Actors

Allen Deng

Chinois

His expressions! His body language! He says so much with his eyes!

See: The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity, Investiture of the Gods (2019), Ashes of Love (if you can stand Yang Zi's acting)

Ancy Deng

Chinois

She's so young! And so cute! And quite good at emoting!

See: Legend of Awakening

Angel Wang

Chinois

Gorgeous lady,  best in subtle, reserved roles.

See: Nirvana in Fire, The Rise of Phoenixes

Angelababy

Hongkongais

I expect this to be my most controversial pick, and she was quite terrible in her first roles, but she's improved tremendously.

See:  A Murderous Affair at Horizon Tower

Arthur Chen

Chinois

The best at being a cocky little shit.

See: The Legend of Awakening, Ever Night

Bai Jing Ting

Chinois

Looks like a skinny 17 y/o, actually a buff AF 20 something. Great for sports roles, has that plucky but still earnest and hardworking protag aura.

See: Ping Pong Life, Reset

Bai Lu

Chinois

Pretty good range, one of the few actresses that is semi-believable cross-dressing.

See: Song of Youth, Arsenal Military Academy

Betty Sun

Chinois

Another very good actress with a life behind her eyes for each role.

See: Legend of Zhen Huan, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Shadow

Chen Kun

Chinois

Intense! Amazing at playing slightly-to-very unhinged characters.

See: The Rise of Phoenixes, The Yin Yang Master

Cheng Yi

Chinois

King of suffering. he can say so much with only a shift of expression. Very good at soft, loving looks buried amidst agony.

See: Love & Redemption, Stand By Me, The Lost Tomb 2

Darren Wang

Taïwanais

Yes, he has a giant mouth, but he puts it to good use -- can say so much with micro expressions and a shift of his eyes.

See: The Wolf

Dilraba Dilmurat

Chinois

God she's gorgeous... and somehow way better in modern dramas, idk.

See: Eternal Love, Love Designer, You Are My Glory

Eddie Peng

Taïwanais

Has the classic good guy look but can also play other types of roles well. 

See: Duckweed, Rise of the Legend, Wu Kong

Han Hao Lin

Chinois

His performances would be impressive at any age, but especially so from someone so young! His comedic timing is great but so are his drama chops. Can't wait to see what he becomes.

See: Heavenly Sword Dragon Saber, Joy of Life, Snow Sword Stride

Hu Jun

Chinois

Dignified and menacing but also has great comedic timing

See: Snow Sword Stride, Reunion: The Sound of Providence

Huang Xiao Ming

Chinois

Yes, he's mostly known for overacting. But he's improved and/or he's found the type of director that gets the best performances out of him.

See: Nirvana in Fire 2, Winter Begonia

Huang Xuan

Chinois

The consummate actor. Can bring the intensity as well as the comedy, often within the same performance.

See: Tribes and Empires, Luoyang, Minning Town

Huang Yang Tian Tian

Chinois

Great little actress; can see her maturing onscreen.

See: The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Listening Snow Tower

Jackson Yi

Chinois

Really surprisingly good!

See: The Longest Day in Chang'an, Forever Forward

Jeremy Jones Xu

Chinois

Great at playing terrible people with soft bits in the center, tender and longing gazes, and tearing up prettily.

See: The Legend of Dugu, The Autumn Ballad

Jiang Angel

Chinois

Amazing! So much intensity in every performance.

See: Marvelous Women, Tribes and Empires

Leo Wu

Chinois

Still an baby to me tbh

See: Nirvana in Fire, Our Times, Cross Fire

Li Qin

Chinois

J'adore

See: Song of Glory, Joy of Life, The Wolf

Li Zhi Mo

Chinois

Very impressive little actress and cute as a button!

See: Day Breaker

Liu Min Tao

Chinois

Very good, can give such subtle, refined performances.

See: Nirvana in Fire

Liu Yao Yuan

Chinois

I want to pinch his cheeks, he's so cute. Also good at being a smirky schemer.

See: Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, The Ancient Detective

Maggie Cheung

Hongkongais

Gorgeous and  inimitable.

See: Hero, In the Mood for Love; pretty much any Wong Kar Wai film she's in

Michelle Yeoh

Malaisien

The classic.

See: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; pretty much anything in her filmography

Neo Hou

Chinois

Much better than expected.

See: The Lost Tomb 2, Psych Hunter

Qin Hao

Chinois

Just very, very good.

See: The Bad Kids, Sand Sea

Regina Wan

Chinois

My queen!! Her performances are always so layered, there's so much going on behind her eyes. She's just the best and I'm so glad she's getting leading roles regularly now.

See: Secret of Three Kingdoms, Tribes and Empires, The Twelfth Second

Ryan Ding

Chinois

Adorable and small! Just so cute! Great comedic timing!

See: The Romance of Tiger and Rose

Sam Lin

Taïwanais

Excels at looks of longing.

See: We Best Love

Sean Xiao

Chinois

A bit rough at the start, but you can actually see him improving with each role, and sometimes within the same series. Has mastered the pain-filled gaze, at least.

See: The Wolf, The Untamed

Shawn Dou

Chinois

Too good for the crappy romantic lead roles he's keeps getting! He's capable of much more than that.

See: Tribes and Empires

Tony Leung

Hongkongais

The legend.

See: Hero, Infernal Affairs, In the Mood for Love; pretty much any Wong Kar Wai film he's in

Turbo Liu

Chinois

I don't know why his English name is Turbo, but he's been quite good since his debut at like 17.

See: Nirvana in Fire 2, Novoland: Eagle Flag, Detective Chinatown movies if you like that kind of humor

Wang Jin Song

Chinois

Veteran actor who has played everyone's dad. Just has an aura of refined gravitas.

See: Nirvana in Fire, Ultimate Note

Wang Kai

Chinois

What's there to say, it's Wang Kai. Acts well and looks great in hanfu.

See: Nirvana in Fire, The Disguiser

Xin Zhi Lei

Chinois

I love her face and her range is quite wide!

See: Joy of Life, The Wolf, Candle in the Tomb: Wrath of Time

Yang Rong

Chinois

Very good, very lived-in performances.

See: Marvelous Women, Sand Sea

Z. Tao

Chinois

Actually quite good! Dare I say, better than his ex-bandmates.

See: Hot Blooded Youth, Forward Forever (despite his stupid hair and wardrobe)

Zhang Yan Yan

Chinois

Tends to play moms and aunts, but capable of really amazing, subtle performances. My favorite standout scene in NiF is hers.

See: Nirvana in Fire, Nirvana in Fire 2

Zhang Zi Yi

Chinois

Gets paid the big bucks for a reason.

See: The Grandmaster, 2064, The Rebel Princess (despite the uninspired plot and the whole 'playing a 15 y/o' thing, she's very good here)

Zhao Lu Si

Chinois

One of the few Chinese actresses that's actually funny! Can handle dramatic roles as well.

See: The Romance of Tiger and Rose, The Long Ballad

Zhou Yi Wei

Chinois

Such extreme presence! Amazingly intense in every role I've seen him in.

See: Tribes and Empires, The Longest Day in Chang'an, The Rebel Princess

Zoey Meng

Chinois

Beautiful and quite good at bringing a subtle warmth to her performances.

See: Ever Night, The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017)