Actors
Actors that I particularly like and/or have impressed me in a role; you may find that I'm biased towards those who suffer well . It drives me nuts that MDL insists on putting a space between the syllables of first names/defaulting to their english names tho. Just why.
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Angel Wang
Chinese
Gorgeous lady, best in subtle, reserved roles.
See: Nirvana in Fire, The Rise of Phoenixes
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Angelababy
Hong Konger
I expect this to be my most controversial pick, and she was quite terrible in her first roles, but she's improved tremendously.
See: A Murderous Affair at Horizon Tower -
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Bai Jing Ting
Chinese
Looks like a skinny 17 y/o, actually a buff AF 20 something. Great for sports roles, has that plucky but still earnest and hardworking protag aura.
See: Ping Pong Life, Reset
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Bai Lu
Chinese
Pretty good range, one of the few actresses that is semi-believable cross-dressing.
See: Song of Youth, Arsenal Military Academy
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Betty Sun
Chinese
Another very good actress with a life behind her eyes for each role.
See: Legend of Zhen Huan, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Shadow
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Chen Kun
Chinese
Intense! Amazing at playing slightly-to-very unhinged characters.
See: The Rise of Phoenixes, The Yin Yang Master
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Cheng Yi
Chinese
King of suffering. he can say so much with only a shift of expression. Very good at soft, loving looks buried amidst agony.
See: Love & Redemption, Stand By Me, The Lost Tomb 2
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Darren Wang
Taiwanese
Yes, he has a giant mouth, but he puts it to good use -- can say so much with micro expressions and a shift of his eyes.
See: The Wolf
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Deng Lun
Chinese
His expressions! His body language! He says so much with his eyes!
See: The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity, Investiture of the Gods (2019), Ashes of Love (if you can stand Yang Zi's acting)
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Dilraba Dilmurat
Chinese
God she's gorgeous... and somehow way better in modern dramas, idk.
See: Eternal Love, Love Designer, You Are My Glory
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Ding Yu Xi
Chinese
Adorable and small! Just so cute! Great comedic timing!
See: The Romance of Tiger and Rose
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Eddie Peng
Taiwanese
Has the classic good guy look but can also play other types of roles well.
See: Duckweed, Rise of the Legend, Wu Kong
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Finn Han
Chinese
His performances would be impressive at any age, but especially so from someone so young! His comedic timing is great but so are his drama chops. Can't wait to see what he becomes.
See: Heavenly Sword Dragon Saber, Joy of Life, Snow Sword Stride
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Hu Jun
Chinese
Dignified and menacing but also has great comedic timing
See: Snow Sword Stride, Reunion: The Sound of Providence
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Huang Xiao Ming
Chinese
Yes, he's mostly known for overacting. But he's improved and/or he's found the type of director that gets the best performances out of him.
See: Nirvana in Fire 2, Winter Begonia -
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Huang Xuan
Chinese
The consummate actor. Can bring the intensity as well as the comedy, often within the same performance.
See: Tribes and Empires, Luoyang, Minning Town
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Huangyang Tian Tian
Chinese
Great little actress; can see her maturing onscreen.
See: The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Listening Snow Tower
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Jeremy Tsui
Chinese
Great at playing terrible people with soft bits in the center, tender and longing gazes, and tearing up prettily.
See: The Legend of Dugu, The Autumn Ballad
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Jiang Qin Qin
Chinese
Amazing! So much intensity in every performance.
See: Marvelous Women, Tribes and Empires
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Liu Hao Ran
Chinese
I don't know why his English name is Turbo, but he's been quite good since his debut at like 17.
See: Nirvana in Fire 2, Novoland: Eagle Flag, Detective Chinatown movies if you like that kind of humor
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Liu Yao Yuan
Chinese
I want to pinch his cheeks, he's so cute. Also good at being a smirky schemer.
See: Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, The Ancient Detective
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Maggie Cheung
Hong Konger
Gorgeous and inimitable.
See: Hero, In the Mood for Love; pretty much any Wong Kar Wai film she's in
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Meng Zi Yi
Chinese
Beautiful and quite good at bringing a subtle warmth to her performances.
See: Ever Night, The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017)
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Michelle Yeoh
Malaysian
The classic.
See: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; pretty much anything in her filmography
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Shawn Dou
Chinese
Too good for the crappy romantic lead roles he's keeps getting! He's capable of much more than that.
See: Tribes and Empires
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Tony Leung
Hong Konger
The legend.
See: Hero, Infernal Affairs, In the Mood for Love; pretty much any Wong Kar Wai film he's in
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Wan Qian
Chinese
My queen!! Her performances are always so layered, there's so much going on behind her eyes. She's just the best and I'm so glad she's getting leading roles regularly now.
See: Secret of Three Kingdoms, Tribes and Empires, The Twelfth Second
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Wang Jin Song
Chinese
Veteran actor who has played everyone's dad. Just has an aura of refined gravitas.
See: Nirvana in Fire, Ultimate Note
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Wang Kai
Chinese
What's there to say, it's Wang Kai. Acts well and looks great in hanfu.
See: Nirvana in Fire, The Disguiser
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Xiao Zhan
Chinese
A bit rough at the start, but you can actually see him improving with each role, and sometimes within the same series. Has mastered the pain-filled gaze, at least.
See: The Wolf, The Untamed
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Xin Zhi Lei
Chinese
I love her face and her range is quite wide!
See: Joy of Life, The Wolf, Candle in the Tomb: Wrath of Time
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Z. Tao
Chinese
Actually quite good! Dare I say, better than his ex-bandmates.
See: Hot Blooded Youth, Forward Forever (despite his stupid hair and wardrobe)
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Zhang Yan Yan
Chinese
Tends to play moms and aunts, but capable of really amazing, subtle performances. My favorite standout scene in NiF is hers.
See: Nirvana in Fire, Nirvana in Fire 2
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Zhang Zi Yi
Chinese
Gets paid the big bucks for a reason.
See: The Grandmaster, 2064, The Rebel Princess (despite the uninspired plot and the whole 'playing a 15 y/o' thing, she's very good here)
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Zhao Lu Si
Chinese
One of the few Chinese actresses that's actually funny! Can handle dramatic roles as well.
See: The Romance of Tiger and Rose, The Long Ballad
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Zhou Yi Wei
Chinese
Such extreme presence! Amazingly intense in every role I've seen him in.
See: Tribes and Empires, The Longest Day in Chang'an, The Rebel Princess
