Yao Chen

Yao Chen

Yao Chen (Chinese:姚晨) is a popular actress in China, whose Weibo microblog (equivalent to twitter) has over 20 million followers, earning her the nickname "the Queen of the Micobloggers".

Born on October 5, 1979, Yao became a star 2007 from her starring role in the hit show "My Own Swordsman", in which she played the kind, blunt yet spoiled woman knight—Guo Furong. Her dexterous acting skills and iconic smile soon won her great popularity in the country. Two years later, her role in the TV spy drama "Lurk" pushed the starlet’s career to its peak. Her performance as an illiterate yet brave guerrilla woman posing as the wife of a spy working for Communist Party of China against the Kuomintang in the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949) won accolades with a large audience. Due to her success, she has been featured on the covers of numerous fashion magazines.

Although a big star in both the film and fashion industries, Yao seldom indulges in the privileges of celebrity. "People usually think celebrities are obsessively vain. But for me, I choose to be myself," said Yao in an interview with CCTV. In July, 2011, Yao posted a microblog complaining about her troubled cousin, but the piece of the information was deleted soon. "I didn’t want people to think my family issues can be resolved easily because I’m privileged. That makes others who have no stars in their families feel hopeless," she said.

Yao was married to actor Ling Xiaosu upon her graduation from Beijing Film Academy, but the couple divorced in early 2011, unexpectedly ending their marriage after seven years. "We both felt it hard to accept each other," Yao said in an interview seven months after the breakup. "I may understand him, forgive him, but it’s difficult. Sometimes, there was even hatred…" she said.

Yao was appointed as an honorary patron of the United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees (UNHCR) for China in 2010, becoming the first Chinese to join the mission. And on June 20, 2011, Yao extended her stint with the UNHCR for another year, saying she may even make it a lifetime contract.