# Tan Jianci

Tan Jianci (Chinese: 檀健次; pinyin: Tán Jiàncì; born October 5, 1990), also known by his stage name JC-T, is a Chinese actor, singer, and dancer. He is the youngest member of the Chinese idol group M.I.C. Tan Jianci is active as an actor in China and is known for his roles as Sima Zhao in The Advisors Alliance (2017), Cao Pi in Secret of the Three Kingdoms (2018), Chen Renxiang in Winter Begonia (2020), Shen Yi in Under the Skin (2022), and Xiang Liu / Fangfeng Bei in Lost You Forever (2023). He has been a permanent cast of the variety show Hello Saturday since 2022.

## Early life

Tan Jianci was born and raised in Beihai, Guangxi. He studied at the Beihai Haicheng No.3 Elementary School. At the age of six, he moved to Kumamoto, Japan with his family for a year. While living there, he changed his own name to Kenji (健次) due to his adoration for Kenshiro, a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fist of the North Star manga series. He returned to China at the age of seven and attended Beihai No. 3 Primary School of Guangxi. Inspired by Michael Jackson, he began to take dance classes in his spare time. At the age of 13, he attended the affiliated secondary school of Beijing Dance Academy where he learned professional ballroom dance. In 2006, he participated in three tournaments, Taoli Cup National Dance Competition – Latin (where he finished in first place in the group under 16), the National Dance Sport Championships Professional – Latin (1st place) and Modern (5th place) and the World Grand Prix Finals in Shanghai – IDSF – Latin (3rd place) and Modern (4th place). In 2007, he was admitted to the Beijing Sport University's Art department.

## Career
### Music

In 2006, Tan Jianci was chosen as a trainee for Taihe Rye Music's project group, began a three-year training period in 2007. Adopting the stage name JC-T, he debuted as a member of the boy group M.I.C at the 2009 World Cyber Games (WCG) in Chengdu. That same year, the group competed in MIGU Star Academy and won the finals. M.I.C officially debuted in October 2010.
JC-T release his first solo single titled Fly Away in December 2014. After several years, JC-T made a career pivot to concentrate on acting in 2018, using his given name, Tan Jianci.
After a two-year hiatus, Tan Jianci returned to the stage in the variety show, Super Shine! Brothers. Three years later, on April 20, 2023, Tan Jianci released his first solo album, DREAMS. The album contains 16 tracks (eight songs and eight instrumentals), with a mix of ballads and two dance numbers, Imma Get It and Imma Get It (KAKA Remix).
In 2023, Tan Jianci released several original soundtrack singles for the dramas, Lost You Forever, and Love Me Love My Voice. The single, The Wait that Can't Be Waited (Chinese: 等不到的等待) marks Tan's first song to hit the top 20 on the China TME UNI Chart Top 100, debuting at number 11, and staying on the charts for twelve weeks.
Following a whirlwind year in 2023, Tan Jianci made a comeback at the Hunan TV spring festival show with his title single, Bad Mona Lisa, from his second album, Brilliance (Chinese: 焕). On June 12, 2024, the eight track album was released on Chinese platforms. In the second week of release, seven songs hit the China TME UNI Chart Top 100. The songs were carefully curated by Tan Jianci to tell a different story, among which, INU debuted as his first English song.

### Acting

Throughout Tan's acting career, he had experimented with all kinds of genres, including several low budget indie projects. At the age of 16, Tan Jianci was cast as Xiao Chuan, marking his acting debut in 2008, portraying a bereaved and sullen teenager. The coming of age film, Lost Indulgence, directed by Zhang Yibai, explores several themes of lost, lust, love, and teen angst.
Between 2015 and 2017, Tan appeared in a couple of acting projects—his first drama Hua Yang Jiang Hu (2015), first musical Tiny Times (2015), an adaptation from the film same name, and his first historical drama The Advisors Alliance (2017), as Sima Zhao, the second son of the protagonist Sima Yi. Tan received recognition for his acting skills ifor his portrayal of Sima Zhao.
Following his decision to pivot careers in 2018, Tan starred in Secret of the Three Kingdoms , where he portrayed Cao Pi, the second son of Cao Cao and the first emperor of Wei Dynasty. He then starred in the drama Never Gone, a coming of age romance drama about the group dynamics of childhood friends as they navigate adulthood, college, careers, and love. Tan portrays Zhou Ziyi, an athletic, carefree and frivolous young adult, on a soccer scholarship.
2019-2020 marks some significant landmark projects for Tan. After starring in the family drama Over the Sea I Come to You (2019), romance comedy film Adoring (2019), and family drama Centimeter of Love (2019), Tan starred in republican drama Winter Begonia (2020) and received praise for his performance as an opera singer. The same year he was cast in the drama Winner Is King, adapted from novel Sha Po Lang by Priest alongside Chen Zheyuan. His role as Gu Yun, a military commander, marks Tan's first male lead role. The drama license expired in May 2024, and the project has been shelved.
Tan's domestic breakthrough moment will happen in 2022 for his portrayal of Shen Yi, a genius painter who joined the police force to repay for his involvement in the death of a police officer. The IQIYI drama, Under the Skin, was a dark horse success. Season two was approved in 2023, and filming started in Spring 2024, wrapping up in June 2024. Tan also starred as the charismatic, Qin Huai, from Are You Safe?. The role nailed him two acting nominations at the Macau International TV Festival, including Best Performance by an actor in a Television Series, Outstanding Actor Award.
In 2023, Tan Jianci rose to international stardom for his portrayal of Xiang Liu, the Chenrong (Shennong) General of the resistance army, in the drama, Lost You Forever. Billed in a special guest role, Tan Jianci will bring to life the demon general based on the Chinese classical book The Classic of Mountains and Seas, propelling him into the A-list and earning him several acting awards. Lost You Forever is a live adaptation of Eternal Yearning, a novel by the Chinese novelist Tong Hua. Director Zhen Qin stated Tan Jianci 'was always the only candidate for the role of Xiang Liu."
In the same year, Tan wrapped up the filming of Go East, a historical costume drama based on the Chinese novel, Records of Kings of the Western Regions (Sifang Pavilion). Shortly after wrapping up filming, Tan's urban romance drama with Zhou Ye, Love Me Love My Voice aired on Tencent. While the drama was airing, Tan started filming Filter, a drama based on an original screenplay by Tong Hua.
In 2024, season 2 of Lost You Forever, aired in July 2024. In August, Go East aired on IQIYI.
Tan joined a new film project as announced in his Weibo announcement in February 2025. On February 24, 2025, Tan reunites with writer Tong Hua for an original screenplay, Filter.

### Variety shows

Tan has participated in several variety shows, spanning from his idol years in M.I.C to the present day. He is known for his participation in the dance competition show Shake It Up in March 2012, where he placed fourth in the final round. Tan's acting was showcased on the competition show I Am the Actor (2018), where he earned approval from the audience and achieved an A grade on the show.
He made his stage re-debut as an contestant in Shine Super! Brothers (2020), where he placed first place. In 2022, Tan joined several of his idol colleagues, Meng Jia and Rainie Yang, as mentors for the college dance competition Campus Go, which was hosted by KUN.
In 2023, Tan became a permanent member of the popular variety show, Hello Saturday [zh]. He renewed his contract for 2024.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role |
| 2007 | Lost Indulgence | 秘岸 | Xiao Chuan |
| 2016 | Scary Notes | 恐怖笔记 | Zou Yan |
| 2016 | Master Surrender: The Devil | 天师伏魔·弑魂 | Gao Yuan |
| 2016 | Lord Rebirth | 魔王重生 | Gao Yuan |
| 2019 | Adoring | 宠爱 | Luo Hua |
| 2024 | I Miss You | 被我弄丢的你 | Bai Xiaoyu |

### Television series

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Network |
| 2014 | Soul Food | 深爱食堂 | Xiao Bo | Zhejiang TV |
| 2014 | Strength to Fly | 将爱因为爱情 | Shi Yilang | Tencent |
| 2015 | Hua Yang Jiang Hu | 花样江湖 | Jian Ci | Mango TV |
| 2015 | Intouchable | 男神执事团 | Hua Shengsu | Sohu TV |
| 2017 | The Advisors Alliance | 大军师司马懿之军师联盟 | Sima Zhao | Anhui TV, Jiangsu TV |
| 2017 | Growling Tiger, Roaring Dragon | 大军师司马懿之虎啸龙吟 | Sima Zhao | Youku |
| 2018 | Secret of the Three Kingdoms | 三国机密之潜龙在渊 | Cao Pi | Tencent |
| 2018 | Never Gone | 原来你还在这里 | Zhou Ziyi | Youku |
| 2019 | Over the Sea I Come to You | 带着爸爸去留学 | Chen Kaiwen | Dragon TV, Zhejiang TV |
| 2020 | Wu Xin: The Monster Killer 3 | 无心法师3 | Monkey Demon | iQiyi, Tencent, Youku |
| 2020 | Winter Begonia | 鬓边不是海棠红 | Chen Renxiang | iQiyi |
| 2020 | The Centimeter of Love | 爱的厘米 | Guan Zhenlei | Hunan TV |
| 2020 | Twisted Fate of Love | 今夕何夕 | Pang Yu | Tencent |
| 2021 | Court Lady | 骊歌行 | Li Ke | iQiyi, Tencent, Youku |
| 2021 | Everybody in the House | 一宅家族 | Jian Cilang | iQiyi |
| 2022 | Under the Skin | 猎罪图鉴 | Shen Yi | iQiyi, Tencent |
| 2022 | Are You Safe | 你安全吗 | Qin Huai | Tencent |
| 2023 | Lost You Forever | 长相思 | Xiang Liu/ Fang Feng Bei | Tencent |
| 2023 | Love Me Love My Voice | 很想很想你 | Mo Qingcheng | Tencent |
| 2024 | Lost You Forever 2 | 长相思2 | Xiang Liu/ Fang Feng Bei | Tencent |
| 2024 | Go East | 四方馆 | Yuan Mo | iQIYI |
| 2024 | Under the Skin 2 | 猎罪图鉴2 | Shen Yi | iQIYI, Tencent |
| 2025 | Filter | 滤镜 | Tang Qi | Tencent |
| Shelved | Winner Is King | 烽火流金 | Gu Yun | Tencent |
| TBD | Love Has Fireworks | 爱情有烟火 | Li Yifei | Tencent |

### Television

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Network | Notes/Ref. |
| 2018 | Day Day Up | 天天向上 | Guest | Hunan TV | 20180701 |
| 2018 | I Am the Actor | 我就是演员 | Contestant | Zhejiang TV | |
| 2019 | Happy Camp | 快乐大本营 | Guest | Hunan TV | 20190302 |
| 2019 | Happy Camp | 快乐大本营 | Guest | Hunan TV | 20191221 |
| 2020 | The Treasured Voice (Season 1) | 天赐的声音 (第一季) | Contestant | Zhejiang TV | |
| 2020 | Laughing | 笑起来真好看 | Contestant | Mango TV | Overall champion |
| 2020 | Happy Camp | 快乐大本营 | Guest | Hunan TV | 20200530 |
| 2020 | Crossover Singer (Season 5) | 跨界歌王 (第五季) | Contestant | Beijing TV | |
| 2020 | Shine! Super Brothers | 追光吧！哥哥 | Contestant | Dragon TV, Youku | |
| 2021 | The Pursuit of Happiness | 念念桃花源 | Guest | Zhejiang TV | Ep. 9 |
| 2021 | Happy Camp | 快乐大本营 | Guest | Hunan TV | 20210710 |
| 2021 | Chinese Restaurant (Season 5) | 中餐厅 (第五季) | Guilin | Mango TV | Ep. 5–9 |
| 2021 | Go Shoot | 接招吧！前辈 | Guest | Dragon TV | Ep. 3 |
| 2022 | Let's Go Skiing | 超有趣滑雪大会 | | iQiyi | Ep. 2–4 |
| 2022 | Snow Day | 飘雪的日子来看你 | | BTV, Youku | Ep. 5 |
| 2022 | Hi!6 | 你好，星期六 | Permanent Member | Hunan TV | |
| 2022 | The Treasured Voice (Season 3) | 天赐的声音 (第三季) | Contestant | Zhejiang TV | Ep. 4 |
| 2022 | Campus Go | 沸腾校园 | Permanent Member | Tencent | |
| 2023 | Our Inn | 我们的客栈 | Guest | Zhejiang Satellite TV, iQIYI, Tencent, Youku | Ep. 10 |
| 2023 | Circle of Sound 2 | 声生不息·宝岛季 | Guest | Hunan TV | Ep. 6–7 |
| 2023 | Hi!6 | 你好，星期六 | Permanent Member | Hunan TV | |
| 2024 | Hi!6 | 你好，星期六 | Permanent Member | Hunan TV | |

### Music video

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Singer | Notes/Ref. |
| 2013 | | 风起来的时光 | Zhou Ziyan | |

## Discography

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album | Notes/Ref. |
| 2014 | "Fly Away" | | Solo | |
| 2014 | "Ladybro" | 闺蜜 | Solo | with Zhang Yongxin (Steelo) |
| 2018 | "The Memories I Want to Keep" | 最想保存的回忆 | My Classmate From Far Far Away OST | |
| 2019 | "Adoring" | 宠爱 | Adoring OST | |
| 2020 | | 如果你也在想我 | Twisted Fate of Love OST | |
| 2022 | | 猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin OST | |
| 2023 | Dreams | | Dreams (1st album) | |
| 2023 | "Favor Mortal Fireworks" | 偏爱人间烟火 | Lost You Forever OST | with Yangzi |
| 2023 | "The Wait That Can't Be Waited" | 等不到的等待 | Lost You Forever OST | |
| 2024 | Brilliance | 焕 | Brilliance (2nd album) | |
| 2024 | "Peach Blossom Blood" | 桃花血 | Lost You Forever OST | |
| | ”Do Not Answer" | 不要回答 | 3 Body Problem OST | |
| 2025 | "The Alpeca Song" | 羊驼之歌 | Filter OST | |
| | "Say Goodbye Well" | 好好告别 | Filter OST | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2020 | 7th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actor (Emerald) | — | Nominated |
| 2023 | Tencent Video All Star Award 2023 | All-around Artist of the Year | | Won |
| 2023 | Tencent Video All Star Award 2023 | VIP Star of the Year | | Won |
| 2023 | Asian Television Award | Best Leading Male Performance - Digital | Are You Safe? | Nominated |