Han Lei

Han Lei (; born February 23, 1968), also known in Mongolian as Senbor, is a Chinese folk and pop singer-songwriter of Mongolian ethnicity. Renowned for his powerful, resonant voice, Han has been a prominent figure in the Chinese music industry for over three decades. He is best known for his fusion of traditional ethnic elements with contemporary pop and his extensive work on theme songs for TV dramas and films. Han has performed on multiple CCTV Spring Festival Galas and won the inaugural season of the singing competition I Am a Singer in 2014. In 2025, he received the Weibo Music Awards - Annual Industry Achievement Award for his enduring contributions to Chinese music.

Early life and education

Han Lei was born on 23 February 1968 in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, to a family with artistic inclinations. His father was of Han Chinese descent and a veteran of the Chinese Civil War, while his mother was Mongolian and worked as a kindergarten teacher; Han registered under his mother's ethnicity. Growing up in a culturally rich environment, he developed an early interest in music. In 1982, at the age of 14, Han enrolled at the Affiliated Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studied the trombone. In 1988, he toured western Europe with the Central Conservatory Youth Symphony Orchestra. From 1989 to around 1991, he served as a trombonist in the Inner Mongolia Opera House Symphony Orchestra, a career he did not foresee much promise. He quit this job around 1991 and set off to Beijing to pursue a career as a singer.

Career Han Lei made his debut in July 1991 at the "New Voice" show (新人新声), his performance was well received by industry experts and audience. in 1998 he returned to the Gala to perform "Zou Sifang" (走四方), one of the most memorable performances in the song and dance category of the Gala that year, which became his signature hit and propelled him to national stardom. He has since appeared on the Gala eight more times, the most recent performance in the 2017 show.

Han has recorded over 700 theme songs for various Chinese TV Series, including the introductory theme to Kangxi Dynasty, "Borrow Another Five Hundred Years from Heaven" (向天在借五百年). He also performed the main theme "I'll Go with you to the Ends of the Earth" (跟着你到天边) in film Coming Home directed by Zhang Yimou.