Xu Kai

Xu Kai (, born 5 March 1995) is a Chinese actor and model. He is known for his roles in television series Story of Yanxi Palace, The Legends, Arsenal Military Academy: AMA, Falling into Your Smile, Royal Feast, Best Choice Ever, As beautiful as you and Moonlit Reunion.

Early life Xu was born on 5 March 1995 in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. He has an elder brother. He studied finance at South China Agricultural University before dropping out in 2016 to pursue an acting career.

Career Beginning In 2013, Xu started his career as a model by winning the 1st place in the print ads/ graphic category at China's International Model Contest held in Guangzhou. In 2016, he entered the entertainment industry after signing a contract with Huanyu Film, a company owned by Yu Zheng That same year, he was cast in his first television drama Zhaoge, where he played Yang Jian, though the series was never aired.

2018–present: Rising popularity In 2018, Xu starred in the historical romance drama Untouchable Lovers. Later, he starred in a palace drama Story of Yanxi Palace, where he gained mainstream recognition for his role of Fucha Fuheng. The drama was enormously popular in China and international markets. The series trended at No. 1 and was most searched drama globally.

In 2019, Xu made his big-screen debut in the romance film Autumn Fairy Tale. He played his first lead role as Li Chenlan in historical drama The Legends. his role as a loyal and reticent demon prince in the series received positive responses and a surge in his popularity. He starred in the youth based military drama Arsenal Military Academy as Gu Yenzhen. His portrayal of rich playboy earned him the "Best Actor Award" at the Hengdian Film and at TV Festival of China and Singapore's StarHub Night of Stars. based on the manhua Congqian Youzuo Lingjianshan.

In 2020, Xu starred in the historical fantasy drama Dance of the Sky Empire. He also starred in the Chinese Xianxia fantasy romance series Ancient Love Poetry as Bai Jue.

In 2022, Xu played lead role of Zhu Zhanji in the historical fiction drama Royal Feast, which gained more than 400M in the viewership. He played Ding Yunqi, in a treasure hunter series Lost in the Kunlun Mountains. Later, he played an innocent soft-spoken Yang Hua, in a modern drama She and Her Perfect Husband. All the series received decent response.

In February 2023, Xu began filming for his upcoming modern drama titled As Beautiful As You. The drama is based on the Chinese novel As Beautiful as Beijing by author Jiu Yue Xi.

Endorsements From 2018 onwards, Xu has collaborated with various luxurious international brands such as Givenchy, Adidas, Versace, Tom Ford, Tiffany & Co., Roger Dubuis, Disney, Ralph Lauren, Bvlgari and Brunello Cucinelli.

Since 2018, Xu has collaborated with the Italian luxury house Fendi. In August 2021, the brand officially announced Xu as its brand ambassador. He also appears in the brand's campaign for Qixi, one of China's local iterations of Valentine's Day, which falls in August.

In October 2021, C. & J. Clark International Ltd, a British international shoe manufacturer, announced Xu as the brand's first spokesperson for Greater China. Later in the same year, the global fashion lifestyle brand Samsonite, announced Xu as its brand ambassador in China.

In May 2022, Xu was cover star for Grazia China Magazine. In December 2022, Xu takes the cover story of Harper's Bazaar China. He also stars in the cover story of Elle Men Fresh China Fall 2020 Issue.

On April 26, 2023, Xu attended Avrora Awards Ceremony in Beijing, China as brand ambassador for Bvlgari.

Public image Xu was listed in Forbes China "Top Influential People under 30 years old", for his substantial impact in the entertainment fields. By February 2023, he had more than 20.4M followers on Weibo. He ranked 2nd in "Most Handsome Chinese Idol 2021". He is ranked 2nd in "Best Chinese Actor", "Popular Actor" as per media index and "Most Handsome Chinese Actor 2023". He is "Top 5: Most Famous, Under 30 Chinese Actor" in terms of popularity.

Filmography Film

Discography Soundtrack appearances Year English title Chinese title Album Notes 2019 "Entering a Dream" 入梦 Arsenal Military Academy OST with Bai Lu 2021 "Soulmate" 第一默契 Falling Into Your Smile OST with Cheng Xiao

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 20187th iQIYI All-Star CarnivalPromising Actor Award 12th Tencent Video Star Awards DOKI New Force Award 20196th The Actors of China Award Ceremony Best Actor (Web series)Arsenal Military Academy 6th Hengdian Film and TV Festival of China (Wenrong Awards)Best Actor StarHub Night of Stars 2019 Best Actor (China) Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television FestivalBest ActorThe Legends, Arsenal Military Academy, Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain 8th iQIYI All-Star Carnival Most Popular Drama Actor 16th Esquire Man At His Best Awards Television Actor of the Year Tencent Video All Star AwardsTrendy Figure of the Year 2020Tencent Video All Star AwardsMost Leap Actor of the Year 17th Esquire Man At His Best AwardsBreakthrough Artist of the Year