# Zhu Yilong

Zhu Yilong (Chinese: 朱一龙, born April 16, 1988) is a Chinese actor. He is best known for his performance as Mo Sanmei in the drama film Lighting Up the Stars (2022), a movie with a budget of $8 million and box office of $253.8 million, and for which he won the Best Actor awards at the 35th Golden Rooster Awards and 37th Hundred Flowers Awards. He is also well known for his roles in Guardian (2018), The Story of Minglan (2018), Reunion: The Sound of the Providence (2020), Embrace Again (2021) and The Rebel (2021).
Zhu is the first Chinese Global Ambassador for World Wildlife Fund since 2019, and has been committed to campaigns that raise public awareness of protecting endangered species and promoting biodiversity.

## Early life

Zhu Yilong was born in Wuhan, Hubei, on April 16, 1988. His father was a Sanda coach. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy with a bachelor's degree in performance in 2010.

## Career
### 2009–2016: Beginnings at Oriental Feiyun

In 2008, Zhu debuted in the TV film Zai Sheng Yuan as an assassin. He went on to act in several TV films over the following years; such as The Snatched Bride, Blood-Colored Deep Mansion, Curse of the Blood Jade and Terror Eyes. One of his most notable roles in his earlier career is Zhu Changxun in the Da Ming Pin Fei film series; as well as General Junshi in Legend of the Daming Palace. He also portrayed a national hero in the war drama Fanjingshan Story, and played the male lead in the wuxia film Ci Fei and romance comedy film Love Retake.
In 2014, Zhu first gained recognition for his performance in the period romance drama Love Three Lives, which won him the "Most Anticipated Actor" award at the Asian Influence Awards Oriental Ceremony. In 2015, he gained increased recognition after starring as Ying Ji in the hit historical drama The Legend of Mi Yue.
In 2016, Zhu starred in wuxia drama The Shaw Eleven Lang, based on the novel of the same name by Gu Long. He played the main antagonist, Lian Chengbi. Zhu's performance earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at TVS Award Ceremony. Zhu starred in another adaptation of Gu Long's novel, playing the protagonist in Border Town Prodigal. He received positive reviews for his performance and his popularity rose significantly afterwards.

### 2017–2019: Rising popularity

In 2017, Zhu starred alongside Ady An in the romantic comedy drama Royal Sister Returns. The same year, he starred alongside Aaron Kwok and Zhao Liying in the spy thriller film Eternal Wave.
In 2018, Zhu starred in the science fiction mystery web drama Guardian, where he played three roles. The series developed a cult following online, leading to a surge in popularity for Zhu. He won the Popular Actor award at the 2018 Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony. Forbes China listed him under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields. He then starred in the historical drama The Story of Minglan produced by Daylight Entertainment. He received positive reviews for his role as wealthy gentleman who is the female lead's first love, and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Magnolia Awards for his performance.
In 2019, Zhu appeared in CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time, performing the song and dance item "Youth Rave It Up". He starred in the workplace romance drama My True Friend as an interior designer, and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Asian Television Awards. The same year, he was nominated for the Most Promising Actor award at the China Movie Channel (CCTV-6) M List for his role as a soldier in the film My People, My Country. For his performance in various works, Zhu was awarded the Best Actor in the Emerald Category at the 6th The Actors of China Award Ceremony. That year, Zhu ranked 17th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.

### 2020–present: Breakthrough in Zhu Studio

In 2020, Zhu portrayed Wu Xie in the tomb-raiding web series Reunion: The Sound of the Providence, adapted from the Daomu Biji series. Zhu also sang on three soundtracks for the drama. The series topped the index charts at iQiyi upon premiere, and received positive reviews. Zhu was praised for his portrayal of Wu Xie. He is set to star in the modern romance drama To Dear Myself opposite Liu Shishi. In April, he began filming the spy drama The Rebel. He ranked 12th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.
In 2021, Zhu Yilong starred in the critically acclaimed Republican Drama The Rebel, where he won the Tencent White Paper Award for Best TV drama actor. Also in 2021, Zhu Yilong sign on for a indie film about the Funeral Industry in China, in a Wuhan based production - Lighting Up The Stars. This film tells the story of an ex convict undertaker who encounters an orphan girl who changes his life. Later in 2021, Zhu Yilong starred in the disaster Movie - Cloudy Mountain, and a tribute movie to the epidemic situation in Wuhan, Embrace Again - where both films amassed a collective total box office of almost 1.4 billion RMB.
In the spring of 2022, Zhu Yilong sign on for a suspense thriller film Lost in the Stars. In the summer of 2022, Lighting Up The Stars broke 1.7 Billion RMB at the Domestic Box Office, making history in the Chinese Summer Family Film Category. Also in summer 2022 Zhu Yilong was named the ambassador for the Hundred Flower Awards Film Festival in Wuhan where he picked up an award for best actor. He won the best actor at the 2022 Changchun film festival for his performance in Embrace Again, and won Golden Rooster Awards' Best Actor for his performance in Lighting Up the Stars.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Confucius | 孔子 | Wei ambassador | |
| 2013 | Love Retake | 爱情不NG | Yan Jige | |
| 2016 | The Nursery 3D | 育婴室3D | Meng Shaohui | |
| 2017 | Yang and His Summer | 胡杨的夏天 | Hu Yang | |
| 2017 | Eternal Wave | 密战 | Cen Zimo | |
| 2019 | My People, My Country | 我和我的祖国 | Song Leqiang | Segment: "Going Home" |
| 2021 | 1921 | 1921 | Zhou Enlai | |
| 2021 | Cloudy Mountain | 峰爆 | Hong Yizhou | |
| 2021 | Embrace Again | 穿过寒冬拥抱你 | Ye Ziyang | |
| 2022 | Lighting Up The Stars | 人生大事 | Mo Sanmei | |
| 2023 | Lost in the Stars | 消失的她 | He Fei | |
| 2023 | The Volunteers: To the War | 志愿军：雄兵出击 | Li Xiang | End credits cameo |
| 2023 | Only the River Flows | 河边的错误 | Ma Zhe | |
| 2024 | Land of Broken Hearts | 负负得正 | Huang Zhenkai | |

### Television series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Fanjingshan Story | 风雨梵净山 | Sun Rubo | |
| 2012 | Wang Yang Ming | 王阳明 | Zhu Houzhao | |
| 2012 | Weird Doctor Wen Sankuai | 怪医文三块 | Hai Dongshen | |
| 2014 | Family Banquet | 家宴 | Feng Douzi | |
| 2014 | Love Three Lives | 情定三生 | Chi Rui | |
| 2015 | The Legend of Mi Yue | 芈月传 | Ying Ji | |
| 2016 | The Shaw Eleven Lang | 新萧十一郎 | Lian Chengbi | |
| 2016 | My Love to Tell You | 我的爱对你说 | Fan Wei | |
| 2016 | Border Town Prodigal | 新边城浪子 | Fu Hongxue | |
| 2017 | Royal Sister Returns | 御姐归来 | He Kaixin | |
| 2017 | As Flowers Fade and Fly Across the Sky | 花谢花飞花满天 | Hua Wuxie | |
| 2018 | Guardian | 镇魂 | Shen Wei / Black Robe Envoy / Ye Zun | |
| 2018 | Granting You a Dreamlike Life | 许你浮生若梦 | Luo Fusheng / Cheng Musheng / Luo Qingeng | |
| 2018 | The Story of Minglan | 知否？知否？应是绿肥红瘦 | Qi Heng | |
| 2019 | Skynet Action | 天网行动 | Pang Jia | |
| 2019 | My True Friend | 我的真朋友 | Jing Ran | |
| 2020 | Reunion: The Sound of the Providence | 重启之极海听雷 | Wu Xie | Season 1–2 |
| 2020 | To Dear Myself | 亲爱的自己 | Chen Yiming | |
| 2021 | The Rebel | 叛逆者 | Lin Nansheng | |
| 2021 | Crossroad Bistro | 北辙南辕 | Lu Wei | Cameo |

### Short film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Night Lord | 夜郎 | Yang Zhong | Special Mentioned, FIPRESCI, Hong Kong International Film Festival 2010 |
| 2011 | Legend of the Daming Palace | 大明宫传奇 | General Junshi | |
| 2018 | Clown | 丑 | Chou | Short film |
| 2019 | Youthful China in the Headlines | 头条里的青春中国 | Deng Jiaxia | Short film |
| 2019 | Save the Black Rhino | 看不见的黑犀牛 | Himself | by World Wild Fund |
| 2019 | Tracking of Wild Giant Panda | 大熊猫追踪之旅 | Himself | by World Wild Fund |
| 2021 | Along the Elephants' Wrinkles | 沿着大象的纹路 | Himself | by World Wild Fund |
| 2022 | Biodiversity in Baima Jokul National Natural Reserve | 山海生万物 | Himself | by World Wild Fund |

### Television film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 2009 | Another Lifetime of Fate | 再生缘 | Ruan Ying |
| 2009 | Snatched Bride | 抢来的新娘 | Xiao Ziwei |
| 2009 | Bloody Mansion | 血色深宅 | Xue Zimei |
| 2009 | Blood Jade Curse | 血玉咒 | Zhou Yubai |
| 2010 | Treasure Hunting | 宝藏寻踪 | Shangguan Yunfeng |
| 2010 | Da Ming Pin Fei Series | 大明嫔妃系列 | Zhu Changxun |
| 2010 | Wrong Marriage | 错嫁 | Shen Fang |
| 2010 | Terror Eyes | 胭脂劫 | Ye Cang |
| 2010 | Shen Gui Si Yun | 深闺疑云 | He Tianyu |
| 2011 | Jue Mi Shi Ming | 绝密使命 | Jin Tiexin |
| 2011 | Cinderella | 灰姑娘 | Luo Huaifeng |
| 2011 | Ci Fei | 刺妃 | Ye Fan |
| 2011 | The White Fox Spirit | 白狐仙 | Yu Yihong |
| 2011 | Duo Er War | 朵儿的战争 | Mai He |
| 2011 | Shen Shi Da Dao | 绅士大盗 | Wu Xundong |
| 2011 | The Gates of Hell | 鬼门关 | Gong Tiexin |
| 2011 | San Ye Ren | 猎野人 | Ye Ren |
| 2012 | Zhan Di Qing Tian | 战地情天 | Jin Feiyu |
| 2012 | Tou Kui Zhe | 偷窥者 | Jiang Xinbai |
| 2012 | Sha Ji Si Fu | 杀机四伏 | Tan Wei |
| 2012 | Gu Le Qing Chun | 鼓乐青春 | Lin Feng |
| 2015 | Following Your Heart | 贴着你的心跳 | Xie Yuhang |

### Music video

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 2009 | "Love Rotate" | 爱转移 | Yan Chubin |
| 2009 | "Angel's Song" | 天使之歌 | Yan Chubin |

## Discography

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album | Notes/Ref. |
| 2014 | "Eternal Star" | 恒星 | Love Three Lives OST | |
| 2016 | "I Will Wait" | 我会等 | The Nursery OST | |
| 2017 | "Crazy Love" | 疯狂的爱 | Royal Sister Returns OST | |
| 2018 | "Flight of Time" | 时间飞行 | Guardian OST | with Bai Yu |
| 2018 | "Earth Star Meets Sea Star" | 地星撞海星 | | with Bai Yu |
| 2018 | "Granting You a Dreamlike Life" | 许你浮生若梦 | Granting You a Dreamlike Life OST | with An Yuexi |
| 2018 | "Where Dreams Begin" | 梦开始的地方 | | Charity song for 人人都是志愿者 campaign |
| 2019 | "Youth Rave It Up" | 青春跃起来 | | Performance for CCTV Spring Gala with Li Yifeng |
| 2019 | "Dragon Text" | 龙文 | | with Dong Wenhua |
| 2019 | "The Light Upwards" | 向上的光 | | Theme song of 中国Young project |
| 2019 | "My Motherland and I" | 我和我的祖国 | My People My Country OST | with Chen Feiyu, Liu Haoran, Ou Hao & Zhou Dongyu |
| 2019 | "Romance Between Mountain and Water" | 山水相恋 | | with Jiang Shuying |
| 2020 | "Hello 2020" | 你好2020 | | Performance for CCTV Spring Gala with Li Xian, Li Qin, Ma Sichun & Zhou Dongyu |
| 2020 | "Wuhan, How Are You" | 武汉，你好吗 | | Support song for fighting SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan |
| 2020 | "Reboot" | 重启 | Reunion: The Sound of the Providence OST | |
| 2020 | "Iron Triangle" | 铁三角 | Reunion: The Sound of the Providence OST | with Huang Junjie & Chen Minghao |
| 2020 | "Jumping Downward" | 往下跳 | Reunion: The Sound of the Providence OST | |
| 2020 | "Dear myself" | 亲爱的自己 | To Dear Myself | With Keyso |
| 2020 | "Dear you" | 亲爱的你 | To Dear Myself | |
| 2021 | "The Rebel" | 叛逆者 | The Rebel OST |