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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Allen Deng
Cinese
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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Angel Wang
Cinese
Gorgeous lady, best in subtle, reserved roles.
See: Nirvana in Fire, The Rise of Phoenixes
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Angelababy
Di Hong Kong
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
Intense! Amazing at playing slightly-to-very unhinged characters.
See: The Rise of Phoenixes, The Yin Yang Master
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Cheng Yi
Cinese
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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Dilraba Dilmurat
Cinese
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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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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Han Hao Lin
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
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 -
Huang Xuan
Cinese
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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Huang Yang Tian Tian
Cinese
Great little actress; can see her maturing onscreen.
See: The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Listening Snow Tower
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Jeremy Jones Xu
Cinese
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 Angel
Cinese
Amazing! So much intensity in every performance.
See: Marvelous Women, Tribes and Empires
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Liu Yao Yuan
Cinese
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
Di Hong Kong
Gorgeous and inimitable.
See: Hero, In the Mood for Love; pretty much any Wong Kar Wai film she's in
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Michelle Yeoh
Malese
The classic.
See: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; pretty much anything in her filmography
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Regina Wan
Cinese
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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Ryan Ding
Cinese
Adorable and small! Just so cute! Great comedic timing!
See: The Romance of Tiger and Rose
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Sean Xiao
Cinese
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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Shawn Dou
Cinese
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
Di Hong Kong
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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Turbo Liu
Cinese
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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Wang Jin Song
Cinese
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
Cinese
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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Xin Zhi Lei
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
Cinese
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
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Zoey Meng
Cinese
Beautiful and quite good at bringing a subtle warmth to her performances.
See: Ever Night, The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017)