Yang Zi

Yang Zi (, born 6 November 1992), also known as Andy Yang, is a Chinese actress and singer. She graduated from the Performing Arts School of Beijing Film Academy (BFA) in 2014. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of the post-90s Generation (90Hou Si Xiao Hua Dan ).
Early life
Yang was born as Yang Niao () on 6 November 1992 in Fangshan district, Beijing, China. Her father Yang Yunfei was a firefighter and mother Ma Haiyan was a housewife. From an early age, she had a passion for acting and first starred in Ru Ci Chu Shan at the age of 6.
Yang studied at Beijing Xingcheng Primary School in Fangshan District and Beijing No. 55 High School in Dongcheng District. In 2010, she was admitted to Beijing Film Academy.
Career
In 1999, Yang made her acting debut, playing Zhou Qiong in Ru Ci Chu Shan.
2000s
In 2002, Yang had a minor role as little Consort Donggo in Xiaozhuang Epic. In 2004, she made her big-screen debut in the film Girl's Diary for which she received a Best Child Actor nomination at the 12th Tongniu Film Award. In 2005, Yang rose to prominence for playing Xia Xue in the Chinese sitcom Home with Kids. The series reached number one in ratings when it aired in China, and won the Outstanding Television Series (for children) award at the Flying Apsaras Awards and the Golden Eagle Awards.
In 2006, she reprised her role as Xia Xue in the sequel Home with Kids 2, though not in the subsequent installments. In 2008, Yang released her first solo album titled Home with Snow, which is named after her character's name in Home with Kids. In 2009, Yang played her first leading role in the youth romance drama Girl Rushes Forward.
2010s
In February 2011, Yang starred in the family drama Love Comes Knocking on the Door, based on the novel Stepmother by Geling Yan. Her role as a rebellious teenager allowed her to successfully shed her image of a "child star". In May 2012, Yang starred in the medical drama Angel Heart, portraying a kindhearted nurse. In August, she starred in the horror mystery thriller film Insisrence, and won the Best Newcomer Award at the 14th Golden Phoenix Awards. In 2013, Yang starred in the romance drama Flowers in Fog, written by acclaimed Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao. The same year, she played the lead role in the period comedy drama King Rouge.
In March 2014, Yang starred in her first war drama Battle of Changsha, directed by Magnolia Award-winner Kong Sheng. The series was a critical success and was voted Best Drama of 2014 in major streaming website Douban after being broadcast on CCTV-8 beginning mid-July 2014. In 2015, Yang starred in period drama Yangko Dance, which received positive reviews and topped television ratings. The same year, she co-starred in the horror mystery web series The Ferryman.
In 2016, she starred in the metropolitan romance drama Ode to Joy, which depicts the stories of five young women who comes from different social and educational backgrounds, but share a common goal. The series received critical acclaim and commercial success, and Yang gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Qiu Yingying, a simple-minded girl from a small town. Yang was nominated for the Best Actress award at the China TV Golden Eagle Award for her performance. She then portrayed Lu Xueqi, one of the two female protagonists in Noble Aspirations, the television series adaption of the Xianxia novel Zhu Xian. The drama was a commercial success and accumulated 23 billion views online, the highest record held by a Chinese drama at that time. Yang gained wider popularity as a result and was nominated at the 22nd Huading Awards as Best Actress in the ancient drama category for her performance. The same year, she co-starred in Crying Out in Love, a film based on the romance novel Socrates in Love by Japanese novelist Kyoichi Katayama. In 2017, Yang reprised her role as Qiu Yingying in the second installment of Ode to Joy and starred in the historical romance comedy drama Legend of Dragon Pearl.
In 2018, she starred in The Destiny of White Snake, a fantasy romance drama based on the renowned Chinese folktale. Yang's portrayal of the innocent and naive snake spirit; as well as her voice-dub for the character, received positive reviews. The same year, Yang starred in the fantasy romance drama Ashes of Love, playing an innocent and lively fairy maiden. The series was a commercial success, topping both television and web ratings; and received positive reviews. Yang received acclaim for her acting and experienced a new high in popularity. Forbes China listed Yang under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields.
In 2019, Yang starred in the romantic comedy drama Go Go Squid!, playing a talented computer major who is also a popular online singer. The drama topped television ratings and had been streamed more than 9.6 billion times in its timeslot and was praised for its transmitting positive and uplifting messages such as the pursuit of dreams as well as patriotism. The success of Go Go Squid reaffirmed Yang's popularity. Then Yang featured in the disaster film The Bravest as the wife of a firefighter, and won the Most Popular Supporting Actress award at the 16th Guangzhou Student Film Festival. The same year, he starred in the crime suspense film Bodies at Rest playing a forensics scientist. She then starred in the romance environmental protection drama My Mowgli Boy where she played a marketing executive.
2020s
In 2020, she featured in nationalistic film My People, My Homeland. Then she starred in Hear Her, the first monologue series in China about women's rights. Hear Her is based on the format of BBC Studio's short-film series Snatches: Moments from Women's Lives. Yang has appeared on the Forbes Asia 100 Digital Star list, comprising 100 artists from across the Asia-Pacific region who have been able to stay active, raise awareness and inspire optimism despite the cancellation of physical events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Yang played a guest role in Go Go Squid 2 Dt.Appledog's Time, the sequel to her hit drama Go Go Squid!. On July 1, Yang participated in the "Great Journey", a large-scale epic theatrical performance to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and performed in the inaugural skit titled "Breaking Dawn" along with several other artists. She then starred in the urban drama Psychologist, the television series adaption of Bi Shumin's 2007 novel "Female Psychologist".