Song Zu'er (; born May 23, 1998), born Sun Fanqing (), also known as Lareina Song, is a Chinese actress and singer. She made her debut as a child actress in the television series ''The Sea and Sky Boundless'' (2005). She gained attention with reality show ''
Divas Hit the Road'' (Season 3) in 2017, followed by TV dramas such as ''
Novoland: Eagle Flag'' (2019), ''Guardians of the Ancient Oath'' (2020), ''
The Bond
''The Bond'' is a two-reel propaganda film created by Charlie Chaplin at his own expense for the Liberty Loan Committee for theatrical release to help sell U.S. Liberty Bonds during World War I.
Made in 1918 with Edna Purviance, Albert A ...
'' (2021), ''To Fly with You'' (2021), ''Cupid's Kitchen'' (2022), and ''Legally Romance'' (2022).
Early life
Song was born in
Tianjin
Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
, China. After completing the first grade of elementary school in Tianjin, she moved to Beijing with her mother to continue her education. At elementary school, Song began her acting career as a child actor with a supporting role in TV drama ''The Sea and Sky Boundless'' (2005). She appeared in a song and dance show in the 2007
CCTV New Year's Gala
The ''CMG New Year's Gala'', formerly known as the ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'' (), is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). I ...
and gained recognition for playing
Nezha
Nezha (, Nézhā) or sometimes Nezha the Crown Prince (, ), is a protection deity in Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion. His official Taoism, Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar" (). He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prin ...
in television series ''
Prelude of Lotus Lantern'' (2009).
Song graduated from junior high school in Beijing in 2013. Due to issues with academic registration, which prevented her from taking regular entrance exams in Beijing and Tianjin, along with her struggle in mathematics, she withdrew from Tianjin No. 45 High School in 2014 and transferred to a church school near Chicago in the United States. After completing high school, she returned to China to pursue a career in acting.
Career
In 2016, Song returned to acting in the comedy film ''
Papa
Papa is a word used in many languages as an affectionate term for father.
Papa or PAPA may refer to:
Geography and geology
* Papa, Samoa, a village on the island of Savai'i
* Papa, Scotland, various islands
* Pápa, a town in Hungary
*Papa rock ...
'', where she acted opposite
Xia Yu. Her appearance in the reality show ''Divas Hit the Road'' (Season 3) in 2017 gained her significant attention, leading to roles in a series of TV dramas, films, and variety shows. She was admitted to 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 ...
in 2018. The same year she played lead roles in the fantasy historical drama ''The Dark Lord'', as well as the comedy web series ''Gossip High''.
In 2019, Song starred in the fantasy epic drama ''
Novoland: Eagle Flag''.
The same year, she was cast in the romance comedy drama ''Cupid's Kitchen''.
''Forbes China'' listed Song under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list, which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields.
Song appeared in the 2020
CCTV New Year's Gala
The ''CMG New Year's Gala'', formerly known as the ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'' (), is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). I ...
, acting in a comedy sketch. She then starred in TV dramas, such as ''Guardians of the Ancient Oath'' (2020), ''
The Bond
''The Bond'' is a two-reel propaganda film created by Charlie Chaplin at his own expense for the Liberty Loan Committee for theatrical release to help sell U.S. Liberty Bonds during World War I.
Made in 1918 with Edna Purviance, Albert A ...
'' (2021), ''To Fly with You'' (2021), ''Cupid's Kitchen'' (2022), and ''Legally Romance'' (2022), until her career was derailed by an alleged tax evasion in 2023. In August 2024, Song's studio stated that she had been cleared by the tax authorities following an investigation.
On April 3, 2025, the film ''
One and Only'' (2023), in which Song appeared, was re-released in China with her scenes intact. On April 12, her comeback drama ''The Demon Hunter's Romance'' premiered on iQiyi.
Controversy
Poster plagiarism
In March 2021, Song's team posted on Weibo a collage of photos of her holding a bouquet of lilies against a background that looks like the bottom page of a magazine with a corner ripped out to reveal a price sticker. The poster, however, was pointed out to have plagiarized from South Korean idol
Baekhyun
Byun Baek-hyun (; born May 6, 1992), known mononymously as Baekhyun, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo, its subgroup Exo-K and its subunit Exo-CBX. In 2019, Baekhyun became a leader of ...
's 2019 EP ''
City Lights
''City Lights'' is a 1931 American synchronized sound film, sound romance film, romantic comedy drama, comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a ...
''. Song's photographer issued an apology, acknowledging the plagiarism, after which Song's team issued a follow-up apology and removed the plagiarized poster.
Tax evasion allegations
On August 31, 2023, Song was reportedly accused by a former employee at her office of evading up to 45 million yuan in taxes (6.5 million US dollars). The same day the
State Administration of Taxation
The State Taxation Administration (STA; Chinese: 国家税务总局) is a ministerial-level department within the government of the People's Republic of China. It is under the direction of the State Council, and is responsible for the collecti ...
stated that tax investigation will be carried out, and details will be shared on its official website. Following the allegation, China's major TV stations removed Song's mention in their social media.
On August 27, 2024, Song's office issued a statement via Weibo, clarifying that, following an investigation by the tax authorities, Song was found to have committed no tax evasion and has not been subject to any administrative penalties for tax-related matters.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Television shows
Discography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Zu'er
1998 births
Living people
Beijing Film Academy alumni
Actresses from Tianjin
Chinese film actresses
Chinese television actresses
21st-century Chinese actresses
Chinese child actresses
Chinese female models