Xu Jinglei

Xu Jinglei (, born April 16, 1974) is a Chinese actress and film director. She is known as one of the Four Dan Actresses in China.

Early life
On April 16, 1974, Xu was born in Chaoyang, Beijing, China. Her father Xu Zijian was founder of the Great Wall Neon Factory in Beijing and her mother Yu Shurong is a worker. Xu has a younger brother Xu Xinyu.

Xu studied in the calligraphy class in Beijing Children's Palace and learned the Tang poems by heart under the strict education of her father. She was recommended for admission to Beijing No.80 High School because of her extraordinary calligraphy skills. She initially determined to study make-up in the Stage Art Department of The Central Academy of Drama, but was declined. She was instead admitted to the Performing Arts Department, Beijing Film Academy.

Acting
In her freshman year of 1994, Xu made her acting debut in TV series My Deskmate. She gained wide popularity for her roles in TV series A Sentimental Story (1997), where she played a policewoman who falls for a gangster, and in Cherish Our Love Forever (1998), China's first idol drama. In 1999, she won the Chinese Filmmakers Association's Best Performance Award for her first major film role in Spicy Love Soup (1997). Xu solidified her success with a series of critically acclaimed films, winning the Huabiao Award for Outstanding New Actress for I Love You (2002), the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for Spring Subway (2002), and the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress for Far From Home (2002). She then starred in blockbusters such as Confession of Pain (2006) and The Warlords (2007). She reunited with her Cherish Our Love Forever co-star Li Yapeng in Eternal Moment (2011), a film sequel to their breakout show. She took an extended hiatus from acting since Dear Enemy (2001) and switched her career focus to filmmaking and talent management. She made a comeback with her performance in the science fiction thriller Battle of Memories (2017).

Directing
Xu made her directorial debut with My Father and I (2003), which she also starred in. The film, China's first independent production, tackles the delicate relationship between a Chinese father and his daughter, winning her the Golden Rooster Award for Best New Director. Her second directorial effort, Letter from an Unknown Woman (2004), was based on Stefan Zweig's novel of the same name, winning her the Silver Shell for Best Director at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain. Xu then collaborated with Chinese writer Wang Shuo in Dreams Come True (2006), an experimental film shot in one setting. Unlike her previous two films, Dreams Come True was panned by critics.

In 2010, Xu directed and starred in Go Lala Go!, which was adapted from Li Ke's bestseller of the same name about a young woman's growth in the workplace. In 2014, Xu ranked fifth on the Chinese directors value list, as "the first female director who has directed six films independently and has earned more than 100 million yuan at the domestic box office and won the international Film Festival awards."

Xu continued to direct romantic features Dear Enemy (2011) and Somewhere Only We Know (2015), which were moderately successful at the box office. Deviating from her former productions was The Missing (2017), an action cop thriller proved to be a commercial flop. She also produced an alien-themed web-series My 200-Million-Year-Old Classmate (2018) based on the webfiction of the same name.

Others
Since 2003, Xu has been an acting teacher at Beijing Film Academy.

Xu launched her blog in late 2005 to huge success. In 2006, she became the world’s most popular blogger, with the most incoming links of any blog in any language on the Internet, according to blog search engine Technorati.

In 2006, Xu founded Kaila Pictures Corporation, a production and management company. She also launched a website, a series of digital magazines and a accessory line.

In 2007, Xu Jinglei cooperated with Founder Electronics Cooperation to release her personal calligraphy computer characters in FounderType, called "Founder Jinglei Simplified".

In 2008, Xu was awarded the honorary title of "China Environmental Ambassador" at an awarding ceremony cosponsored by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the United Nations Development Program on World Earth Day.

In November 2012, Xu participated in the fourth season of China's Got Talent and acted as the judge. In May 2018, Xu participated in the third season of the Crossover Singer, a singing competition show, aired on BTV1.

Xu launched an education and film fund with 200,000 yuan (US$25,000) to support braille publications, education for the children of migrant workers, and filming.

Personal life
From 1994 to 2004, Xu Jinglei was in a relationship with writer Wang Shuo, during which she reportedly took a three-year break to be with musician Sanbao.

In July 2005, Xu was photographed in Beijing on a date with musician Zhang Yadong, shortly after actress Gao Yuanyuan made public of her 5-year relationship with Zhang. In January, 2006, Gao declared that she had broken up with Zhang. The next month Xu was photographed in Beijing meeting both Zhang and actor Huang Jue on the same day. Xu then had a relationship with Huang until their breakup in 2010.

Since their collaboration in Go Lala Go! in 2010, Xu has been in a relationship with Taiwanese-American singer-actor Stanley Huang. Since 2017, they have been living in the US.