# Zhou Dongyu

Zhou Dongyu (Chinese: 周冬雨; born 31 January 1992) is a Chinese actress, who gained recognition after appearing in Zhang Yimou's film Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010). She was also chosen by Southern Metropolis Daily as one of the "Four Dan actresses of the post-90s Generation", along with Zheng Shuang, Guan Xiaotong and Yang Zi. In 2016, she won the Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress with her performance in Soul Mate (2016). In 2020, she won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress and Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress with her performance in Better Days (2019).
Zhou ranked 71st on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2017, 7th in 2019, and 3rd in 2020.

## Early life and education

Zhou was born in Shijiazhuang, Hebei to an ordinary working family. When she was in the third grade of primary school, her father died in a car accident, and her mother later remarried. She practiced gymnastics as a child and joined the Shijiazhuang gymnastics team at the age of 12. In middle school, she studied in Shijiazhuang No. 27 Middle School Class 9 in 2004 and Shijiazhuang No. 12 Middle School in Class 2007.

## Career
### 2010–2015: Rising recognition

In 2010, Zhou was picked by Zhang Yimou to star in his film Under the Hawthorn Tree, despite having no acting experience prior to taking on the role. She rose to fame for her appearance in the film and won several awards, including the Best Actress at the 56th Valladolid International Film Spain Festival, Outstanding New Actress at the 14th Huabiao Award and Best New Performer at the 20th Shanghai Film Critics Awards.
In 2011, she starred in Barbara Wong's romance film The Allure of Tears; and also featured in war film The Road Of Exploring, playing Yang Kaihui, the wife of political leader Mao Zedong.
In 2013, she starred in historical romance film The Palace, the fourth installment of the Gong series by Yu Zheng. Variety praised her performance saying, "Zhou holds the screen very well, turning an initially daft personality into an angsty but stoical heroine".
In 2014, she starred alongside Lin Gengxin in youth romance film My Old Classmate. The film topped China's box office and Zhou was praised for her "acting breakthrough". The same year, she featured in comedy Breakup Buddies. Opposite to her usual pure and fresh image, Zhou challenged the role of a "Smart" in the film. Breakup Buddies became one of the highest-grossing films of all time in China.
In 2015, she starred opposite Ethan Juan in suspense film The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan and youth drama The Ark of Mr. Chow alongside Sun Honglei.

### 2016–present: Critical acclaim

Zhou achieved breakthrough with her performance in the film Soul Mate, based on the novel of the same name by Anni Baobei. Zhou received the Best Actress award at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards together with her Soul Mate co-star Sandra Ma, and also won Best Actress at the 28th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award. The same year, she won the Best Actress award at the 8th Macau International Movie Festival for her performance in the South Korean-Chinese romance film Never Said Goodbye. Zhou also starred in her first television series, spy war drama Sparrow. The series was commercially successful, and became the highest rated war drama to date with a peak rating of 2.46 and 11 billion online views. Zhou was praised by both the audience and director for successfully tackling a challenging role.
In 2017, Zhou starred alongside Takeshi Kaneshiro in the romantic comedy This Is Not What I Expected. The film grossed over 100 million yuan and received an 8.9 out of 10 score on Maoyan. Along with the success of Soul Mate, Zhou was coined the representative of Chinese chick flicks. The same year, she starred in the coming-of-age romance drama Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day alongside Zhang Yishan; and featured in science fiction wuxia film The Thousand Faces of Dunjia directed by Tsui Hark.
In 2018, Zhou starred in Rene Liu's romance film Us and Them alongside Jing Boran. It was a hit in China, earning $191 million over its first two weekends.
In 2019, Zhou starred in the youth film Better Days helmed by Soul Mate director Derek Tsang, that tackles school bullying. The film topped box office and received positive reviews. Zhou won the Best Actress at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards for her performance. The same year, she featured in the drama film On The Balcony which she serves as one of the co-producers. Zhou ranked seventh on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2019, the highest for female celebrities.
In 2021, Zhou starred alongside Xu Kai in the series Ancient Love Poetry.
In 2023, Zhou starred in the film The Breaking Ice by Singaporean director Anthony Chen, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and competed as part of the Un Certain Regard.

## Personal life

Zhou was born in Shijiazhuang, Hebei. She graduated from the Beijing Film Academy.
At the 2010 Hawaii International Film Festival, she apologized in Mandarin that she spoke no English (unlike her co-star Shawn Dou who interpreted for her). At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, however, she was able to talk in fluent English.

## Political views

In March 2021, Zhou terminated her contract with Burberry as brand ambassador after the company announced that they would discontinue cotton purchases from the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang amidst allegations of forced labor, human rights violations and persecution of the Uyghur ethnic minority population in China by the US State Department. Widely seen as a pro-nationalist move, her actions were mimicked by other Chinese celebrities.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Under the Hawthorn Tree | Jing Qiu | |
| 2011 | The Road of Exploring | Yang Kaihui | |
| 2011 | The Allure of Tears | Geilimei | Omnibus film |
| 2013 | The Palace | Chen Xiang | |
| 2014 | My Old Classmate | Zhou Xiaozhi | |
| 2014 | Breakup Buddies | Zhou Lijuan | |
| 2015 | The Unbearable Lightness of Inspector Fan | Hui Lan | |
| 2015 | The Ark of Mr. Chow | Zhou Lan | |
| 2016 | Everybody's Fine | Girl stopping the bus | Cameo |
| 2016 | The New Year's Eve of Old Lee | Doa Yazi | Special appearance |
| 2016 | Run for Love | Bai Qiezi | Segment: "Stolen Heart" |
| 2016 | Lost in White | Zhou Xinyi | |
| 2016 | Never Said Goodbye | Gu Xiaoyou | |
| 2016 | Soul Mate | Li Ansheng | |
| 2017 | A Nail Clipper Romance | Emily | |
| 2017 | This Is Not What I Expected | Gu Shengnan | |
| 2017 | The Founding of an Army | Fan Guixia | Cameo |
| 2017 | City of Rock | Lili | Guest appearance |
| 2017 | The Thousand Faces of Dunjia | Xiao Yuan | |
| 2018 | Us and Them | Xiao Xiao | |
| 2018 | Animal World | Liu Qing | Special appearance |
| 2018 | Goddesses in the Flames of War | Xiao Yu | |
| 2018 | Kung Fu Monster | Xiong Jiaojiao | Special appearance |
| 2019 | On The Balcony | Lu Shanshan | Special appearance; also producer |
| 2019 | My People, My Country | Nurse | Segment: "Passing by" |
| 2019 | Better Days | Chen Nian | |
| 2021 | A Fangirl's Romance | Gao Bei | Special appearance |
| 2021 | The Year of the Everlasting Storm | Young wife | Segment: "The Break Away" |
| 2021 | Embrace Again | Xia Xiao | |
| 2022 | Ode to the Spring | Shang Xiaoyu | |
| 2023 | Tale of the Night | Lanzhou girl | Cameo |
| 2023 | Born to Fly | Shen Tianran | |
| 2023 | My Youth and I | Zhou Xiaoyu | Internet film |
| 2023 | The Breaking Ice | Nana | |
| 2023 | Under the Light | Li Huilin | |
| 2023 | Tainted Love | Zhou Ran | |
| 2023 | Trending Topic | Chen Miao | |
| 2024 | Strangers When We Meet | Chang Juan | |
| TBA | Moses on the Plains | Li Fei | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Sparrow | Xu Bicheng | |
| 2017 | Love & Life & Lie | Liu Xintong | |
| 2017 | Mo Du Feng Yun | Xiao Yao | |
| 2017 | Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day | Xiao Hong | Also producer |
| 2019 | Behind The Scenes | Bu Xiaogu | |
| 2020 | New World | Jia Xiaoduo | Cameo |
| 2021 | Ancient Love Poetry | Shang Gu / Hou Chi | |

### Variety show

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | We Are In Love | Cast member | with Shawn Yue |
| 2017 | Chinese Restaurant | Cast member | |
| 2018 | I Actor | Mentor | |
| 2019 | The Protectors | Cast member | |

## Discography
### Singles

| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album | Notes |
| 2016 | "Little Windchime" | 小风铃 | Mr. Nian OST | |
| 2016 | "Imperfect Girl" | 不完美女孩 | | Promotional song for We Are In Love |
| 2017 | "If I Love You" | 如果我爱你 | Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day OST | with Zhang Yishan |
| 2018 | "Strong Country Generation I Am Here" | 强国一代有我在 | | Promotional song for CCYL |
| 2019 | "China Happy Events" | 中国喜事 | | Performance for CCTV Spring Gala with Phoenix Legend, Wallace Chung, Dilraba Dilmurat, & Lay Zhang |
| 2019 | "My Motherland and I" | 我和我的祖国 | | For People's Republic of China's 70th anniversary with Wei Daxun, Ma Tianyu, Guan Xiaotong, Xu Weizhou & Ju Jingyi |
| 2019 | "My Motherland and I" | 我和我的祖国 | My People My Country OST | with Chen Feiyu, Liu Haoran, Ou Hao & Zhu Yilong |
| 2019 | "Starry Sea" | 星辰大海 | | For China Movie Channel Young Actors Project with 31 other actors |
| 2020 | "Hello 2020" | 你好2020 | | Performance for CCTV Spring Gala with Li Xian, Li Qin, Ma Sichun & Zhu Yilong |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2011 | 23rd Harbin Ice and Snow Film Festival | Most Commercially Valuable Newcomer | Under the Hawthorn Tree | Won |
| 2011 | 5th Asian Film Awards | Best Newcomer | Under the Hawthorn Tree | Nominated |
| 2011 | 20th Shanghai Film Critics Awards | Best Newcomer | Under the Hawthorn Tree | Won |
| 2011 | 14th Huabiao Awards | Outstanding New Actress | Under the Hawthorn Tree | Won |
| 2011 | 56th Valladolid International Film Festival | Best Actress | Under the Hawthorn Tree | Won |
| 2015 | 6th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Actress | My Old Classmate | Nominated |
| 2015 | 15th Chinese Film Media Awards | Most Anticipated Actress | My Old Classmate | Won |
| 2016 | 8th Macau International Movie Festival | Best Actress | Never Say Goodbye | Won |
| 2016 | 53rd Golden Horse Awards | Best Actress (with Ma Sichun) | Soul Mate | Won |
| 2017 | 23rd Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Won |
| 2017 | 1st Malaysia International Film Festival | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Nominated |
| 2017 | 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Nominated |
| 2017 | 8th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Nominated |
| 2017 | 2nd Brics Film Festival | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Won |
| 2017 | 17th Chinese Film Media Awards | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Won |
| 2017 | 2nd Golden Screen Awards | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Won |
| 2017 | 36th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Nominated |
| 2017 | 31st Golden Rooster Awards | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Nominated |
| 2017 | 22nd Huading Awards | Best Actress (Revolutionary-Era Drama) | Sparrow | Nominated |
| 2017 | 8th Macau International Television Festival | Best Actress | Shall I Compare You to a Spring Day | Nominated |
| 2017 | 14th Guangzhou Student Film Festival | Most Popular Actress | This Is Not What I Expected | Won |
| 2018 | 12th Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | This Is Not What I Expected | Nominated |
| 2018 | 9th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Actress | This Is Not What I Expected | Won |
| 2018 | 34th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actress | Soul Mate | Nominated |
| 2018 | 18th Chinese Film Media Awards | Most Popular Actress | Us and Them | Won |
| 2018 | 12th Tencent Video Star Awards | Most Popular Film Actress | Us and Them | Won |
| 2019 | 10th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Best Actress | Us and Them | Nominated |
| 2019 | 32nd Golden Rooster Awards | Best Actress | Us and Them | Nominated |
| 2019 | 6th The Actors of China Award Ceremony | Best Actress (Emerald Category) | Behind The Scenes | Nominated |
| 2019 | Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival | Best Actress | Behind The Scenes | Nominated |
| 2019 | Cosmo Glam Night | Person of The Year (Dream) | — | Won |
| 2019 | 4th Macao Film Festival Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Won |
| 2019 | Tencent Entertainment White Paper | Film Actress of the Year | Better Days | Won |
| 2019 | Jinri Toutiao Awards Ceremony | Brand Value Star of the Year | — | Won |
| 2020 | Weibo Awards Ceremony | Influential Actor of the Year | — | Won |
| 2020 | 26th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Nominated |
| 2020 | 31st Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Won |
| 2020 | 39th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Won |
| 2020 | 11th China Film Director's Guild Awards | Actress of the Year | Better Days | Won |
| 2020 | 27th Huading Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Nominated |
| 2020 | 35th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Won |
| 2020 | 14th Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Won |
| 2020 | 33rd Golden Rooster Awards | Best Actress | Better Days | Won |

### Forbes China Celebrity 100

| Year | Rank |
| 2017 | 71st |
| 2019 | 7th |
| 2020 | 3rd |

### Honours

* Jury member at the 2024 Busan International Film Festival for its main competition section 'New Currents Award'.