Zhang Xinyu (, born 28 March 1987), also known as Viann Zhang, is a Chinese actress, singer and model.

Biography

Early life

Zhang was born and raised in

Kunshan Kunshan is a county-level city in southeastern Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu province with Shanghai bordering its eastern border and Suzhou on its western boundary. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Suzhou. Name Th ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

. She graduated from Wuxi institute of Commerce.

Acting career

Zhang began her career by acting in the historical drama ''Banner Hero''. In 2009, she became the spokeswoman for a national contest of football babes for the 2010 World Cup, and rose to fame in China. In 2010, Zhang made her film debut in the romance film ''

If You Are the One 2 ''If You Are the One 2'' () is a 2010 Chinese romantic comedy film directed by Feng Xiaogang. It stars Ge You, Shu Qi, Sun Honglei, and Yao Chen. The film is the second installment in the ''If You are the One'' film series and the sequel to '' ...

''. Some of her notable film roles are in wuxia film ''Flying Swords of Dragon Gate'', and comedy film ''I Love Hong Kong 2012''. In 2013, Zhang starred in historical drama '' The Patriot Yue Fei'' as Liang Hongyu, a Chinese general of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

. That same year, she starred in the

wuxia ( , literally "martial arts and chivalry") is a genre of Chinese literature, Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity ha ...

television series '' The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'', based on the novel by the same name by

Jin Yong Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), was a Hong Kong wuxia novelist and co-founder of '' Ming Pao.'' Cha authored 15 novels between 1955 and 1972 and became one of the most pop ...

. In 2014, Zhang played dual roles as

Daji Daji ( zh, c=妲己, p=Dájǐ, w=Ta2-chi3) was the favourite consort of King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang dynasty in ancient China. In legends and fictions, she is portrayed as a malevolent fox spirit who kills and impersonates the ...

and Hu Xian'er in the television series ''

The Investiture of the Gods ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Co ...

'', adapted from Xu Zhonglin's classical novel ''

Fengshen Yanyi ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Co ...

''. Following which, she was nominated at the

Huading Awards The Huading Awards are a set of entertainment awards in China. The awards were set up by Global Talents Media Group, Inc in 2007 and are held more than once each year across multiple entertainment media from Chinese television shows to internatio ...

. She gained increased attention for her role as

Li Mochou Li Mochou ( zh, t=李莫愁, s=李莫愁, p=Lǐ Mòchóu) is a fictional character from the Chinese ''wuxia'' novel ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'' (''Shen Diao Xia Lü'') by Jinyong. She is Xiaolongnü's senior. She was more powerful in mar ...

in ''

The Romance of the Condor Heroes ''The Romance of the Condor Heroes'' is a 2014–15 Chinese television series produced by Yu Zheng and adapted from Jin Yong's novel ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', with additional material from the preceding novel, '' The Legend of the Cond ...

'', based on the novel ''

The Return of the Condor Heroes ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', also called ''The Giant Eagle and Its Companion'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the second part of the '' Condor Trilogy'' and was preceded by '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and foll ...

'' by Jin Yong. Also in 2014, she had roles in the historical drama '' The Empress of China'', playing Consort Xiao; and ''

The Deer and the Cauldron ''The Deer and the Cauldron'', also known as ''The Duke of Mount Deer'', is a historical novel by Jin Yong. It is his last and longest novel, originally serialized in the Hong Kong newspaper ''Ming Pao'' from 24 October 1969 to 23 September 1972 ...

, playing Su Quan. In 2015, Zhang starred in the action comedy romance film ''Magic Card''. She attended the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

for the premiere of the film, and received attention for her red carpet fashion. In 2016, Zhang starred alongside Zhu Yilong in ''Border Town Prodigal'', adapted from the classic novel of the same name by Gu Long. In 2017, Zhang played the female lead in historical drama ''

Song of Phoenix ''Song of Phoenix'' () is a 2017 Chinese television series adapted from Liang Zhenhua's namesake novel, focusing on the legendary life of great Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States Period (475-221BC). It stars Ma Ke as the titular protag ...

'', which focuses on the legendary life of great Chinese poet Qu Yuan from the Warring States period. The same year, she played the leading role in wuxia drama ''As Flowers Fade and Fly Across the Sky''. In 2018, Zhang had a supporting role in the historical romance drama ''

Untouchable Lovers ''Untouchable Lovers'' () is a 2018 Chinese television series based on the novel ''Feng Qiu Huang (A Tale of Two Phoenixes)'' by Tianyi Youfeng (天衣有风). The series is produced by Yu Zheng and stars Guan Xiaotong and Song Weilong. It aire ...

'', where she played a male role for the first time.

Personal life

Zhang Xinyu married He Jie () on August 27, 2018 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 ...

. They first met while appearing in a Chinese drama ''Dog Partner'' (). He Jie is an armed police commander in special operations and held the rank of captain.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Xinyu 1987 births Actresses from Suzhou Actresses from Jiangsu Living people Chinese film actresses Chinese television actresses Chinese female models 21st-century Chinese actresses People from Kunshan