Lucy MacDonald Connolly
Chinese celebrities have the potential to introduce your brand to an audience of millions of people. Below is a list of the top ten male celebrities in China that have reached huge popularity domestically and are only expected to grow internationally.
Chen Kun
As a top Chinese actor and singer, Chen has one of the largest followings on Weibo with over 94 million followers. He is known for his roles in Painted Skin and the 2018 Chinese television series The Rise of the Phoenixes. He gained international recognition for his work in Balzac et La Petite Tailleuse Chinoise that premiered at the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival. As the winner of the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor, Chen is one of China’s most sought-after stars.
He Jiong
He Jiong has been the host of China’s popular variety show Happy Camp for over ten years. The show boasts the Guinness World Record title of having the most followers on Weibo for a variety show. He Jiong himself boasts a staggering 111,602,450 Weibo followers making him the most followed male celebrity. Having released several albums as a singer and having several films and TV work under his belt for the coming years, he is truly one of China’s biggest stars.
Deng Chao
Deng Chao is a Chinese actor, comedian, director and singer. His recent films, The Breakup Guru, The Mermaid and Duckweed are among the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time in China. Deng has earned multiple titles including Best Actor at the Golden Rooster Awards. He has one of the largest Weibo followings with 77,7778,232 followers.
Kris Wu
Kris Wu is one of the fastest emerging stars in China right now, originally being a member of the Korean-Chinese boyband EXO, he now records independently. He is also an actor, having gained international recognition for his leading role in Somewhere Only We Know. This led to Kris securing a Hollywood role in the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
Yang Yang
Yang Yang is a popular Chinese actor who rose to fame for his role in the TV adaption of The Dream of Red Mansions, one of China’s greatest classical novels. He is also renowned for his roles in The Lost Tomb and Once Upon a Time in which he played the lead role. Whilst he has not had many major film roles, he is extremely popular in China with over 50 million Weibo followers.
Li Yifeng
Li Yifeng is a Chinese actor and singer who became popular after winning a talent show in 2007. He has since released three EP’s and two albums making him a household name, particularly with Chinese millennials, in the TV series Swords of Legend. He is also considered a fashion icon in China, having won the Elle Style Award in 2014 and being ranked No. 9 in the Forbes Chinese celebrity list in 2015.
Hu Ge
He is a Chinese actor and singer who skyrocketed to fame after playing the lead role in the TV series Chinese Paladin. Since then he has starred in several iconic historical television series that have achieved huge success in China. His role in Nirvana in Fire earned him the Best Actor Award at the Magnolia Awards and the Golden Eagle Awards. Many are inspired by Hu’s recovery after he was injured in a car accident in 2006 in which he wrote a book documenting his process.
Lu Han
Lu Han is a Chinese singer and actor who was previously a member of the South Korean Chinese boy group, Ex. Since going solo, he has realised his album Reloaded and has starred in several box office hits starred in his first television series Fighter of Destiny. In 2017, he was listed as the second-highest-paid celebrity in the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list and won the iQiyi Scream Night 2019 all-round artists of the year award.
