The Forbes China Celebrity 100 list, is a list that ranks Chinese celebrities based on their influence. The list is released annually and takes into account factors such as income, amount of exposure across multiple media types and search engine hits. Given below are the top 10 celebrities on the list for 2021.
1. Jackson Yee
Jackson Yee is a dancer, singer, and actor. He is a member of the boy group TFBOYS. Jackson joined the group at the young age of 13. At the age of 14, he began sponsoring underprivileged children, and finally set up his own foundation on his 17th birthday. Jackson became the first spokesperson of Bottega Veneta in the Asia Pacific region. Jackson is also the youth representative of the United Nations Asia Pacific region.
2. Wang Yibo
Wang Yibo is a TV host, professional motorcycle racer, rapper, actor, singer, and dancer. He made his entry into the entertainment world in 2014 with his debut in the South Korean-Chinese boy group UNIQ. Wang Yibo is widely known for his role as Lan Wangji from the Chinese hit drama ‘The Untamed’. In 2019, Wang Yibo participated in the Asia Road Racing Championship, representing the Yamaha China Racing Team (Xiangzhou, Zhuhai). In the same year, he won the 2019 Sina’s Most Popular Actor of the year.
3. Jia Ling
Jia Ling is an actress. She made her debut in 2010 when she appeared in the 2010 CCTV New Year’s Gala. Jia Ling appeared in a segment called ‘Gala Talk’. The segment was later on voted as the third most favourite performance of the night. Jia Ling’s movie ‘Hi Mom’ allowed her to officially become the world’s highest-grossing female director, surpassing Patty Jenkins, for a single film.
4. Yang Mi
Yang Mi is an actor, singer, and producer. The actress got the opportunity to star in Stephen Chow’s, martial arts-based movie ‘King Of Beggars’ at the young age of 6. Yang had set up her own agency, Jay Walk, in collaboration with H&R Century Pictures in the year 2012. The entertainment agency houses popular celebrities such as Dilireba, Vengo Gao, and Vin Zhang. Yang Mi is said to be Dilireba’s personal mentor. Her agency has also produced many of Yang Mi’s own dramas including, ‘Eternal Love’ and ‘The Interpreter’.
5. Jay Chou
Jay Chou is a singer-songwriter, rapper, actor, record producer, film director, magician, and businessman. He has been crowned as the ‘King of Mandopop’ and has sold over 30 million albums, making him one of the best-selling artists in Mainland China. Jay had released his debut studio album, ‘Jay’ in the year 2000. He rose to fame with the release of ‘Fantasy’, his second studio album. The album combined both Eastern and Western Music styles. Jay Chou established his own management and record company, JVR Music, in 2007.Jay made his acting debut in the film titled, ‘Initial D’.
6. Lay Zhang
Zhang Yixing, professionally known as Lay or Lay Zhang, is the main dancer of the Korean boy group EXO, and is signed under SM Entertainment. Lay is also a well established rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, director, and actor. Prior to his debut with EXO, he worked with SHINee as Jognhyun’s dancer replacement in their concert. In 2005, Lay was a child star in Hunan, having ranked third in a competition held by the popular TV program, Star Academy. He made his acting debut with the Chinese film ‘Oh My God!’. He started his own entertainment agency in 2020, Chromosome Entertainment.
7. Zhao Liying
Zhao Liying is a TV and film actress, who is also currently one of the most paid Chinese TV actresses. She began her career with ‘Century Endless Love’, a tv series that was never broadcast. Zhao made her official acting debut in 2007 with ‘Nanyue King’. She featured in multiple films and TV as majors and minor roles until finally landing a role in the TV series ‘The Legend Of Lu Zhen’, which propelled her into mainstream acting. Zhou Liying has received multiple awards for her performances throughout the years.
8. Yang Zi
Yang Zi, professionally known as Andy Yang, is an actress, model, and singer. She is highly noted for her roles in ‘Battle Of Changsha’, ‘Ashes Of Love’ and ‘Go Go Squid!’. Yang made her acting debut in 1999 in ‘Ru Ci Chu Shan’, which was finally broadcast in 2002. She made her big-screen debut in the 2003 film, ‘Girl’s Diary’. Yang Zi was nominated for the Best Child Actor award at the Tongniu Film Awards. She finally rose to prominence in 2005 after playing the role of Xia Xue in the hit sitcom ‘Home With Kids’. Since this sitcom aired, Yang Zi has become a household name in China.
9. Wang Junkai
Wang Junkai, or Karry Wang as he is professionally known as, is an actor and singer, and the leader of the Chinese boy group TFBOYS. In 2015, he set the Guinness World Record for having the ‘Most Reposted Weibo Posts’. Wang released his first solo single ‘Ode To A Tree’ in 2016, followed by another single ‘Memory In Ferris Wheel’. ‘Memory In Ferris Wheel’ featured as a soundtrack in the web series, ‘Finding Soul’. Since 2018, Karry has been the UN Environment National Goodwill Ambassador, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
10. Jackson Wang
Jackson Wang is a rapper, dancer, and singer. He was the lead dancer, lead rapper, sub-vocalist and the face of the Korean boy group GOT7 (now disbanded). Jackson’s father, Wang Ruiji, was part of the Chinese national fencing team. While his mother, Sophia Chow, is a former acrobatics gymnast. Jackson himself had been a national fencing champion prior to moving to South Korea to become a trainer. Jackson is the founder of Team Wang, a record label. Jackson Wang is currently also the creative director and lead designer ofTeam Wang Designs.
