# Yuan Li

Yuan Li (Chinese: 袁立; pinyin: Yuán Lì; born 12 July 1973) is a Chinese actress and philanthropist.
Yuan rose to fame for her role in the television drama Never Close Eyes (1998), for which she won the Supporting Actress at the 18th Golden Eagle Awards. She starred in the four seasons of television series The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan (2002–2008) and won the Best Supporting Actress at the 20th Hundred Flowers Awards for her performance in the film Pure Sentiment (2002).
Since 2011, Yuan has shifted her focus to charitable work, including establishing the Yuan Li Foundation for pneumoconiosis patients—a sensitive topic in China due to its link to government negligence regarding workers’ rights. She converted to Christianity around 2013. Following years of increasingly outspoken views on social issues, religion, and the COVID-19 pandemic, her Weibo account was suspended in 2020, effectively blacklisting her in China. In 2021, her Twitter account was suspended after she expressed support for Donald Trump while attacking Joe Biden and his family

## Life
### Early life

Yuan was born Yuan Li (袁莉; Yuán Lì) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang on July 12, 1973, with her ancestral home in Jiangyin, Jiangsu. She graduated from Beijing Film Academy, majoring in acting.

### Acting career

Yuan had her first experience in front of the camera in 1996, and she was chosen to act as a support actor in History of Han Dynasty, a film starring Zhang Tielin.
After playing minor roles in various films and television series, Yuan rose to fame after portraying Ouyang Lanlan in the television series Never Close Eyes, alongside Lu Yi, she won the "Best Supporting Actress" at the 18th China Golden Eagle Awards.
In 2000, Yuan starred as Du Xiaoyue in The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan, a historical television series co-starring with Zhang Guoli, Zhang Tielin and Wang Gang, which were highly praised by audience.
In 2002, Yuan played the role of An Ran in Cao Baoping's film Pure Sentiment, for which she received a "Best Supporting Actress" at the 20th Hundred Flowers Awards.
In 2010, Yuan acted with Andy Lau and Gong Li in Chen Daming's film What Women Want.
On September 19, Yuan became a spokesperson of the Red Cross Society of China.

## Personal life

In 1993, Yuan met businessman Xu Wei (徐威), with whom she had a 12-year relationship until 2005. They had a rumored son born in the late 1990s, but they never confirmed.
Yuan married her first husband Zhao Ling (赵岭), a Chinese actor, on September 9, 2005. They divorced in 2007.
On November 30, 2011, Yuan married her second husband Blaine Willis Grunewald, a Canadian Mormon missionary. Grunewald studied Chinese at Northeast Normal University from 2003 to 2004, and obtained a Bachelor of Laws from Fudan University in 2009. He briefly worked for Lehman Bush, a firm co-founded by Neil Bush and Edward Lehman. They divorced in 2015.
On 26 March 2019, Yuan announced that she had married her third husband Liang Taiping (梁太平), a poet.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 1994 | | 飞来横福 | guest |
| 1996 | | 英雄无悔 | Wu Yinyin |
| 1996 | History of Han Dynasty | 汉宫飞燕 | Consort Zhao Hede |
| | Thunder Storm | 雷雨 | guest |
| 1997 | Guess of Famen Temple | 法门寺猜想 | Yi Chun |
| 1998 | Never Close Eyes | 永不瞑目 | Ouyang Lanlan |
| 1998 | Long and Winding Road | 锦绣前程 | Zhao Lei |
| 1999 | My Dear Country | 我亲爱的祖国 | Gao Baose |
| 1999 | | 致使邂逅 | Du Lala |
| 1999 | The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan | 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚 | Du Xiaoyue |
| 2001 | Date With Youth | 相约青春 | Ma Yeye |
| 2001 | Black Hole | 黑洞 | Feng Leilei |
| 2001 | The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan 2 | 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚2 | Du Xiaoyue |
| 2002 | | 玲珑女 | Bai Fengyi |
| 2002 | | 浮华背后 | Mo Fei |
| 2002 | Unhappy Marriage | 啼笑因缘 | Shen Fengxi |
| 2004 | Zhao Jun Come Out The Frontier | 昭君出塞 | Zhuan Qu |
| 2004 | Sigh of His Highness | 一生为奴 | Empress Dowager Cixi |
| 2004 | The Story of Zhuo Er | 卓尔的故事 | Zhuo Er |
| 2005 | Senior Colonel's Daughter | 大校的女儿 | Han Lin |
| 2006 | My Home in Huanshang | 家在洹上 | Zhang Baolian |
| 2006 | Gift of Love | 爱的礼物 | Lin Qiao |
| 2007 | The King of Shanghai | 上海王 | Xiao Yuegui |
| 2008 | The Queens | 母仪天下 | Wang Zhengjun |
| 2008 | | 牟氏庄园 | Jiang Zhen'guo |
| 2008 | The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan 4 | 铁齿铜牙纪晓岚4 | Du Xiaoyue |
| 2009 | We Are Friends | 朋友一场 | Du Ximei |
| 2009 | Marriage Battle | 婚姻保卫战 | Lan Xin |
| 2010 | China in 1945: Chongqing Negotiations | 中国1945之重庆风云 | Soong Ching-ling |
| 2011 | | 百年莞香 | guest |
| 2011 | | 极品男女 | Zhou Tong |
| 2011 | Mother, mother | 母亲，母亲 | Jin Guoxiu |

### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 1993 | The Flying Squad | 飞虎队 | Xiao Qing |
| 1994 | Woman Flowers | 女人花 | Yan Zhi |
| 1997 | An Unusual Love | 非常爱情 | Shu Xin |
| 2000 | A Storm in a Teacup | 大惊小怪 | Xin Xinxin |
| 2002 | Pure Sentiment | 绝对情感 | An Ran |
| 2003 | The Law of Romance | 警察有约 | guest |
| 2007 | The Story of Xi'an | 西安故事 | guest |
| 2010 | What Women Want | 我知女人心 | Yan Ni |
| 2011 | | 大格局 | Zhang Hanzhi |
| 2012 | The Last Tycoon | 大上海 | Ling Husheng |

## Awards

| Year | Work | Award | Result | Notes |
| 2000 | Never Close Eyes | 18th China Golden Eagle Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | |
| 2002 | Pure Sentiment | 25th Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress | Won | |