10 Most Beautiful and Influential Chinese Drama Actresses

The Chinese entertainment industry has some of the most beautiful drama actresses in Asia. But it's quite complex to rank and quantify them who are the prettiest girls because we have different views on beauty, prettiness, and charm.

So we often rely on credible surveys that are not only based on star quality or physical attributes but based on the overall impact of the celebrities. 

We will look at the x-factor, which refers to the essence of a woman's total package (beauty, charm, attributes) and how her presence attracts attention. 

Fan Bingbing, Zhao Liying, and Yang Mi

So, we extracted data from the different ranking lists (see below) to come up with our top 10 list: 

1. Star Power List - a popular social media account under Shanghai Zixiao Cultural Media Center. The ranking is based on data compiled from Baidu, Weibo, WeChat, and other major social media platforms in China. It includes influential young actresses between the ages of 20 and 35 with large fan bases. Dilraba Dilmurat emerged number one in their ranking. 

2. Yahoo News - In 2021, an online Japanese ranking, Everyone's Ranking, asked over 800 Japanese men and women aged between 10 and 39, who are their top 10 most beautiful Chinese actresses. Angelababy emerged as number one followed by Yang Mi and Fan Bingbing.

3. Bal Times - An online media company that also released their top 30 most beautiful actresses, based on beauty, star power ranking, and media influence. Dilraba Dilmurat is number one on their list followed by Yang Mi and Fan Bingbing.

4. TC Candler - A worldwide ranking and survey of the most beautiful faces in the world. TC Candler is the creator of the Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Faces in the world. 

Among Chinese Drama Actresses, only Dilraba Dilmurat and Gulnazar made it to the top 100 list of TC Candler for six consecutive years. You may check the complete list for 2022 HERE           

After extracting data from the above lists, we come up with the 10 Most Beautiful and Influential Chinese Drama Actresses List:

10. Gulnazar - Also known as Gulinazha, she ranked 64th in TC Candler 2022 list and 70th in 2021 in the world's most beautiful faces. Gulnazar is one of the prettiest drama actresses from mainland China. She is of Uyghur descent and hails from Xinjiang province. 

Gulnazar, also known as Gulinazha

Her real name is Gülnezer Bextiyar and she was born on May 2, 1992, in Urumqi, Xinjiang. She studied dance at the Xinjiang Arts Institute and was a classmate of fellow Uyghur actress, Dilraba Dilmurat. She obtained a degree in Performing Arts from the Beijing Film Academy.

Gulnazar made her acting debut in 2012 in the wuxia drama: Xuan Yuan Sword: Scar of the Sky, starring Hu Ge and Liu Shishi. Her film debut was in 2013 in the movie, Police Story 2013. 

Gulnazar weibo

Her first leading role was in the 2016 costume drama, The Classic of Mountains and Seas. Followed by God of War, Zhao Yun (2016), Chinese Paladin 5 (2017), Fighter of Destiny (2017), The Dance of the Storm (2021), and the upcoming fantasy drama, Snow Eagle Lord. She has more than 25 million followers on Weibo, China's most popular social media platform. 

9. Ju Jingyi - She is a Chinese singer, dancer, and actress, and rose to fame as a member of the girl group, SNH48. She was born on June 18, 1994. She is also known by her English name, Kiku Ju.

She ranked number seven on Star Power List and number 15 in Bal Times' China's Most Beautiful Actresses.

Ju Jingyi

She is known for her role in the series: Novoland, the Castle in the Sky (2016), Legend of Yunxi (2018), The Legend of White Snake (2019), In a Class of Her Own (2020), The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion (2020, Love Under the Full Moon (2021), and Rebirth For You (2021).

Ju Jingyi has more than 25 million Weibo followers. She is also active on instagram where she has more than 600,000 followers. 

Credit: Jung Jingyi weibo

8. Li Qin - Also known as Sweet Li, Qin is one of China's most popular drama actresses. She was born on September 27, 1990, and obtained a degree in Music from Shanghai Theater Academy's Affiliate Chinese Opera School.

Li Qin or Sweet Li

Li Qin began as a singer and debuted in acting in the 2010 drama, The Dream of Red Mansions. She also made her film debut in 2011 in The Founding of a Party.

Li Qin's other notable roles are in the dramas: The Watchful Sky (2012), The Return of a Princess (2013), White Deer Plain (2017), Princess Agents (2017), Fight Breaks Sphere (2018), Joy of Life (2019), The Song's Glory (2020), The Wolf (2020), Tears in Heaven (2021), Thousand Years for You (2022). She has an upcoming drama, Where Dreams Begin with Xiao Zhan.

Li Qin ranked 5th on China's Star Power Celebrity list and 14th Most Beautiful Chinese Actress in Bal Times.

7. Zhang Ziyi - Born on February 9, 1979, Zhang Ziyi is one of the most well-known Chinese actresses on the international scene. She has numerous films screened globally.

Zhang Ziyi

She gained global recognition when she starred in Ang Lee's 2000 wuxia film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which won at the 2001 Oscar Awards as Best Foreign Film.

Ziyi starred in a number of blockbuster Chinese films, including Rush Hour 2 (2001), Hero (2002, nominated at the Oscar Awards as Best Foreign Film), House of Flying Daggers (2004), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) which earned her many international Best Actress nominations, The Banquet (2006), and The Grandmaster (2013), which won her several Best Actress awards. 

Memoir of a Geisha was so popular worldwide that it made it to the cover of Time magazine 

She appeared in Hollywood films: The Cloverfield Paradox, The Horsemen, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. She made her directorial debut in one of the stand-alone chapters of My Country, My Parents (2021) and won the Best New Director award in 2022. She debuted on television in the 2021 drama, The Rebel Princess.

6. Fan Bingbing - Before her tax evasion scandal in 2018, Fan Bingbing has been China's highest-paid actress and became number one for three consecutive years on Forbes China's 100 Power Celebrity list. She also appeared in Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2017.

Fan Bingbing, Aging like a fine wine

Fan Bingbing, who was also a singer, was born on September 16, 1981, in Shandong, China, and obtained a drama degree from Shanghai Theater Academy. 

She is one of the most decorated actresses in China and one of the most successful Chinese celebrities who made a transition to Hollywood. She's often cited as one of China's most beautiful actresses. 

Credit: Bingbing Fan instagram

She made an acting debut in 1996 and rose to popularity for her role in My Fair Princess (1998). She starred in a dozen popular drama hits, including The Legend and the Hero (2006), The Empress of China (2014), and in the movies, Cell Phone (2003), Lost in Beijing (2007), The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom (2014), I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016). She appeared in Hollywood films: Iron Man 3, X-Men: Days of the Future Past, and The 355. 

5. Yang Zi - also known as Andy Yang, Yang Zi was born on November 6, 1992. Yang Zi began her career as a child actress in 2001. She rose to popularity in Home With Kids TV series in 2005. She obtained a degree in Acting from the Beijing Film Academy.

Yang Zi

Some of her notable television series: Ode to Joy (2016), Noble Aspirations (2016), Legend of Dragon Pearl (2017), Ashes of Love (2018), Go Go Squid (2019), The Oath of Love (2022), and Immortal Samsara (2022).  

Yang Zi ranked number 8th on Forbes China 100 Power Celebrity list in 2021 and 2022, ranked 2nd on the Star Power Celebrity list, and ranked 8th in Bal Times. She has more than 60 million followers on Weibo.

4. Angelababy - also known by her Chinese name, Yang Ying, Angelababy is of Chinese and German descent. She was born in Shanghai on January 28, 1989, and grew up in Hongkong. 

Angelababy

She was married to Chinese actor, Huang Xiaoming in 2015 but got divorced in 2022. They had one child born in 2017. Angelababy is also a singer and model. 

Angelababy debuted in acting in 2010 and had a remarkable role in 2017's General and I. She had a supporting role in the 2022 wuxia drama, The Wind Blows From Longxi. She was an original cast member of a long-running variety show, Keep Running.

Angelababy

She ranked 16th in the 2020 Forbes China 100 Power Celebrity list. She ranked number one in the Japanese ranking of China's Most Beautiful Actresses. She ranked number 9 in the Star Power Celebrity and ranked 17 in Bal Times. 

Angelababy is one of the most followed actresses in mainland China on Weibo with more than 100 million followers and more than 10 million followers on instagram.

3. Zhao Liying - born on October 16, 1987, Zhao Liying is also known as Zanilla Zhao. She is one of the most popular and prettiest Chinese celebrities. 

Zhao Liying

Zhao Liying ranked number 9 in Forbes China 100 Power Celebrity list in 2021 and 2022, number 3 on the Star Power Celebrity list, and number 9 in Bal Times. She has more than 90 million followers on Weibo.

Liying is one of the fewest Chinese drama actresses who did not graduate from the top three drama schools in China (Beijing Film Academy, Central Academy of Drama, and Shanghai Theater Academy). She studied Electronics Information Engineering at Langfang School in her hometown in Hebei province.

Zhao Liying

Zhao Liying was discovered in 2006 when she participated in the Yahoo Search Star Game and became the final winner. She then signed with Huayi Brothers as a new talent. 

She made her acting debut in the family drama, Golden Marriage, in 2007, and went on to a dozen dramas in later years. She played remarkable roles in The Firmament of The Pleiades (2009), The Dream of Red Mansions (2010), New My Fair Princess (2011), Legend of Lu Zhen (2013), The Journey of Flower (2015), Legend of Zu Mountain (2015), Noble Aspirations (2016), Princess Agents (2017), Our Glamorous Time (2018), The Story of Minglan (2018), Legend of Fei (2020), The Story of Xing Fu (2022), and Wild Bloom (2022).

Liying also starred in the hit movies, Royal Treasure (2016), The Rise of a Tomboy (2016), and The Monkey King 3 (2018). She married Chinese actor, Feng Shaofeng in 2018 and gave birth to their child in 2019. But in April 2021, they announced divorce.

2. Yang Mi - Just like Yang Zi, Angelababy, Fan Bingbing, and Zhang Ziyi, Yang Mi was named in 2015 as one of China's Four Dan Actresses (actresses with blockbuster television and movie projects). She was born on September 12, 1986, in the Xuanwu district in Beijing.

Yang Mi

Yang Mi debuted in acting as a child actress in 1990 at the age of four via, Tang Ming Huang television drama. 

Her most notable roles in the series include: Strange Tales of Liaozhai (2005), The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006), Chinese Paladin 3 (2009), The Dream of Red Mansions (2010), Palace 1(2011), Beijing Love Story (2012), Swords of Legends (2014), The Interpreter (2016), Eternal Love (2017), Legend of Fuyao (2018), The Negotiator (2018), Novoland: Pearl Eclipse (2021), Storm Eye (2021), Thank You Doctor (2022), and She and Her Perfect Husband (2022).

Her most notable films are Mysterious Island (2011), Tiny Times (2013–2015), The Witness (2015), Reset (2017 where she won an international Best Actress award), and Brotherhood of Blades II (2017).

Yang Mi ranked number four in Forbes China 100 Power Celebrity list, number 2 on Japanese ranking's Most Beautiful Chinese Celebrities, number 2 on Star Power Celebrity list, and number 4 in Bal Times. She has more than 100 million followers on Weibo, and more than 900,000 followers on instagram.

Yang Mi is one of the owners of Jaywalk studio/Jiaxing Media Entertainment which handles the career of Dilraba Dilmurat. In January 2014, she married Hongkong actor, Hawick Lau, she gave birth to their daughter in June 2014, but in December 2018, they announced divorce.

1. Dilraba Dilmurat - China's most beautiful actress, and also China's number one Star Power Celebrity Actress is Dilraba Dilmurat. She is included in all ranking and survey lists, may it be star power quality or most beautiful, in the local and international scenes.

Credit: Dilraba Dilmurat weibo

She ranked 11th in Forbes China 100 Power Celebrity list in 2021 and 2022, ranked 1st on the Star Power Celebrity list and Bal Times, 6th on the Japanese ranking of China's most beautiful actresses, and 78th in TC Candler's World's Most Beautiful Faces of 2022. She was TC Candler's 58th Most Beautiful Face in 2021.

In the World Ranking of TC Candler's 100 Most Beautiful Faces, only Dilraba and her fellow Uyghur actress, Gulnazar, made it to the list among popular Chinese drama actresses.

Dilraba Dilmurat

She was born on June 3, 1992, in Urumqi, Xinjiang province. She is of Uyghur descent. Uyghurs are of Central Asian features and they spoke a Turkic language. Just like Gulnazar, Dilraba studied dance at Xinjiang Arts Institute. She became a member of the Xinjiang Song and Dance Troupe.

Dilraba obtained a degree in Theater drama from Shanghai Theater Academy in 2014. She made an acting debut in the 2013 historical drama, Anarhan. In 2014, she signed with Yang Mi's Jaywalk Studio where she remained their contract artist until now.

She then played supporting roles in the television series, Swords of Legends (2014), V Love (2014), Cosmetology High (2014), The Sound of Desert (2014), Diamond Lover (2015), Legend of Ban Shu (2015), The Ladder of Love (2016), and Eternal Love (2017).

Dilraba's first leading role was in Backlight of Love (2015), followed by Hot Girl (2016), and Pretty Li Huizhen (2017). Since then, she did not look back and went on to portray a leading role in The King's Woman (2017), The Flame's Daughter (2018), Sweet Dreams (2018), Eternal Love of Dream (2020), Love Designer (2020), The Long Ballad (2021), You Are My Glory (2021), and The Blue Whisper (2022). She has two finished dramas that are still waiting for an airing schedule: Prosecution Elite and Legend of Anle.

Dilraba Dilmurat. Credit: Dilraba weibo

Dilraba also won several critic awards, not just popularity awards, for her portrayals in drama series and films. In 2018, she won the Best Actress award for her role in Pretty Li Huizhen at the 29th China TV Golden Eagle Award, the same year she was awarded as China TV Golden Eagle Goddess. 

In 2020, she won the Best Rising Star award at Busan International Film for her role in Eternal Love of Dream, and in 2021, she was awarded the Outstanding Actress at the Golden Angel Award by the China American Film and TV Festival for her role in The Long Ballad.

Dilraba has more than 70 million followers on Weibo. Although she has an instant account, she is not active there.

TC Candler 2023

TC Candler's nominations for the world's Most Beautiful Faces for 2023 is now open. 

Nominate your favorite celebrities for TC Candler's 100 Most Beautiful Faces in 2023, and cast your vote to be heard. Visit the nomination page in Patreon and TC Canlder's instagram account.