Du Juan (; born September 15, 1982, in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

) is a Chinese actress,

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

, and former

ballet dancer A ballet dancer is a person who practices the Art (skill), art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. B ...

. She was the first East Asian model to be on the cover of ''

Vogue Paris ''Vogue France'' (stylised in all caps) is the French edition of '' Vogue'' magazine, formerly called ''Vogue Paris'' from its inception until 2021. The magazine started publication in 1920 and has since been regarded as one of the top fashion ...

'' and has appeared on the cover of ''

Vogue China ''Vogue China'' ( zh, ') is the Chinese edition of '' Vogue'' magazine. The magazine carries a mixture of local and foreign content. The magazine is published by Condé Nast in partnership with the state-owned China Pictorial Publishing House. T ...

'' a record 18 times, more than any other model or celebrity.

Biography

Early life

The only child of

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

parents, Du had originally pursued a career in

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...

, training at the prestigious

Shanghai Theatre Academy Shanghai Theatre Academy () is a municipal public college for dramatic art education in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. History On December 1, 1945, the Shanghai Municipal Experimental Drama ...

for nine years. She eventually grew too tall to find a suitable dance partner, being over six feet while

en pointe Because ballet became formalized in France, a significant part of ballet terminology is in the French language. A À la seconde () (Literally "to second") If a step is done "à la seconde", it is done to the side. 'Second position'. It can also ...

. Her name literally refers to the

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...

flower.

Modelling career

A former ''

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Supermodel of the World'' runner-up, Du made her runway debut in spring 2006, walking for prominent designers such as

Valentino Valentino may refer to People * Valentino (surname), including a list of people with the name * Valentino (given name), including a list of people with the name Mononymous persons * Valentino (fashion designer) (born Valentino Clemente Ludovic ...

(opening and closing his bridal show),

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...

Roberto Cavalli Roberto Cavalli (; 15 November 1940 – 12 April 2024) was an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He was known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans. The Roberto Cavalli fashion house sells luxury clothing, perf ...

and

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

. In 2005

Mario Testino Mario Eduardo Testino Silva Order of the British Empire, OBE Royal Photographic Society#Distinctions and qualifications, HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer. His work has featured internationally in ...

photographed her for the cover of ''

'', along with Australian model

Gemma Ward Gemma Louise Ward (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian model and actress. Born in Perth, Western Australia, Ward was first scouted at the age of 14, and made her Australian Fashion Week debut aged 15. She later became one of the youngest mo ...

, becoming the first ever Asian cover-model. This led to a flurry of ad campaigns for

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

, Gap,

Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...

United Colors of Benetton Benetton Group S.r.l. () is a global fashion brand based in Ponzano Veneto, Italy, founded in 1965. Benetton Group has a network of about 5,000 stores worldwide. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Benetton family's holding company Ediz ...

, and Yves St. Laurent. With multiple bookings being a rare accomplishment, particularly for a new face,

Style.com Style.com was best known as a website owned by international media company Condé Nast. Under Condé Nast, starting in 2000, Style.com was the online site for fashion magazines '' Vogue'' and ''W''. It featured online versions of some of the maga ...

the online home of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' and '' W'' magazine, declared her one of the top ten models to watch for the fall 2006 season. She was featured on the cover of the premier issue of ''

'', once again alongside Gemma Ward, and has since become a fixture in its pages, appearing in almost one editorial per issue since its launch in 2005. Du appeared on the cover of the 2006 ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' style and design issue alongside fellow model

Coco Rocha Mikhaila "Coco" Rocha (born September 10, 1988) is a Canadian model. She is known as one of the first "digital" supermodels, and is known for her advocacy for younger models. As an author, she collaborated on the 2014 book ''Study of Pose''. Roc ...

, and was one of the models featured in the 2008

Pirelli Calendar The Pirelli Calendar, known and trade-marked as "The Cal", is an annual trade calendar which has been published by the UK subsidiary of the Italian tyre manufacturing company Pirelli since 1964. The calendar has a reputation for its choice of p ...

, shot in her native Shanghai. Du peaked at number 14 on model ranking site Models.com and in recent seasons has been featured in advertisement campaigns for

Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...

, Esprit,

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1955) is an American fashion designer. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, Perfume, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, Fashion accessory, accessories and home goods. Sui was named one ...

Uniqlo ( ; ) is a Japanese casual wear designer and retailer. The company is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Clare Waight Keller is the creative director. History Men's Shop OS was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi. It was rebrand ...

David Yurman David Yurman is a privately held American jewelry company, founded by David Yurman (born October 12, 1942 in New York City) and Sybil Kleinrock Yurman (born December 10, 1942 in New York City). It is headquartered in New York City. History ...

and ''Yue Sai'', a Chinese expansion of

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French multinational personal care corporation registered in Paris

. Du has appeared in editorials for '' Allure'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'', ''

Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...

'', '' V'', ''

i-D ''i-D'' is a British biannual magazine dedicated to fashion, music, art, film and youth culture. The magazine was launched in 1980 by Terry Jones, originally as a hand-stapled fanzine it has since evolved into a glossy publication. In 2023 the ...

'' and the Italian, American, Chinese, French, Taiwanese, Korean, and British editions of ''

''. Du has also modelled for the cover of the Chinese, Hong Kong and Singaporean editions of ''

'', Chinese and Singaporean ''

'' and Chinese ''

Numéro ''Numéro'' is an international fashion magazine published by Paul-Emmanuel Reiffers. It has a circulation of 80,000, and the French edition reached its 100th issue in February 2009. The magazine covers international fashion, beauty, design, he ...

''. She appeared in a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for

Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...

singer

Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. One of the most influential artists in the Greater China region, Cheung is widely regarded as a Heavenly King of Cantopop music and an icon of Hong Kong popular culture. He ...

's "Double Trouble" as Cheung's love interest in 2010.

Acting career

Du Juan made her acting debut in the ''

American Dreams in China ''American Dreams in China'' () is a 2013 Chinese comedy drama film co-produced and directed by Peter Chan and starring Huang Xiaoming, Deng Chao, and Tong Dawei. It was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It is based on the s ...

'', a highly-grossing film directed by

Peter Chan Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962), also known as Peter Chan, is a Hong Kong-born filmmaker best known for directing films that span a wide range of genres, including romantic comedies, musical dramas, and historical epics. He is r ...

in which she played Su Mei, the only female role in the movie. The movie earned her the nominations in

33rd Hong Kong Film Awards The 33rd Hong Kong Awards ceremony, honored the best films of 2013 and took place on 13 April 2014 at Hong Kong Cultural Center, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The ceremony was hosted by Teresa Mo, Gordon Lam and Ronald Cheng Ronald Cheng Chung-kei (born ...

for Best Supporting Actress and

Best New Performer Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

Personal life

Her favorite fashion designer is

Alber Elbaz Alber Elbaz (; 12 June 1961 – 24 April 2021) was an Israeli fashion designer. He was the creative director of Lanvin in Paris from 2001 until 2015, after having done stints at a number of other fashion houses, including Geoffrey Beene, Guy La ...

Lanvin Lanvin () is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin in Paris. It is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group. Lanvin Group includes Lanvin, S ...

. Her given name, Juan (鵑) means "

cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

" in Chinese. However, together with her surname, her full name could mean either "cuckoo" or "

". In 2009, Du released a two-piece cosmetic line inspired by a shoot with photographer Camilla Akrans which included 24- carat

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

body sparkle. In the same year, Chinese

model agency A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency. The top agencies work with b ...

New Silk Road sued Du Juan for

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

659,000 for an alleged breach of contract."Cacharel Returns to the Runway"
''New York'', July 2009.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Du Juan Photos
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du, Juan 1982 births Living people Actresses from Shanghai Chinese ballerinas 21st-century Chinese ballet dancers Chinese female models Chinese film actresses Shanghai Theatre Academy alumni