Xu Kai (, born 5 March 1995), also known by his nickname "Soso", is a Chinese actor and model. He is known for his roles in television series ''

Story of Yanxi Palace ''Story of Yanxi Palace'' () is a 2018 Chinese television series recounting the struggles of a palace maid in the court of the Qianlong Emperor. It was created by Yu Zheng, with original screenplay written by Zhou Mo, and later developed into a ...

'', '' The Legends'', '' Arsenal Military Academy: AMA'', '' Falling Into Your Smile'', '' Royal Feast'', ''She and Her Perfect Husband'', ''Best Choice Ever'', and ''As Beautiful As You''. He was listed in ''Forbes'' China's "Top Elites Under 30" list in 2019.

Early life

Xu Kai was born on 5 March 1995 in

Shenzhen, Guangdong Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

, China. He studied finance at

South China Agricultural University South China Agricultural University (SCAU; ) is a Types of universities and colleges in China, provincial public agricultural university in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It is affiliated with the Province of Guangdong. It is part of the Double Fir ...

. Later, he voluntarily quit his education during freshman year to work as a model, citing family reasons. He has an elder brother. He bought a house in

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

for his family when he was around 20 years old. His hobbies include playing basketball, skating, and bike riding. He began acting in the year 2016 as he had signed a deal with Huanyu film entertainment production firm.

Career

Beginning

In 2013, Kai started his career as a model by winning the 1st place in the print ads/ graphic category at "China's International Model Contest" held in

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

. Later, he noticed limitations within the industry, hence explored for more opportunities. In 2016, he entered the entertainment industry after signing a contract with Huanyu Film, a company owned by Yu Zheng He was cast in the series ''

Zhaoge Zhaoge (), in modern Qi County, Hebi, Henan province, was the capital of the State of Wey in the Zhou dynasty. According to traditional histories, it had been the last capital of the Shang dynasty, from king Geng Ding or Wu Yi through the final ...

'', where he played "Yang Jian".

2018–present: Rising popularity

In 2018, Xu Kai starred 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 ...

.'' Later, he starred in a palace drama ''

'', where he gained mainstream recognition for his role of "Fucha Fuheng". The drama was enormously popular in China and international markets. The series trended at No. 1 and was most searched drama globally. In 2019, Kai made his big-screen debut in the romance film ''Autumn Fairy Tale''. He played his first lead role as "Li Chenlan" in historical drama '' The Legends''. his role as a loyal and reticent demon prince in the series received positive responses and a surge in his popularity. He starred in the youth based military drama '' Arsenal Military Academy'' as "Gu Yenzhen". His portrayal of rich playboy earned him the "Best Actor Award" at the "Hengdian Film" and at "TV Festival of China and Singapore’s "StarHub Night of Stars". Later in the same year, he starred in the series ''Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain'', based on the manhua '' Congqian Youzuo Lingjianshan''. In 2020, Kai starred in the historical fantasy drama '' Dance of the Sky Empire''. In 2021, Kai starred in the Chinese e-sports romance comedy series '' Falling Into Your Smile'' as "Lu Sicheng", which was popular in the international market. He also starred in the Chinese Xianxia fantasy romance series ''Ancient Love Poetry'' as "Bai Jue". In 2022, Kai played lead role of "Zhu Zhanji" in the historical fiction drama '' Royal Feast'', which gained more than 400M in the viewership. He played "Ding Yunqi", in a treasure hunter series ''Lost in the Kunlun Mountains.'' Later, he played an innocent soft-spoken "Yang Hua", in a modern drama ''She and Her Perfect Husband.'' All the series received decent response. In February 2023, Xu Kai began filming for his upcoming modern drama titled ''As Beautiful As You''. The drama is based on the Chinese novel "''As Beautiful as Beijing''" by author "Jiu Yue Xi".

Endorsements

From 2018 onwards, Xu Kai has collaborated with various luxurious international brands such as

Givenchy Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert d ...

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched Tom Ford (brand), his eponymous brand in 2005, having previously been the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves Sai ...

, Tiffany & Co.,

Roger Dubuis Roger Dubuis is a Swiss watch manufacturer of luxury watches based in Geneva, Switzerland. The company was founded by Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias in 1995. In 2008, the company was acquired by the Richemont group. The Roger Dubuis watches inc ...

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

Bvlgari Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. Headquartered in Rome, the company was acquired by the French conglomerate ...

and Brunello Cucinelli. Since 2018, Kai has collaborated with the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

luxury house

Fendi Fendi Srl () is an Culture of Italy, Italian luxury goods, luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925 by fashion designers Edoardo Fendi and ...

. In August 2021, the brand officially announced Xu Kai as its

brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person paid by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the ...

. He also appears in the brand's campaign for Qixi, one of China's local iterations of Valentine's Day, which falls in August. In October 2021, C. & J. Clark International Ltd, a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

international shoe manufacturer, announced Xu Kai as the brand's first spokesperson for Greater China. Later in the same year, the global fashion lifestyle brand

Samsonite Samsonite International S.A. is an American Baggage, luggage manufacturer and retailer, with products ranging from large suitcases to small toiletries bags and briefcases. The company was founded in 1910 in Denver, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, U ...

, announced Kai as its brand ambassador in China. In May 2022, Kai was cover star for '' Grazia China Magazine''. In December 2022, Kai takes the cover story of ''Harper's Bazaar'' China. He also stars in the cover story of ''Elle'' Men Fresh China Fall 2020 Issue. On April 26, 2023, Xu Kai as

for

attended Avrora Awards Ceremony in

Beijing, China Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Public image

Xu Kai was listed in ''Forbes'' China "Top Influential People under 30 years old", for his substantial impact in the entertainment fields. By February 2023, he had more than 20.4M followers on

Weibo Weibo (), or Sina Weibo (), is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily ac ...

. He ranked 2nd in "Most Handsome Chinese Idol 2021". He is ranked 2nd in "Best Chinese Actor", "Popular Actor" as per media index and "Most Handsome Chinese Actor 2023". He is "Top 5: Most Famous, Under 30 Chinese Actor" in terms of popularity.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Soundtrack appearances

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Xu, Kai 1995 births Living people Male actors from Shenzhen Models from Shenzhen

Xu Kai Xu Kai (, born 5 March 1995), also known by his nickname "Soso", is a Chinese actor and model. He is known for his roles in television series ''Story of Yanxi Palace'', ''The Legends (TV series), The Legends'', ''Arsenal Military Academy, Arsenal ...