternal Happiness 再生緣, playing as young Crown Prince ; Golden Marriage金婚, playing as young Dabao ; Scorching Sun 烈日炎炎 [Lie Ri Yan Yan] playing as Luo Liangku ; Qiu Hai Tang 秋海棠, as young Yuan Shaoheng). Two years later, he was cast in a young brother role in the beautiful 2010 movie Under the Hawthorn Tree, directed by Zhang Yimou, and starring Shawn Dou and Zhou Dongyu.   

* Playlists: 

• Cao Xue Qin, cuts from episode 29 and from episode 30 (Chinese only)
• Jiang Men Feng Yun, 35 episodes war drama (Chinese only); unfortunately, the cut showing CXX has been deleted from Youtube
  
• Shining Red Star, 22 episodes, on YouTube (Chinese only)
• Eternal Happiness, young crown prince cut from episode 4 (Chinese only)
  
• Scorching Sun, cuts from episodes 23, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32 (Chinese only)
• Qiu Hai Tang ,  cut from episodes 16,17, 18, 20, on YouTube (Chinese only)
  
• Under the Hawthorn Tree, cut from the movie on YouTube (Chinese only) ; full movie with English subtitles.
  

Debut drama in 2001

Young Chen Xingxu, 10 years old in 2007 Red Star

Child actor in the Zhang Yimou 2010 movie.

He was cast in other guest roles in 2012  Su Dong Po (TV series, playing as young Song Zhezhong) ; 2015 Beijing and New York (romance movie, playing as Shaonian Lanyī) and 2017 Once Upon a Time  (三生三世十里桃花, movie, derived from the novel that inspired the famous drama Eternal Love/Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms, playing as Li Yiguan), until his emerging as young star in  2017.

** Playlist:

• Su Dongpo, 6 cuts from the drama, on YouTube (Chinese only) 
• Beijing and New York, short cut from the movie, on YouTube (Chinese only)
• Once Upon A Time, short cut from the movie, on Youtube (Chinese only) ; full movie with Englih subtitles on Bilibili
  

His breakthrough came with the 2017 drama adaptation of the famous wuxia novel by JIn Yong : The Legend of the Condor Heroes 射雕英雄传, where he played the co-star main role of "Yang Kang", adoptive son of the Jin prince and rival of hero "Guo Jing" played by Yang Xuwen. 

The series was a mammoth undertaking with over 100,000 extras and 99 actors, filmed over several months until late August 2016. It was produced by Huace Film & TV in collaboration with iQiYi, Jianxin Picture and Perfect World Pictures. In his desire to stay as close as possible to the landscapes and events in the original novel, the director took the team all over China, from the northern Tonghu Grasslands in Inner Mongolia and Tianzhu Grasslands in Gansu Province to the Yellow River Stone Forest (Huanghe Shilin) in Jingtai County, Gansu province. The series was filmed primarily at the Xiangshan Film and Television City in Zhejiang Province, but other filming locations include Hengdian World Studios, Xiandu Scenic Area in Jinyun County and Xianju County in Zhejiang Province.  Filming was taxing the actors both physically (heat, injuries), and mentally : "Chen Xingxu suffered a breakdown and had to familiarize himself with the original work and script, receiving guidance from seniors such as Miao Qiaowei (Michael Miu), until his worries gradually dissipated." 

*** Playlist :  The Legend of the Condor Heroes, complete 52 episodes with English subtitles,  with VIP on iQiyi  (or on YouTube, some episodes missing) 

15 Jan, 2024  Zegna winter fashion modeling,  amiably meeting fans. (CXX Studio Weibo)

iQiyi  52 episodes Originally  on Dragon TV , Jan  9- Apr 17, 2017

Chen Xingxu at 20  as "Yan Kang" in the Legend of Condor Heroes 2017

Goodbye My Princess (2019 historical drama set in Liang dynasty)

CXX as Li Cheng Yin / Gu Xiao Wu / Prince

Having graduated, Chen Xingxu established his position as upcoming movie and TV series star with his main role in the best historical drama of 2019: Good Bye, My Princess /East Palace 东宫, based on a novel by Fei Wo Si Cun.   (special mention here about the March 21, 2019 article written by JojoOnDatBeat, about this drama - it is lavishly illustrated and explanatory).

He was subsequently invited to his first TV variety show in the April 27, 2019 edition of Happy Camp. Nevertheless, he did only win "Most valuable commercial actor" at the 2nd Tencent Modern Night Out awards, and Goodbye My Princess although nominated, did not get home wih the coveted Huadings awards of 2019. 

**** Playlist :   Goodbye My Princess, 52 episodes with several languages subtitles on Viki (or on YouTube with English subtitles.)

Among his other work, there was

• 2019 Youth China in the Headlines 头条里的青春中国 (patriotic movie for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC) cameo as himself;
• 2020 Wolf Killing Action 滅狼行動 (war web movie)  playing  as  Zhou Yang:
• 2020 The Best of Times 最好的时代 (a modern business romance 36 episodes TV series) playing  as Li Yanfeng; [available with English subtitles on Youtube]
• 2020 The Enchanting Phantom 倩女幽魂：人间情 (a romance fantasy web film  adapted from the 1987 film A Chinese Ghost Story) as Ning Caichen ;
  
• 2021 The Glory of Youth  号手就位 (49 episodes patriotic military TV series) as Ouyang Jun;  [27 episodes available with English subtitles on YouTube]
• 2021 Truth 真相  (32 episodes thriller TV series) as Lin Yuanhao;   [available on Viki with several languages subtitles; and on YouTube with English subtitles}
• 2021 Fall in Love 一见倾心 (36 episodes Republican era/"minguo" TV series) as Tan Xuanlin, pairing with Zhang Jingyi as Mu Wanqing;  [available on Viki with several languages subtitles; and on YouTube with English subtitles]
• 2023 The Starry Love 星落凝成糖.  (His appearance in Hello Saturday in 2023 was mostly about his first xianxia role as Empyrean Prince  Shao Dian You Qin in the TV series) This one was also known as "Love When The Stars Fall". It was adapted from the novel "Xing Luo Ning Cheng Tang" (星落凝成糖) by Yi Du Jun Hua (一度君华 ) and mentioned as third drama in the "Honey trilogy" that includes two other famous dramas, though unrelated for subject matter : Ashes of Love (an unrelated xianxia drama) and Skate Into Love (a sports drama). [available on Viki with several languages subtitles; and on YouTube with English subtitles]
  

He is not a frequent guest on variety shows, focusing on interviews linked with the promotion of his movie and drama work.But he is scheduled to appear in 2024 on Hello Saturday with Victoria Song, in connection with his role in :

Our Interpreter (我们的翻译官) the original script TV series produced by Huace Films was scheduled to air in January 2024 on Hunan Satellite TV and Mango online.  The drama was shot in Fujian province [around Xiamen, renamed "Xiahai" in the story] from October 27, 2022 to January 19, 2023. 

The 36 episodes TV series revolves around the romantic and business conflicts and reconciliation of "Xiao Yicheng", chief technology officer of 语译天下 (Yuyitianxia, Translation World) Company, and "Lin Xi", a star interpreter working with Huasheng, a local translation company in Xiahai [Glimpses of Gulyangyu island and the iconic surfboard twin towers].  It targeted more mature audience, and was also opted by Rakuten Viki for the international audience (Viki is reputed for better subtitling in English and other languages), while also being uploaded to the Croton Mega Hit channel of YouTube  (Croton is a subsidiary of Huace Films, specializing in production, and also streaming and international media business).

       From CXX's Weibo :  Our Interpreter, Today at 19:00, Xiao Yicheng is waiting for you in the conference room.

Coincidentally, another TV series, the romantic comedy My Boss was scheduled to air from January 8, 2024 but got slotted in from January 4, a few days before Our Interpreter, bringing a strange sense of competition between the actor's roles in the two different dramas.  

My Boss  (你也有今天) had been produced by Shanghai Ningmeng Film and Television Media Co., Ltd., shot from April 28 to  August 4, 2023  [in a coastal city south of Shanghai] to be released on Youku and Linmon Media (YouTube). The romantic comedy was also opted in for the Rakuten Viki platform. Domestically, it gained attention as a sweet show fit for the younger audience, and earned by January 14 an impressive 9000 heat index, driven by romance and fluff fans and by the fans of the web novel it is adapted from : "What Comes Around Goes Around" (你也有今天) by Ye Fei Ran (叶斐然). 

The novel  [web translation], title of which  literally translates as "You Too Got Today",  tells the story of Qian Heng 钱恒, the founder of Jun Heng Law Firm, and Cheng Yao 成瑶, a rookie lawyer, who unexpectedly became roommates with her boss for a short period. He was cold and only interested in results and money, as his name "Qian" (钱 =money) announced, but he also suffered from insomnia.

Dramapanda described the battle for airing spot : "My Boss started airing first on Youku at 18:00 [Jan.4]. Our Interpreter, initially set for a 20:00 premiere on Hunan TV / Mango TV yesterday, January 8, took everyone by surprise when it was suddenly rescheduled to air at 12:00. My Boss followed suit, announcing a shift to an even earlier time at 11:00 on the same day. The unexpected plot twist off-screen has gotten people joking that Chen Xingxu’s fans would have a hard time keeping up since it looks like the platforms airing his shows aren’t willing to be outdone by the other.  ... To think he has a third drama, iQIYI’s Ni De Huang Yan Ye Dong Ting 你的谎言也动听, opposite Zhang Yuxi which has yet to secure an air date."

***** Playlists (dramas still airing as of Jan.23, 2024)

• My Boss, starring CXX and Zhang Ruonan, 36 episodes, is available on Viki with several languages subtitles
  
• Our Interpreter, starring CXX and Victoria Song / Song Qian, 36 episodes, is available on iQiyi (with regional restrictions) or Viki with several languages subtitles, and on YouTube with English subtitles.
  

OUR INTERPRETER LINKSclick on picture for direct access to the episodes on the Youtube playlist. Opening Douban rating 2024.02.03 Still #5, among the top 10 TV series watched in China for week 5, ending Feb.04, 2024

MY BOSS  POPULARITY    (Heat index reached) 01/18 -> 9 500 01/14 -> 9 000 01/08 -> 8 500 01/07 -> 8 000 01/06 -> 7 500 01/06 -> 7 000 01/05 -> 6 500 01/05 -> 6 000

MY BOSS LINKSclick on picture to watch the episodes on Youtube. Opening Douban rating 2024.01.20 Still #4, among the top 10 webseries watched in China for week 5, ending Feb.04,2024

"Watching for the plot" My Boss (2024)  from CXX Weibo «It's rare to find a generous and warm-hearted capitalist like you»

"The plot looks handsome": some drama watchers had fun gently and gleeful lampooning the comedy, using well-chosen pictures from the Chen Xingxu Weibo social media pages!(No, Morticia Addams doesn't feature in CXX's recent dramas, but she would surely have appreciated to sink her teeth in this beefy body, lol)

Continued : " FUTURE CXX PROJECTS"

Oh. That's great! 

Saw him the first time in Goodbye, My Princess and he has become one of my favorite actors!

Is he also starred as a guest role in a drama with Ethan Juan and Zhu Xudan? There is another CXX support role rumor cast added in MDL

Oh!That’s why i asked. Because he usually doesn’t pick supporting role.  I really liked his drama Fall in Love and The Starry Love. He is one of the talented actor of his generation. 

 sandrusca:

Really good profile for new fans.I watched Goodbye my princess first a long time ago. i remenber i was so hooked on the plot and really thought he was a great actor, but the plot was too sad so i never rewatched. Fall in love was so good and he was so flirty and sexy. Im currently watching My boss, loving the fun plot, and Interpreter im struggling is a bit boring. I dropped a lot of xianxia dramas so i didnyt start Starry Love but im planning now because i've decided to be a Xiao Xing Xing.

The Starry Love is a great drama, funny also. You should start watching it. I rarely recommend dramas and drop series I don't enjoy.

Upcoming drama 

Love on the Turquoise Land  adapted from the novel "Xiao Qi Qing Rang" (枭起青壤  "Owl Rises from Green Soil") by Wei Yu (尾鱼),  81 chapters which can be read on Wattpad (linked).    Director: Tian Li, He Tan.  Production: Tencent/WeTV. Number of episodes: 32 x 45 mins. To be aired on CCTV, and  Tencent Video Synopsis: Writer Nie Xi was inspired to write an urban fantasy novel with an oriental flavor after seeing an exhibition on the Classic of Mountains and Seas theme. The fantasy and suspense modern romance tells the tale of a female sculptor, "mad sword" Nie Jiu Luo, descendant of the 'Tangled Army" going back all the way to the first Han emperor. She gets involved with Yan Tuo, an "upright man who comes from a background of wealth". The pair's search for the truth behind Lin Xi Rou, reveals a world beyond their imagination, the secret of earth owls, mysterious powers, and immortality. On June 7, 2021, the play was selected into the 2021 Tencent Video film and television list. On June 19, 2023, the play was selected into the Goose Factory 2023 drama list, and a concept poster was released. Cast  : Dilireba as Nie Jiuluo Chen Xingxu  as Yan Tuo According to this Weibo post of 2024.01.02,  shooting was to last 150 days,  from March 2024.

Debates and fan wars : As of January 2024, rumors almost escalating to fan war with insults thrown from side to side were stirred about this project. Three actors who all had expressed an interest in working with Dilireba (among their "favorite actresses" as they openly mentioned) had been approached : Chen Zheyuan (who rejected the project after being  targeted by black fans), Dylan Wang (who was not available), and Chen Xingxu who finally took the role. The controversies flew about the always touchy billing issue : equal or not?  Actresses who signed up first do not like to concede, especially if they feel they have more status than "latecomer" MLs. It is a fact that billing usually relies on fame : Reba has 80 million fans on Weibo (although Zhao Liying has 90.9m, and Yang Mi 112m). Looking at Weibo counts,  CZY has "only" 13-14 million, CXX 8-9m, WHD 20m, etc, but then, no male actors of that generation come close in the size of following that Dilireba has (Yang Yang has 52m).  Another issue was that screen-time might be altered to better showcase SFL... These were matters to be debated by agents for either leads or by those who decide for themselves in business deals, because they have their own company (like CXX and Wu Lei). The mostly "black fans" meddling was out of line ! As of March 11, 2024, the Chen Xingxu choice was the one that was retained.  As a commenter informed: the two leads were on a flight to Ningbo on March 15,  to shoot the drama. Filming period : 2024-Mar-19 to 2024-Aug-09 ;  wrap picture sbelow.   from the Marcus Here! reporting of October 23, with the excerpt from the 30 second trailer.  To viex also:  here. updated October 24, 2024 Link back to beginning of Chen Xingxu mini profile To view the list of my other drama companion pieces (with links to them), check : HERE.