# Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress

The Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress (中国电影金鸡奖最佳女主角) is the main category of Competition of Golden Rooster Awards, awarding actresses with outstanding performances in leading roles in cinema of China.

## Winners & nominees

| ‡ | Indicates winning Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for the same role |
| Year | Actress(es) | Film | Character |
| 1981 1st | Zhang Yu | Evening Rain | Liu Wenying |
| 1981 1st | Romance on Lushan Mountain ‡ | Zhou Jun |
| 1981 1st | Tian Hua | In and Out of Court | Shang Qin |
| 1981 1st | Wang Fuli | Legend of Tianyun Mountain | Song Wei |
| 1982 2nd | Li Xiuming | Xu Mao and His Daughters ‡ | Xu Xiuyun |
| 1982 2nd | Ren Yexiang | Longing for Home | Tian Cuicui |
| 1982 2nd | Zhang Yu | On a Small Street | Yu Zhen |
| 1983 3rd | Pan Hong (tie) | At Middle Age | Lu Wenting |
| 1983 3rd | Siqin Gaowa (tie) | Rickshaw Boy ‡ | Hu Niu |
| 1984 4th | Gong Xue | Under the Bridge ‡ | Qin Nan |
| 1984 4th | Li Ling | Ward 16 | Chang Lin |
| 1985 5th | Li Ling | Girl from Huangshan Mountain | Gong Lingling |
| 1985 5th | Gu Yongfei | Thunderstorm | Fanyi |
| 1986 6th | Yue Hong | Wild Mountains | Guilan |
| 1986 6th | Fang Shu | Sunrise | Chen Bailu |
| 1986 6th | Xu Lei | Spring into Autumn | Zhou Lianghui |
| 1986 6th | Zhang Xiaolei | Xiangsi Woman's Hotel | Zhang Guanyin |
| 1987 7th | Liu Xiaoqing | Hibiscus Town ‡ | Hu Yuyin |
| 1987 7th | Naren Hua | Married to a Child | Xiaoxiao |
| 1988 8th | Pan Hong | The Well | Xu Lisha |
| 1988 8th | Li Kechun | The Third Party | Sang Yuchen |
| 1988 8th | Liu Xiaoqing | Savage Land | Jinzi |
| 1989 9th | Xu Shouli | The Happy Hero & The Dead and the Living | Yusuan |
| 1989 9th | Wu Yujuan | Obsession | Qingqing |
| 1990 | — | — | — |
| 1991 11th | Xi Meijuan | A False Woman's True Love | Wang Yujuan |
| 1991 11th | Lü Liping | Unexpected Passion | Liang Xiaoqing |
| 1991 11th | Ma Xiaoqing | Good Morning, Beijing | Ai Hong |
| 1992 12th | Song Xiaoying | Her Smile Through the Candlelight | Wang Shuangling |
| 1992 12th | Ding Yi | Bell of Purity Temple | Aunt Yangjiao |
| 1992 12th | Zhao Lirong | The Spring Festival | mother |
| 1993 13th | Gong Li | The Story of Qiu Ju | Qiu Ju |
| 1993 13th | Xu Fan | After Separation | Lin Zhouyun |
| 1994 14th | Pan Hong | Shanghai Fever ‡ | Fan Li |
| 1994 14th | Bai Han | Romance in Metropolitan Shanghai | Luo Naiqian |
| 1994 14th | Ning Jing | Red Firecracker, Green Firecracker | Chunzhi |
| 1995 15th | Ai Liya | Ermo | Ermo |
| 1995 15th | Pu Chaoying | Women Flowers | Shang Meiju |
| 1995 15th | Xu Fan | Gone Forever with My Love | Lin Gege |
| 1996 16th | Song Chunli | Jiuxiang | Jiuxiang |
| 1996 16th | Cao Cuifen | Orphan's Tears | Geng Ernu |
| 1996 16th | Guo Keyu | Red Cherry | Chuchu |
| 1997 17th | Yu Hui | Xilian | Xilian |
| 1997 17th | Gai Ke | After Divorce | Shi Hui |
| 1997 17th | Xi Meijuan | A Tree | Zhu Zhu |
| 1998 18th | Tao Hong (born 1972) | Colors of the Blind | Ding Lihua |
| 1998 18th | Ai Liya | Genghis Khan | Hoelun |
| 1998 18th | Pan Yu | Live in Peace and Contentment | Granny Axi |
| 1999 19th | Ning Jing | Lover's Grief over the Yellow River | An Jie |
| 1999 19th | Xu Fan | Be There or Be Square | Li Qing |
| 1999 19th | Yuan Quan | Once Upon a Time in Shanghai | Li Huirong |
| 2000 20th | Gong Li | Breaking the Silence ‡ | Sun Liying |
| 2000 20th | Tenzin Dolkar | Song of Tibet | Yeshe Dolma |
| 2000 20th | Zhang Ziyi | The Road Home | Zhao Di |
| 2001 21st | Song Chunli | To Be With You Forever | Cai Chang |
| 2001 21st | Wu Jing | Sunshine Days | Zhuo Liying |
| 2001 21st | Yuan Quan | A Love of Blueness | Liu Yun |
| 2002 22nd | Ni Ping (tie) | Pretty Big Feet | Zhang Meili |
| 2002 22nd | Tao Hong (born 1969) (tie) | Life Show | Lai Shuangyang |
| 2002 22nd | Naren Hua | Heavenly Grassland | Burmaa |
| 2003 23rd | Yu Nan | Jingzhe | Guan Ermei |
| 2003 23rd | Jiang Wenli | My Bitter Sweet Taiwan | mother |
| 2003 23rd | Li Jia | Nuan | Nuan |
| 2004 24th | Zhang Ziyi (tie) | Jasmine Women | Mo |
| 2004 24th | Zheng Zhenyao (tie) | Shanghai Story | mother |
| 2004 24th | Jiang Qinqin | My Sister's Dictionary | Niu Hongmei |
| 2004 24th | Tao Hong (born 1969) | Taekwondo | Liu Li |
| 2005 25th | Jin Yaqin | You and Me | grandma |
| 2005 25th | Li Bingbing | Waiting Alone | Liu Rong |
| 2005 25th | Mei Ting | Aspirin | Wen Jing |
| 2005 25th | Zhang Jingchu | Huayao Bride in Shangri-la | Fengmei |
| 2007 26th | Carina Lau (tie) | Curiosity Kills the Cat | Qianyu |
| 2007 26th | Yan Bingyan (tie) | Teeth of Love | Qian Yehong |
| 2007 26th | Li Bingbing | The Knot | Wang Jindi |
| 2007 26th | Rene Liu | Kidnap | Ho Yuan-chun |
| 2007 26th | Zhu Yuanyuan | The Forest Ranger | Taohua |
| 2009 27th | Jiang Wenli (tie) | And the Spring Comes | Wang Cailing |
| 2009 27th | Zhou Xun (tie) | The Equation of Love and Death | Li Mi |
| 2009 27th | Helen Yao | Blossom | Yueming |
| 2009 27th | Zhang Ziyi | Forever Enthralled | Meng Xiaodong |
| 2009 27th | Zhao Wei | Painted Skin | Peirong |
| 2011 28th | Naren Hua | Mother | Tsetsegmaa |
| 2011 28th | Lü Liping | City Monkey | Luo Sufang |
| 2011 28th | Qian Peiyi | Eternal Watch | Amin |
| 2011 28th | Qin Hailu | The Piano in a Factory | Shuxian |
| 2011 28th | Xu Fan | Aftershock | Li Yuanni |
| 2011 28th | Yan Bingyan | Close to Me | Xue Ziying |
| 2013 29th | Song Jia | Falling Flowers | Xiao Hong |
| 2013 29th | Liang Jing | Son of the Stars | Liang Zhengzheng |
| 2013 29th | Yan Bingyan | Feng Shui | Li Baoli |
| 2013 29th | Yang Zishan | So Young | Zheng Wei |
| 2013 29th | Zhang Ziyi | The Grandmaster | Gong Er |
| 2015 30th | Badema | Norjmaa | Norjmaa |
| 2015 30th | Lü Zhong | Red Amnesia | Deng Meijuan |
| 2015 30th | Zhao Wei | Dearest | Li Hongqin |
| 2015 30th | Tang Wei | The Golden Era | Xiao Hong |
| 2015 30th | Xu Fan | When a Peking Family Meets Aupair | Wen Juan |
| 2017 31st | Fan Bingbing | I Am Not Madame Bovary | Li Xuelian |
| 2017 31st | Bai Baihe | Monster Hunt | Huo Xiaolan |
| 2017 31st | Yan Ni | Relocate | Liu Chunyan |
| 2017 31st | Song Jia | When Larry Met Mary | Ma Li |
| 2017 31st | Zhou Dongyu | Soul Mate | An Sheng |
| 2019 32nd | Yong Mei | So Long, My Son | Wang Liyun |
| 2019 32nd | Bai Baihe | A City Called Macau | Mei Xiao'ou |
| 2019 32nd | Yao Chen | Send Me to the Clouds | Sheng Nan |
| 2019 32nd | Ma Yili | Lost, Found | Li Jie |
| 2019 32nd | Zhou Dongyu | Us and Them | Fang Xiaoxiao |
| 2019 32nd | Zhao Xiaoli | To Live to Sing | manager |
| 2020 33rd | Zhou Dongyu ‡ | Better Days‡ | Chen Nian |
| 2020 33rd | Tan Zhuo | Sheep Without a Shepherd | Ayu |
| 2020 33rd | Zhu Xijuan | The Empty Nest | Zhao Yimei |
| 2020 33rd | Ada Liu | My Dear Liar | Yue Miaomiao |
| 2020 33rd | Ren Suxi | Almost a Comedy | Momo |
| 2021 34th | Zhang Xiaofei | Hi, Mom | Li Huanying |
| 2021 34th | Liu Mintao | Let Life Be Beautiful | Zhou Lan |
| 2021 34th | Zhang Zifeng | Sister | An Ran |
| 2021 34th | Liu Haocun | A Little Red Flower | Ma Xiaoyuan |
| 2022 35th | Xi Meijuan | Song of Spring | Feng Jizhen |
| 2022 35th | Ni Ni | Yanagawa | Ah Chuan |
| 2022 35th | Louise Wong | Anita | Anita Mui |
| 2022 35th | Yang Enyou | Lighting Up the Stars | Wu Xiaowen |
| 2022 35th | Yangshik Tso | Black Tent | Yang Jin |
| 2023 36th | He Saifei | Off the Stage | teacher Qi |
| 2023 36th | Kara Wai | Love Never Ends | Li Huiru |
| 2023 36th | Yan Ni | Heart's Motive | Jin Ximei |
| 2023 36th | Yin Tao | Home Coming | Bai Hua |
| 2023 36th | Huang Yao | The Shadowless Tower | Ouyang Wenhui |
| 2024 | Li Gengxi | Viva La Vida | |
| 2024 | Ma Li | Article 20 | |
| 2024 | Jiahuacao | Has man a Future | |
| 2024 | Zhang Zifeng | Moonstruck | |
| 2024 | Zhou Meijun | The Midsummer's Voice | |
| 2024 | Ge Zhaomei | Gone with the Boat | |

## Records

* 3 wins: Pan Hong (including 1 tied win)
* 2 wins: Gong Li, Song Chunli, Xi Meijuan
* 5 nominations: Xu Fan (0 win)
* 4 nominations: Zhang Ziyi (1 tied win)
* 3 nominations: Xi Meijuan (2 win), Naren Hua (1 win), Yan Bingyan (1 tied win)
* Oldest winner: Jin Yaqin (80)