Benny Sa, also known as Sa Beining (; born 23 March 1976) is a Chinese television host known for his work for

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is the State media, national television broadcaster of China, established in 1958. CCTV is operated by the National Radio and Television Administration which reports directly to the Publicity Department of th ...

(CCTV). He served as the one-time anchor of the documentary program ''Legal Report'' ().

Biography

Early experience

Sa Beining was born in a military family in

Zhanjiang Zhanjiang; Leizhou Min: ''Tchiàm-kōng''; previously Tsamkong or Guangzhouwan, then romanized in English as Kwangchowan or Kwangchow Wan. is a port city on the southwestern panhandle of Guangdong province in South China. The prefecture- ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

in March 1976, the son of Dèng Yǎjuān (), a graduate of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, and Sǎ Shìguì (), a Chinese actor in Wuhan Drama Theatre, he has a younger sister: Sǎ Bèinà (). He started to perform on stage at the age of four, by age eleven, he hosted a house-party with his sister at home.

Education experience

During high school Sa expressed his desire to attend the

Beijing Film Academy Beijing Film Academy (BFA; zh, first=s, s=北京电影学院, labels=no) is a municipal public college in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the City of Beijing and co-funded by the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the National Radio ...

Central Academy of Drama The Central Academy of Drama () is a national public drama school in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education. The academy is part of the Double First-Class Construction. Information The sch ...

. In the winter holiday before the

National College Entrance Examination The Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges (), commonly abbreviated as the Gaokao (), is the annual nationally coordinated undergraduate admission exam in mainland China, held in early June. Despite the ...

, he was allowed to join in the winter camp held by

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

for his abilities in literature and art. Shortly after that he participated in the centralized exam held by Peking University for students who showed an exceptional performance in the exam, resulting in him gaining his letter of admission from Peking University. Because of this Sa served as a teaching assistant to share his experiences with other students before graduation.

Professional experience

Sa was selected to host the TV program ''Legal Report'' due to the recommendations of his instructors at the

Peking University Law School Peking University Law School () is a law school of Peking University, a Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. Founded in 1904 as the law department of Peking University, it is the oldest law school in China. From 2015 t ...

, as a result of his many extra-curriculum experiences and high score. The producers initially wanted a lawyer to host the show but chose to go in a different direction as a lawyer might be too busy to host the program and could lack the qualifications necessary for a host. Sa was aware that his hosting skills were weak, particularly during the early recording stage. He was worried that he would be eliminated due to poor performance and kept trying to determine how others viewed him. Sa practiced his hosting skills every day and was eventually selected as the official host of the program. In the second year after entering the

, he won the championship in the National TV Host Contest.

Personal life

Sa was in a relationship with Tú Jīngwěi () in 2006. They split in 2009. Then Sa reportedly had a whirlwind romance with Cén Lílán (). Sa was involved in a relationship with actress

Zhang Ziyi Zhang Ziyi (; ; born 9 February 1979), sometimes credited Ziyi Zhang, is a Chinese actress, known for playing independent and strong-willed characters. Born and raised in Beijing, Zhang was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama in 1996. Th ...

beginning in September 2011; they split in 2013. In 2015, Sa was seen dating Canadian singer Lisa Marie Hoffman (known by her Chinese name 李白, Lǐ Bái). They married on 28 March 2016.

Hosting experience

Award records

* 2000 The first prize of the China TV Legal System Host Competition * 2000 China TV List Newcomer of the Year Award * 2001 The Most Promising Host Award of the First National College Student TV Festival * 2001 CCTV Top Ten Hosts Online Awards * 2001 "Rongshida" TV host contest gold medal * 2004 CCTV Annual Grade B Moderator * 2005 The 5th Golden Eagle Festival Best National Host * 2005 CCTV Annual Grade B Moderator * 2006 The "Golden Microphone Award" TV broadcast host program award * 2006 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator * 2007 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator * 2008 CCTV Annual Grade B Moderator * 2009 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator * 2010 China University Students TV Festival's most popular male host * 2011 Shanghai TV Festival "Top Ten New Chinese Language Style Hosting" * 2012 CCTV Annual Grade A Moderator * 2013 The "Golden Microphone Award" from the 2012 China Broadcasting Host * 2016 Top Ten Excellent Announcer and Host Award of CCTV

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sa, Beining 1976 births People from Zhanjiang Peking University alumni Living people CCTV television presenters Hui people