Wu Jinyan

Early life and education Wu was born in Chengdu, Sichuan. She began studying ballet at the age of 3. In 2000, she moved from her hometown to train at the Dance School Affiliated to Beijing Dance Academy, working to become a professional ballerina. After 7 years of boarding school, Wu joined the National Ballet of China, where she suffered repeated fractures in her feet. Wu later reported that these injuries caused her to pursue a different career to ballet. In 2009, Wu entered Beijing Film Academy, majoring in acting.

At the Affiliated school, Wu once had a chance to become an actress. The director even invited Wu's parents to persuade her to participate. But the role needed to shave the head, which would affect the dance presentation, she finally gave up this opportunity.

Career 2010–2017: Beginnings During Wu's sophomore year, she began her career by taking part in filming a time-travel television series, which has not been aired yet.

In 2011, Wu signed a contract with Zijun Entertainment, which opened up more acting opportunities for her.

In 2013, Wu played a dual role in the period political drama Beauties at the Crossfire, She also got the nomination of Most Popular Actress at the Shanghai Television Festival.

In 2015, she appeared in the Guan Hu's crime film Mr. Six as a college student begging money to go home, opposite Feng Xiaogang.

In 2016, during the shooting of Waitan Zhong Sheng, Wu made acquaintance with Yu Zheng, a Chinese screenwriter and producer. Then she became an artist of Huanyu Entertainment and was cast as the lead role in the historical drama Zhaoge.

2018–present: Rising popularity In 2018, Wu starred in the historical drama Story of Yanxi Palace. The drama was incredibly popular in China and throughout Asia, streaming over 15 billion times and becoming the most googled show in 2018. Wu gained increased attention and popularity with her role as Wei Yingluo. She gained increased attention after starring in historical fiction The Legend of Haolan (2019) as Li Haolan / Zhao Ji.

In 2019, Wu joined the cast of Youth Periplous, a Chinese variety show broadcast on Zhejiang Television. In August, she ranked 65th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list. In September, Wu portrayed a scriptwriter in the suspense romance drama You Are My Answer which aired on Hunan Television. In October, Wu appeared in the 2019 edition of Forbes 30 Under 30 China list, which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields.

On January 1, 2020, Wu starred in a music video for JJ Lin's song titled The Story of Us . Wu was invited by JJ Lin to participate in the music video after the popularity of Story of Yanxi Palace.

Wu participated in the period drama series Legacy which will premiere exclusively on WarnerMedia's regional streaming service HBO Go at an unspecified date later in 2021. Legacy is a 1920s-set drama that chronicles the lives of the wealthy Yi family and three sisters who vie to inherit their father's shopping mall business. In a time of upheaval and uncertainty, the three sisters set aside their differences to keep the business afloat and save their family.

Personal life Marriage On September 13, 2024, Wu posted a marriage registration photo with actor Hong Yao on Weibo, while Hong also posted the same.

Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes 2011 The Law of Attraction 万有引力 Huang Juan 2015 Mr. Six 老炮儿 Zheng Hong Born to Be Wild 说走就走之不说再见 Xue Qi

Television series

Variety show

Music video appearances Year English title Chinese title Singer Notes 2019 "The Story of Us" 将故事写成我们 JJ Lin As moon rabbit 15th Esquire China's Man At His Best Awards Breakthrough Actress 24th Huading AwardsBest Actress (Ancient Drama)Story of Yanxi Palace 5th The Actors of China Award Ceremony Best Actress (Web series) 10th China TV Drama Awards Young Rising Actress 20194th China Quality Television Drama CeremonySina Weibo Most Talked About Celebrity Online 6th Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China (Wenrong Awards) Best ActressStory of Yanxi Palace, The Legend of Haolan China Entertainment Industry Summit (Golden Pufferfish Awards) Most Promising Commercially Valuable Artist Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival Best ActressThe Legend of Haolan, You Are My Answer