# Li Yifeng

Li Yifeng (born Li He, 4 May 1987) also known as Evan Li, is a Chinese actor and singer. Li launched his career after participating in the talent show My Hero (2007). Since 2009, he shifted to acting. Li is known for his roles in television dramas Swords of Legends (2014), The Lost Tomb (2015), Noble Aspirations (2016), Sparrow (2016), Fearless Whispers (2020), Day Breaker (2022), as well as in films Mr. Six (2015), for which he won the Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Supporting Actor, and Animal World (2018). Li ranked 9th on Forbes China Celebrity list in 2015, 11th in 2017, and 26th in 2019.
Li's career was suspended in 2022 after he was detained by the police for soliciting prostitutes.

## Early life

Li was born in Chengdu, Sichuan.
* Primary School (1994–2000): Chengdu Sanshengjie Primary School
* Junior High School (2000–2003): Chengdu Xuedao Street Middle School
* Senior High School (2003–2006): Chengdu Fifth Middle School
* University (2006–2010): Department of Broadcasting and Hosting, School of Film and Television, Sichuan Normal University

## Career
### 2007–2013: Beginnings

In 2007, Li participated in the talent show, My Hero, coming in at 8th place and winning the Most Popular Contestant award. He released his first single "The One I Love Hurts Me The Most" and his first EP Four Leaf Clover in November 2007.
In 2009, Li made his acting debut in the drama The Prince of Tennis 2, adapted from the Japanese anime The Prince of Tennis. His role is the equivalent of Saeki Kojirou in the original anime. The same year, Li released his first full-length album Mr Child.
Li gained recognition after starring in the Taiwanese drama Sunny Happiness, which achieved high ratings in both Taiwan and China. He received the Best New Actor award at the 2011 China TV Drama Awards for his performance. The same year, he made his feature film debut in Lovesick, starring alongside Ariel Lin and Chen Bolin.
In 2012, Li starred in the television series White Lies and earned praise for his performance as an autistic youth. In 2013, Li starred in the romance revenge drama The Return of a Princess, and won the Best Acting Idol award at the 2013 China TV Drama Awards and the Most Popular Actor award at the 2013 LeTV Awards.

### 2014–2022: Breakthrough and mainstream popularity

Li achieved breakthrough with the fantasy action drama Swords of Legends (2014), where he portrayed the protagonist Baili Tusu. Li became the first male actor to win the Newcomer Award at the 2014 Elle Style Awards. The same year, Li released his first autobiographical book entitled A Once in a Lifetime Moment.
Li solidified his popularity with two hit dramas in 2015: period drama Legend of Fragrance and action adventure web drama The Lost Tomb where he played the role of Wu Xie, based on the popular tomb-raiding novel Daomu Biji. The same year Li worked as a producer for the first time, taking part in the production of outdoor variety show Lets Go! Go! Go!.
Li's starred in two films in 2015, coming-of-age tale Forever Young and romance drama Fall in Love Like a Star, both were panned by critics. He bounced back in December 2015 with a supporting role in Feng Xiaogang's crime blockbuster Mr. Six, where he plays a rebellious youth who runs away from home because of conflicts with his father and later gets into trouble with gangsters. The film topped Chinese box office charts and won critical acclaim. Li won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance at the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards.
Following his success, Li entered the 2015 Forbes Chinese Celebrity list for the first time, placing at 9th with an estimated revenue of 69 million yuan (10.5 million dollars; 9.6 million euros). He was also named "Most Commercially Valuable Celebrity" by CBN Weekly.
In 2016, Li was appointed the Chinese Spectator Ambassador for the blockbuster film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The same month, Li the attended 2016 Style Icon Asia Awards as the only Chinese representative, and won the 2016 SIA Style Icon Award.
In 2016, Li starred as the protagonist in both seasons of Noble Aspirations, adapted from popular xianxia novel Zhu Xian. The drama received positive reviews and surpassed 28 billion views, becoming one of the most watched Chinese dramas. He then starred in Sparrow, an espionage series set in the 1940s. The drama received critical acclaim, and became the second highest rated drama of the year with the finale reaching the peak rating of 2.46. Li won the Best Actor award at the China TV Golden Eagle Award for his performance.
In 2017, Li starred in the suspense crime film Guilty of Mind, based on the novel Evil Minds by Lei Mi.
In 2018, Li appeared in CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time, performing the song "The New Era of Zanzan". The same year he starred in the thriller film Animal World, based on the Japanese manga series Ultimate Survivor Kaiji. The film received positive reviews and topped the box office of the week of its release.
In 2020, Li starred in modern romance drama Wait in Beijing and historical spy drama Fearless Whispers. The latter was in the Top 10 of 2020 highest-rated dramas.
In 2021, Li starred in the first Chinese rocket force themed military television series The Glory of Youth, produced by People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. He also starred in the xianxia fantasy drama Mirror: Twin Cities.
In 2022, the suspense series Day Breaker, in which Li took on the protagonist role, was released. The drama received positive reviews, ranked 2nd on 2022 top suspense dramas list.

### 2022–Present: Career stoppage

On 11 September 2022, Beijing police detained Li for multiple incidents of soliciting prostitutes, which he had confessed to. After the announcement, multiple brands such as Prada, Panerai, Remy Martin and L’Oréal Paris terminated their partnership agreements with Li. Li's social media accounts, as well as those of his studio and fan club, were suspended. Li's Weibo account was subsequently deleted, and his drama series and films were removed from the Chinese Internet and streaming services.
In 2025, after over two years of hiatus, Li announced the Covenant of the Green Sea world tour, which begins on 12 April in Bangkok, Thailand.

## Personal life
### Relationships

In 2014, Li mentioned on a variety show that he had a Korean girlfriend, which was speculated to be Korean actress Lee Da-hae, his co-star in The Honey Party of Love (2012). Lee, however, denied the speculation.
In 2022, the internet influencer Guo Ziyu came out as Li's girlfriend for three years, expressing her disappointment at Li's soliciting prostitution and accusing him of cheating with another influencer in their relationship.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 2011 | Lovesick | 恋爱恐慌症 | Cui Ailun |
| 2015 | Forever Young | 栀子花开 | Xu Nuo |
| 2015 | Fall in Love Like a Star | 怦然星动 | Su Xingyu |
| 2015 | Mr. Six | 老炮儿 | Zhang Xiaobo |
| 2017 | Guilty of Mind | 心理罪 | Fang Mu |
| 2017 | The Founding of an Army | 建军大业 | He Changgong |
| 2018 | Animal World | 动物世界 | Zheng Kaisi |
| 2020 | My People, My Homeland | 我和我的家乡 | Jiang Xiaofeng |
| 2021 | The Pioneer | 革命者 | Mao Zedong |
| TBA | Playground | 操场 | Zong Shaobin |

### Television series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Network | Notes/Ref. |
| 2009 | The Prince of Tennis 2 | 加油! 网球王子 II | Zuo Bo | Dragon TV | |
| 2010 | Happy & Love Forever | 幸福一定强 | Lu Shen | Anhui TV | |
| 2011 | Sunny Happiness | 幸福最晴天 | Xiang Yunchao | Anhui TV, CTV | |
| 2012 | White Lies | 真爱谎言 | Jiang Xiyu | Jiangxi TV, CTi | |
| 2012 | Happy Michelin Kitchen | 幸福三颗星 | Xiang Yunchao | Anhui TV, CTV | Cameo |
| 2012 | Bounty Hunter | 赏金猎人 | Yu Tai | Hunan TV | |
| 2012 | Love Actually | 爱的蜜方 | Chen Liyang | Hunan TV | |
| 2013 | The Return of a Princess | 千金归来 | Lin Hao | Dragon TV | |
| 2014 | Swords of Legends | 古剑奇谭 | Baili Tusu | Hunan TV | |
| 2014 | Tiny Times | 小时代之折纸时代 | Jian Xi | Youku | |
| 2014 | The Joyfully Pretty Enemy | 欢天喜地俏冤家 | Chen Sanliu | CCTV-8 | |
| 2015 | Legend of Fragrance | 活色生香 | Ning Zhiyuan | Hunan TV | |
| 2015 | The Lost Tomb | 盗墓笔记 | Wu Xie | iQiyi | |
| 2016 | Noble Aspirations | 青云志 | Zhang Xiaofan | Hunan TV | |
| 2016 | Sparrow | 麻雀 | Chen Shen | Hunan TV | |
| 2016 | Noble Aspirations 2 | 青云志2 | Zhang Xiaofan / Gui Li | Beijing TV | |
| 2020 | Wait in Beijing | 我在北京等你 | Xu Tian | Jiangsu TV, Zhejiang TV | |
| 2020 | Fearless Whispers | 隐秘而伟大 | Gu Yaodong | CCTV-8 | |
| 2021 | The Glory of Youth | 号手就位 | Xia Zhuo | Jiangsu TV, Zhejiang TV | |
| 2022 | Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities | 镜·双城 | Su Mo | Tencent | |
| 2022 | Day Breaker | 暗夜行者 | Chen Mo / Luo Xiang | IQIYI | |

### Short film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 2014 | Want To See Him, Tell Him Through Netease | 想见他 就在易信告诉他 | |
| 2014 | The Most Beautiful Performance 2014 | 2014最美表演 | President |
| 2015 | Being Real is Fun | 真实才够FUN | |
| 2015 | Bring Love Home 2015 | 把乐带回家2015 | Son |
| 2015 | Add You Add The Taste of New Year | 加你加年味 | Xiao Feng |
| 2015 | Unilever: Zhu Geliang | 凌仕：诸葛亮篇 | |
| 2015 | Unilever: Archimedes | 凌仕：阿基米德篇 | |
| 2015 | Finding Difference | 大家来找茶 | |
| 2015 | Love in Number | 数字恋爱 | Zi Jian |
| 2015 | I Am Your Diedie Phone | 我是你的喋喋phone | Diedie |
| 2015 | Who Is Your Dish 2015 | 谁是你的菜2015 | |
| 2015 | A Hundred Challenge Waiting For You | 百事挑赞 由你来战 | |
| 2015 | Li Yifeng x McLaren Automotive 650S | 李易峰×迈凯伦650S | |
| 2015 | No Fear of Challenge | 无惧挑战 成就自我 | |
| 2015 | Chaos With Me | 和我一起破坏 一起嗨 | |
| 2015 | The Girl I Missed | 错过的爱 | |
| 2015 | 0 Inches Girl | 0码女孩 | |
| 2015 | What I Want I Want Now | 我要的现在就要 | |
| 2015 | Gliding to Heartbeat | 丝滑到心跳 | |
| 2015 | Wear K Life and Be High | 穿上K-Life 一起出来嗨 | |
| 2015 | Love in Today | 爱在今天 即是永恒 | |
| 2015 | Eos M Partners with Li Yifeng | EOS M携手李易峰 | |
| 2016 | Bring Happiness Home: Monkey King's Family | 把乐带回家之猴王世家 | |
| 2016 | 0 Calories Go Chang | 0脂肪才go畅 | |
| 2016 | Legend of Searching Nian | 寻年传说 | |
| 2016 | Charge For 5 Mins, Talk For 2 Hours | 充电5分钟 通话2小时 | |
| 2016 | You Are Not Only You | 你不止是你 | |
| 2016 | Not Only One Side | 不止一面 大有看头 | |
| 2016 | Tales of a Fashion Buyer | 解忧买手店 | |
| 2017 | Fats Investigation Agency | 肌密调查局 | |
| 2017 | Time Crack | 看不见的TA之时间裂缝 | |
| 2017 | One Man Show | 独角戏 | |
| 2018 | As Time Goes By | 时间流逝 | |
| 2019 | Youth and My Motherland | 青春与祖国同在 | |
| 2020 | Unspeakable Love | 谈不了的恋爱 | Li Bin |
| 2021 | Me and The Taste of my Hometown | 我和我的家乡味 | |

### Variety show

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Network |
| 2018 | Dunk of China | 这！就是灌篮 | Cast member | Youku |
| 2019 | Game On | 我要打篮球 | Cast member | Tencent Video |
| 2021 | The Hero | 最后的赢家 | Cast member | iQiyi |

## Discography
### Albums

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Release date | Label |
| 2007 | Four Leaf Clover | 四叶草 | 19 November 2007 | |
| 2008 | Ferris Wheel | 摩天轮 | 20 July 2008 | EQ Record |
| 2009 | Mr. Child | 小先生 | 17 May 2010 | EQ Record |
| 2010 | That Song | 那首歌 | 29 October 2010 | EQ Record |
| 2014 | Yifeng's Love Letter | 易峰情书 | 10 November 2014 | Sony Music Entertainment |
| 2019 | Dream Visit | | 24 April 2019 | |

### Singles

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album | Notes/Ref. |
| 2007 | "The One I Love Hurts Me The Most" | 我爱的人伤我最深 | Banquet | |
| 2008 | "To Shine Brilliantly" | 大放异彩 | | Olympic theme song with Hu Haiquan |
| 2008 | "Little Girl Don't Cry" | 娃娃不哭 | | Earthquake relieve charity song Lyrics written by Li Yifeng |
| 2008 | "Believe in Love" | 相信爱 | | Earthquake relieve charity song |
| 2012 | "Underworld" | 江湖 | Bounty Hunter OST | |
| 2014 | "Sword Wound" | 剑伤 | Swords of Legends OST | |
| 2014 | "Sword of Heart" | 剑心 | Swords of Legends OST | |
| 2014 | "Warm Heart Stings" | 心如玄铁 | Legend of Fragrance OST | |
| 2014 | "What I Want, I Want It Now" | 我要的现在就要 | Choice OST | |
| 2015 | "Goodbye Goodbye" | 再见再见 | Forever Young OST | |
| 2015 | "In a Rare You" | 年少有你 | Forever Young OST | |
| 2015 | "Please Contact Me" | 请跟我联络 | Fall in Love Like a Star OST | |
| 2015 | "The Price of Love" | 爱的代价 | Mr Six OST | with Feng Xiaogang |
| 2016 | "Time Cracks" | 时间裂缝 | Noble Aspirations 2 OST | |
| 2017 | "Love in the Spring Bud" | 爱在春蕾 | | Spring Bud Project theme song with Hao Wei |
| 2018 | "The New Era of Zanzan" | 赞赞新时代 | | Performance for CCTV Spring Gala |
| 2018 | "Role" | 角色 | | Lyrics written by Li Yifeng with Lexie Liu |
| 2018 | "Tiny Yet Great" | 渺小却伟大 | | |
| 2019 | "Youth Rave It Up" | 青春跃起来 | | Performance for CCTV Spring Gala with Zhu Yilong |
| 2019 | "Youth Needs Warmth" | 青春需要温暖 | | For anti-bullying campaign |
| 2020 | "Dance With Me" | 与我共舞 | | Feat. Mosaic |
| 2022 | "Flashbacks of Life" | 倒敘的生活 | | |

## Awards and nominations

Major awards :
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2015 | 17th Huading Awards | Best Actor (Ancient Drama) | Swords of Legends | Nominated |
| 2016 | 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Mr. Six | Won |
| 2016 | 16th Chinese Film Media Awards | Most Anticipated Actor | Mr. Six | Nominated |
| 2017 | 22nd Huading Awards | Best Actor | Noble Aspirations | Rescinded |
| 2017 | 22nd Huading Awards | Top 10 Audience's Favorite TV Star | Noble Aspirations | Rescinded |
| 2017 | 27th Zhejiang TV Peony Awards | Outstanding Actor | Sparrow | Won |
| 2018 | 29th China TV Golden Eagle Award | Best Actor | Sparrow | Won |
| 2018 | 12th China Golden Eagle TV Arts Festival | Most Popular Actor | Sparrow | Won |
| 2018 | 15th Guangzhou Student Film Festival | Most Popular Actor | Animal World | Won |
| 2018 | 5th Beijing Youth Film Festival | Popularity Award | Animal World | Won |
| 2020 | 7th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actor (Emerald) | Wait in Beijing, Fearless Whispers | Won |
| Film and television awards ||||||
| 2011 | Youku Television Index Awards | New All-Rounded Idol Award | Sunny Happiness | Won |
| 2011 | 3rd China TV Drama Awards | Best New Actor | Sunny Happiness | Won |
| 2013 | 4th 4th LeTV Movie and Drama Awards | Most Popular Actor | Daughter's Return | Won |
| 2013 | 5th China TV Drama Awards | Best Acting Idol | Daughter's Return | Won |
| 2014 | 4th iQiyi All-Star Carnival | Most Popular Actor (Mainland China) | Swords of Legends | Won |
| 2014 | 6th China TV Drama Awards | Most Popular Actor (Mainland China) | Swords of Legends | Won |
| 2014 | 6th China TV Drama Awards | Most Commercially Valuable Actor | Swords of Legends | Won |
| 2014 | Baidu Entertainment Hot Point | Most Popular Actor | Swords of Legends | Won |
| 2016 | China Original Literature Billboard Awards | Best Actor | Noble Aspirations | Won |
| 2016 | 10th Tencent Video Star Awards | Most Popular TV Actor | Noble Aspirations, Sparrow | Won |
| 2016 | 10th Tencent Video Star Awards | VIP Star of the Year | — | Won |
| 2016 | 8th China TV Drama Awards | Artist of the Year | Sparrow | Won |
| 2016 | 16th New & Sharp Top List | Artist of the Year | Sparrow | Won |
| 2021 | Tencent Entertainment White Paper Awards | Praiseworthy Artist of the Year | Fearless Whispers | Won |
| Music awards ||||||
| 2008 | 6th Southeast Music Chart Awards | Best Newcomer (Mainland China) | Ferris Wheel | Won |
| 2008 | 1st New Artist Awards of Top Chinese Music Chart | Best Newcomer EP | Ferris Wheel | Won |
| 2009 | Music Radio China Top Chart Awards | Campus Popularity Award | Ferris Wheel | Won |
| 2010 | CCTV-MTV Music Awards | Most Promising Artist | Mr. Child | Won |
| 2016 | 10th MIGU Music Awards | Top Ten Golden Songs | "Please Contact Me" | Won |
| Others ||||||
| 2012 | MSN Fashion Party | New Artist Award | — | Won |
| 2013 | Chinese Campus Art Glory Festival | Most Popular Actor | — | Won |
| 2014 | 11th Elle Style Awards | Newcomer Award | — | Won |
| 2014 | Bazaar Men of the Year Awards | Most Attractive Celebrity | — | Won |
| 2014 | 11th Man at His Best Awards | New Forces Award | — | Won |
| 2014 | Baidu Entertainment Hot Point | Top Ten People in the Spotlight | — | Won |
| 2015 | GQ China Men of the Year Awards | Trendy Artist of the Year | — | Won |
| 2016 | Style Icon Asia Awards | Style Icon Award | — | Won |
| 2016 | Weibo Fan Festival | Person of the Year | — | Won |
| 2016 | Baidu Entertainment Awards | Person of the Year | — | Won |
| 2017 | 2nd Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony | Most Anticipated Film Male God | — | Won |
| 2018 | Weibo Awards Ceremony | Hot Search Artist | — | Won |
| 2018 | 3rd Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony | Breakthrough Performance Award | — | Won |
| 2018 | Cosmo Beauty Ceremony | Beautiful Idol | — | Won |
| 2018 | L'Officiel Night | Generation Transformation Award | — | Won |
| 2018 | Jinri Toutiao Awards | Most Powerful Actor | — | Won |
| 2019 | Weibo Awards Ceremony | Person of the Year | — | Won |
| 2019 | GQ 2019 Men of the Year | Goodwill Ambassador | — | Won |
| 2020 | GQ 2020 Men of the Year | Upward Power Actor of the Year | — | Won |
| 2021 | Douyin Star Motion Night Awards | Warm Star of the Year | — | Won |
| 2021 | Huasheng Media Fashion Culture Awards | Influential Award of the Year | — | Won |
| 2022 | Weibo Movie Night 2022 | Attracts The Most Attention Actor of the Year | — | Won |

### Forbes China Celebrity 100

| Year | Rank |
| 2015 | 9th |
| 2017 | 11th |
| 2019 | 26th |
| 2020 | 43rd |