# Ayanga

Ayanga (born 23 October 1989) is a Chinese theatre actor, singer, and songwriter of Mongolian ethnic background from Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China.

## Early life

Ayanga was born in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China. His parents were sheep herders and died before he turned seven. He was raised by his older brother who was 20 years older. He received education in Mongolian and spoke little Mandarin when he was young. He was sent to the Ikezhao League Art School around age 12. He was accepted into the Inner Mongolian PLA Song and Dance Troupe at the age of 14.
He did not remain complacent with his career path, so he travelled to Beijing to pursue his dream in art and performance at the age of 17. He was admitted into the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy and majored in musical theatre. In his senior year, his older brother passed away. After graduating from college, he joined the Beijing Opera and Dance Theater and became a musical theatre actor and a singer. In 2021, Ayanga was honored as a Distinguished Teacher by his alma mater Beijing Dance Academy.

## Career

In 2012, Ayanga starred in an original musical entitled Kunlun Myth, which was based on the theme of intangible cultural heritage Kunlun mythology, playing Sauran and Pangu. The same year, he also starred in the original musical Tianqiao, directed by Tian Qinxin, playing Lin Pengfei. Recommended by Tian Qinxin, Ayanga joined the Beijing Song and Dance Theater as a solo actor after graduating from the Beijing Dance Academy.
In 2013, Ayanga participated in the Chinese musical Nasirdin Afandi. The same year, he participated in The Third Inner Mongolia Young Singer TV Competition and won the first prize for mainstream singing. In 2014, he won the third prize of the "Wenhua Award" popular group in the national vocal competition. In 2014, Ayanga participated in the Anhui TV's reality show Mr. Super which he won the championship; and the CCTV-3 music reality show Rising Star China which he emerged as runner-up.
In June 2015, Ayanga released his first solo single, "Thank You". On 31 December of the same year, Ayanga held a concert with the title "The Return of The Thunder God" in Ordos City, which was his first solo concert since his debut. He also participated in the musical The Legend and the dance drama History in the Song.
In February 2016, Ayanga participated in the CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time, along with Jiang Xin, Wu Yingwei and others. The same year, he co-starred in the web drama Weapon & Soul. In December, he held a concert with Zhaxi Dunzhu titled "Two Heroes Battle" which was broadcast on CCTV. He also released his first solo album Shartal Grassland.
In 2017, Ayanga starred in the Chinese musical A Moment of Remembrance; as well as the musical My Bucket List. His second solo concert Sing Your Heart Out was broadcast on CCTV-15. The same year, he also participated in several important occasions, including the closing ceremony of the 13th National Games; the closing ceremony of the 26th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival and the Sino-Russian Artists Gala.
In February 2018, Ayanga's third concert, Peak Musical Concert, was broadcast on CCTV-15. The same year he played Namuhai in the television series The Story of My Parents' Youth directed by Kang Honglei. Ayanga then participated in Hunan Television's music reality show Super–Vocal and emerged as one of the six final winners. Together with Zheng Yunlong, Frank Ju and Cai Chengyu (collectively known as the Super-Vocal Boys group), he participated in Hunan Television's singing contest show Singer 2019 and emerged as the 2nd runner up of the season.
On 4 February 2019, he participated in the CCTV New Year's Gala and sang the song "Building a Chinese Dream Together". The same year, he starred in the play The Merchant of Venice playing Antonio. Forbes China listed Ayanga 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. From 2019 to 2020, he joined Dragon TV's singing variety program Our Song.
In 2020, Ayanga appeared in CCTV New Year's Gala, performing the song "Dear China" alongside Jiang Dawei and several other veteran artists. On 23 July, Ayanga released his first musical album titled The Art. On 13 November, he announced that he will play the lead role, Yao Yuan, in the original musical On the Road, which tells the story of China's vast number of delivery men, the backbone of the express mail industry.
In February 2021, Ayanga participated in the CCTV New Year's Gala and sang the song "瑞雪平安图" together with Cecilia Han, Tia Ray and Karry Wang. He then performed the song "Centennial" with Liao Changyong and Cai Chengyu in the CCTV Lantern Festival Gala. The same year, he also participated in several important occasions, including the CCTV National Day Gala and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics 100 days countdown. In November, he announced that he will star as Romeo in the Chinese version of the French musical Romeo and Juliet.
On 26 January 2022, Ayanga was appointed the head of the first state-owned musical theatre troupe in China. In February, he participated in the CCTV New Year's Gala and performed the item "Memories of Southern China" together with Aska Yang and various artists. He then joined the musical variety program The City of Musicals as one of the mentors. In July, he joined the variety E-Pop of China. He starred in In Search of Lost Time as one of the main leads and also participated in the Bilibili produced voice actor show Voice Monsters as the stage director. In November, he announced his second EP Four Dreams in Linchuan which makes reference to a collection of four major dramas by the famed Ming-dynasty dramatist Tang Xianzu. He produced and starred in the Chinese version of the musical The Count of Monte Cristo, which commenced in December. On 30 December, he announced he will act as the Phantom in the Chinese version of the musical The Phantom of the Opera which will begin touring mid 2023.

## Theatre

| Year | Production | Role(s) | Location |
| 2011 | Rent | Angel | Beijing |
| 2012 | Kunlun Myth 昆仑神话 | Sorlang, Pangu | Beijing |
| 2012 | Platform Bridge 天桥 | Lin Pengfei | Beijing |
| 2013–2014 | Nasirdin Afandi 纳斯尔丁 阿凡提 | Prince | Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Xiamen, Beijing |
| 2017 | A Moment of Remembrance 阿尔兹记忆的愛情 | Wu Zhizhe | Beijing |
| 2017–2018 | My Bucket List 我的遗愿清单 | Yang Xiaoyu | Beijing, Shanghai |
| 2019 | The Merchant of Venice | Antonio | Shanghai |
| 2020–2021 | On The Road 在远方 | Yao Yuan | Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changsha |
| 2021–2022 | Romeo & Juliette | Romeo | Shanghai, Beijing |
| 2022– | The Count of Monte Cristo | The Count of Monte Cristo (Edmond Dantès) | Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou |
| 2023 | The Phantom of the Opera | the Phantom (Erik) | |

## Discography
### Studio albums

* Shartal Grassland 希拉草原 (2016)
| Song Title | Language |
| Shartal Grassland 希拉草原 | Mongolian |
| The Horsemen's Pride 马背豪情 | Chinese |
| Waiting For Your Return 等你归来 | Mongolian |
| Ergun River 额尔古纳河 | Chinese |
| Missing You 思念 | Chinese |
| Mongolian Incense 蒙古香 | Chinese |
| Song of Marrying Off a Daughter 送亲歌 | Mongolian |
| The Hometown of my Life 生命的故乡 | Chinese |
| Gratitude 感谢 | Chinese |
* Immortal·THE ART 不朽的·THE ART (2020)
| No. | Song Title |
| 01. | Immortal 不朽的 |
| 02. | Love island 心岛 |
| 03. | Under the cherry tree 樱桃树下 |
| 04. | Namida 娜米达 |
| 05. | The Alchemist 牧羊少年 |
| 06. | 2021: A Space Odyssey 2021太空漫游 |
| 07. | Let It Go 被雨淋湿的人 |
| 08. | The Metamorphosis 变形记 |
| 09. | A Grand Disillusionment 华丽世界的幻觉 |
| 10. | Waste My Time With You 我等了你五十一年九个月零四天 |
*Disc 2 has been released in October 2020

### EPs

* Ni Guang Er Xing 逆光而行四部曲 (2019)
* Song Title
* Home 家
* Room of Eight and a Half Steps 八步半的房间
* Brave 无畏
* Be Together with the Country 和祖国在一起
* Four Dreams in Linchuan 临川四梦 (2022)
* Song Title
* A Dream 一梦
* As Wish 若愿
* Play in Painting 画中戏
* Nothing 无本

### Singles

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album/Description | Notes |
| 2013 | "Never Say Goodbye" | 没有说再见 | Drama Happy Wife Growing Up OST | |
| 2014 | "Room of Eight and a Half Steps" | 八步半的房间 | | Written by Ayanga. |
| 2015 | "Distant Glimmer" | 远曦 | Short film Father OST | In Mongolian. |
| 2015 | "Summer Like This" | 这样的夏天 | Drama Tea Love OST | |
| 2016 | "Moon of the Border" | 边城月 | Drama Border Town Prodigal OST | |
| 2017 | "Flowers Falling Outside the City" | 落花城外 | Movie Mao Pai Nan Shen Meng Nu Xia OST | |
| 2017 | "A Toast To Red Color Gentleness" | 敬你一杯红色温柔 | Variety Let's Set Off Now Theme Song | |
| 2017 | "Returning Swallow" | 归燕 | Drama A Life Time Love OST | |
| 2017 | "The Current Me and the Past You" | 現在的我曾經的你 | Recorded in the Album Our Home | |
| 2018 | "Forever Birch Forest" | 永远的白桦林 | Hebei Luanping Promotion Song | |
| 2018 | "Light of Love" | 光之心 | Variety Super Vocal Theme Song | With 8 participants of Super Vocal. |
| 2018 | "River of Empress Dowager Xiao" | 萧太后河 | | |
| 2018 | "Reborn" | 重生 | Drama The City of the Family OST | |
| 2019 | "Never Say Goodbye" | 不说再见 | | With Liao Changyong and the participants of Super Vocal. |
| 2019 | "Persistent Dream" | 执着的梦 | Cartoon The Leader OST | |
| 2019 | "The Twins" | 双生 | Drama The Twins OST | |
| 2019 | "May We" | 愿我们 | | |
| 2019 | "Sunshine Love" | 爱的阳光 | Charity Song | |
| 2019 | "What My Heart Desires" | 我心所向 | Beijing Performing Arts Group 10 Years Anniversary Song | |
| 2019 | "Calabash Brothers" | 葫芦娃 | | With Frank Ju, Cai Chengyu and Zheng Yunlong. |
| 2019 | "War Horse" | 秣马 | Drama Novoland: Eagle Flag OST | |
| 2019 | "Our Beijing" | 你我的北京 | | |
| 2019 | "Four years Old Bay Dun Horse" | 四岁的海骝马 | Drama The Story of My Parents' Youth OST | In Mongolian. |
| 2019 | "Separation at Qinghe" | 清河诀 | Drama The Untamed OST | |
| 2019 | "We Are All Nocturnal Wanders" | 都是夜归人 | Movie Midnight Diner OST | With Zheng Yunlong. |
| 2019 | "Above The Clouds" | 步云 | MMORPG game Swords of Legends Online song | |
| 2019 | "Peace and Love" | 和平与爱 | 7th CISM Military World Games Promotion Song | With Cao Fujia. |
| 2019 | "For the Glory" | 巅峰荣耀 | Movie The King's Avatar (2017 web series): For the Glory OST | With Zheng Yunlong. |
| 2019 | "You Like This" | 这样的你 | Variety Take Girls Home Theme Song | |
| 2019 | "Dream Guarder" | 守梦人 | Recorded in the Album Sound of China | With Li Qi. |
| 2019 | "Vast Grasslands" | 野草茫茫 | Drama Ji Dang OST | |
| 2019 | "Winter Without You" | 没有你的冬季 | Movie Somewhere Winter OST | |
| 2019 | "Beautiful Girl" | 娇阿依 | 2019 China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Poverty Alleviation Song | |
| 2019 | "Contemporary Poet" | 当代诗人 | Drama The Best Partner OST | |
| 2020 | "Sail" | 扬起的帆 | | With Wang Xi and Zhang Yingxi. |
| 2020 | "Glory" | 光荣 | Drama The Glorious Era OST | With Liu Yan. |
| 2020 | "Wind Voyager" | 风之旅人 | Drama Ever Night 2 OST | |
| 2020 | "Want To Tell You Something" | 要告诉你一件事情 | Drama New World OST | |
| 2020 | "Heart Warms Heart Equals to the World" | 心暖心等于世界 | Charity song | |
| 2020 | "A Chinese Ghost Story" | 倩女幽魂：人间情 | Movie The Enchanting Phantom OST | |
| 2020 | "Journey of the Mind" | 心路 | Drama Burning OST | |
| 2020 | "Shared Destiny" | 命运与共和 | Charity song | With various artists. |
| 2020 | "Lover's Curse" | 情人咒 | Drama Love and Redemption OST | With Yisa Yu. |
| 2020 | "The Peach Blossom Land" | 桃源 | MOBA game Honor of Kings Liu Bei Character Song | |
| 2020 | "Sunshine in Winter Olympics" | 冬奥阳光 | | |
| 2020 | "The People Above All" | 人民至上 | Drama Heroes in Harm's Way OST | |
| 2020 | "My Motherland" | 我的祖国 | Stage play Battle of Triangle Hill theme song | |
| 2020 | "Take Aim" | 瞄准 | Drama Take Aim OST | |
| 2020 | "Back To Sulan Bridge Today" | 今日重到苏澜桥 | Mobile game Revelation Online song | |
| 2021 | "Centennial" | 百年 | Drama series Faith Makes Great OST | |
| 2021 | "Enter" | 入局 | The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note Animation Concept OST | |
| 2021 | "The Shadow Behind" | 背后的影子 | Drama The Rebel (Chinese TV series) OST | |
| 2021 | "Come from Time" | 从时光中走来 | Drama Glory and Dreams OST | |
| 2021 | "Long Lost Love" | 再别之时 | Mobile game Light and Night song | With game character Jesse. |
| 2021 | "Aim High, Reach Far" | 何处是远方 | Stage musical On the Road OST | Written by Ayanga. |
| 2021 | "Break Formation" | 破阵 | Cartoon Great Journey of Teenagers OST | |
| 2021 | "About You" | 有关你 | Drama The Flaming Heart OST | |
| 2021 | "Konghou Order" | 箜篌令 | Cartoon Stellar Transformation 3 OST | |
| 2021 | "Dawn" | 黎明 | Drama People's Property OST | |
| 2021 | "Yu Jun Tong Chen" | 与君同尘 | Cartoon Demonic Path Ancestral Master Mo Dao Zu Shi OST | |
| 2021 | "Voyage" | 远航 | Drama Questions to Heaven OST | |
| 2021 | "A Big Dream" | 大梦一场 | Drama Gold Panning OST | |
| 2021 | "Firefly" | 萤火 | Cartoon Final Gate Anthem OST | |
| 2022 | "Regression" | | Video game Honkai Impact 3rd OST | |
| 2022 | "Sea and Lighthouse" | 海与灯塔 | Drama Modern Marriage OST | With Zhang Yunhan. |
| 2022 | "The Guardian of the Stars" | 星星的守护神 | World Autism Day Charity Song | With various artists. |
| 2022 | "Reading Thousands of Miles" | 阅行万里 | The National Reading Conference Promotional Song | |
| 2022 | "As Time Goes By" | 似水流年花落去 | Drama The Imperial Age OST | |
| 2022 | "Youth" | 芳华 | Xinhua News | |
| 2022 | "String Song" | 弦歌 | Drama Love Like the Galaxy OST | |
| 2022 | "Commitment" | 承诺 | Documentary Forging Heroes to Revival OST | |
| 2022 | "In Search of Lost Time" | 海的尽头是草原 | Movie In Search of Lost Time OST | |
| 2022 | "I Put Your Name In My Heart" | 我把你的名字念在心上 | Activity by China Youth Daily | Composed by Ayanga. |
| 2022 | "Our Song" | 我们的歌 | | With various artists such as Hu Ge. |
| 2022 | "We Are One" | 我们都一样 | 2022 Asian Para Games Promotional Song | With Cao Fujia. |

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | Father | 父亲 | | Short film |
| 2017 | Blood Maze | 血迷宫之东宫西宫 | Nan Zihao | |
| 2018 | Seventy-seven Kilometre | 七十七公里 | | |
| 2022 | In Search of Lost Time (film) | 海的尽头是草原 | Ider | |

### Television series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Weapon & Soul | 器灵 | Lin Chenyu | |
| 2019 | Arg Director 2 | 生活对我下手了2 | Himself | Cameo |
| 2020 | The Story of My Parents' Youth | 父亲的草原母亲的河 | Nauhai | |

### Variety Shows and Documentary

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Notes |
| 2014 | Mr. Super | 超级先生 | Champion |
| 2014 | Rising Star China | 中国正在听 | 2nd runner-up |
| 2017 | Life in the Grassland | 草原花美男 | Episode 1, 2 and 3 |
| 2017 | Let's Set Off Now | 嘿！马上出发 | 20171104 Guest |
| 2018 | Super–Vocal | 声入人心 | One of the six Principals |
| 2019 | The Everlasting Classics Season 2 | 经典咏流传第二季 | Episode 5 |
| 2019 | Singer 2019 | 歌手2019 | 2nd runner-up |
| 2019 | Super Penguin League: Star Battle 3 | 超级企鹅联盟Super3:星斗场 | |
| 2019 | Our Songs | 我们的歌 | |
| 2020 | The Everlasting Classics Season 3 | 经典咏流传第三季 | Episode 3 |
| 2020 | The Firsts in Life | 人生第一次 | Episode 12 |
| 2020 | Go Fighting! Season 6 | 极限挑战第六季 | Episode 8 |
| 2020 | Global Chinese Music | 全球中文音乐榜上榜 | 20200815 Guest |
| 2020 | Perfect Summer | 完美的夏天 | |
| 2020 | Sisters Who Make Waves | 乘风破浪的姐姐们 | Finals Supporting Guest |
| 2020 | Crossover Singer 5 | 跨界歌王第五季 | Finals Supporting Guest |
| 2021 | The Everlasting Classics Season 4 | 经典咏流传第四季 | Episode 6 |
| 2021 | What Would You Do | 为歌而赞 | Episode 3, 4 and 12 |
| 2021 | Keep Running (TV series) Season 5 | 奔跑吧第五季 | Episode 7 and 8 |
| 2021 | Summer Refuge | 屋檐之下 | Episode 1 and 2 |
| 2021 | The Most Beautiful Chinese Opera | 最美中国戏 | Episode 1 |
| 2022 | China on Stage | 舞台上的中国 | Episode The Stories of China |
| 2022 | The City of Musicals | 爱乐之都 | |
| 2022 | The Treasured Voice Season III | 天赐的声音第三季 | Episode 2 and 3 |
| 2022 | The Everlasting Classics Season 5 | 经典咏流传第五季 | Episode 1 |
| 2022 | The E-Pop of China | 超感星电音 | |
| 2022 | Poetry and Painting of China | 诗画中国 | 20220924 Episode |
| 2022 | Masked Dancing King 3 | 蒙面舞王3 | Episode 3 |
| 2022 | Voice Monster | 我是特优声剧团季 | |

## Concerts

* The Return of The Thunder God 雷神归来 (2015)
* Sing Your Heart Out 纵情歌唱 (2017)
* Peak Musical Concert 巅峰音乐会 (2018)

## Ambassador activities

| Year | Campaign Organizer | Title |
| 2015 | The Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities | Image Ambassador |
| 2016 | All-China Youth Federation | Member |
| 2020 | Shanghai International Musical Festival | Image Ambassador |
| 2020 | NFL China | Promotional Ambassador |
| 2021 | Shanghai International Musical Festival | Image Ambassador |
| 2022 | Bobbi Brown | China Ambassador |

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work |
| 2013 | 3rd Inner Mongolia Young Singer TV Competition | First Prize (Trendy Music Category) | 3Night of Ulaanbaatar |
| 2014 | 11th National Vocal Competition | Third Standard Prize (Trendy Music Category) | — |
| 2017 | Global Chinese Music Awards | Top Ranked Song | Mongol Artist |
| 2019 | Fresh Asia Awards | Variety Music Artist of the Year | — |
| 2019 | Cosmo Glam Night | Person of The Year | — |
| 2019 | ifeng Fashion Choice | Music Trend of the Year | — |
| 2020 | 27th ERC Chinese Top Ten Awards | Cross-over Singer of the Year | — |
| 2021 | 28th ERC Chinese Top Ten Awards | Best Singer-Songwriter of the Year | — |
| 2022 | 3rd Annual Light and Shadow China Annual Ceremony 第三届光影中国荣誉盛典 | Media Attention New Actor Award | In Search of Lost Time |