Li Yifeng

Li Yifeng
Li Yifeng
李易峰
Born	Li He; 4 May 1987 (age 37); Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Alma mater	Sichuan Normal University
Occupations	Actor; Singer;
Years active	2007–2022
Agent	Bravo Stars
	Musical career
Also known as	Evan Li
Origin	Shanghai, China
Genres	Mandopop
Instrument	Vocals
Legal name: Li Yifeng
Chinese	李易峰
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Yìfēng
Birth name: Li He
Simplified Chinese	李贺
Traditional Chinese	李賀
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Hè

Li Yifeng (born Li He, 4 May 1987) also known as Evan Li, is a Chinese actor and singer. Li launched his career after participating in the talent show My Hero (2007). Since 2009, he shifted to acting. Li is known for his roles in television dramas Swords of Legends (2014), The Lost Tomb (2015), Noble Aspirations (2016), Sparrow (2016), Fearless Whispers (2020), Day Breaker (2022), as well as in films Mr. Six (2015), for which he won the Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Supporting Actor, and Animal World (2018). Li ranked 9th on Forbes China Celebrity list in 2015, 11th in 2017, and 26th in 2019.

Quick Facts Born, Alma mater ...

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Li's career was suspended in 2022 after he was detained by the police for soliciting prostitutes.

Li was born in Chengdu, Sichuan.

Primary School (1994–2000): Chengdu Sanshengjie Primary School
Junior High School (2000–2003): Chengdu Xuedao Street Middle School
Senior High School (2003–2006): Chengdu Fifth Middle School
University (2006–2010): Department of Broadcasting and Hosting, School of Film and Television, Sichuan Normal University

2007–2013: Beginnings

In 2007, Li participated in the talent show, My Hero, coming in at 8th place and winning the Most Popular Contestant award.^[1] He released his first single "The One I Love Hurts Me The Most" and his first EP Four Leaf Clover in November 2007.

In 2009, Li made his acting debut in the drama The Prince of Tennis 2, adapted from the Japanese anime The Prince of Tennis. His role is the equivalent of Saeki Kojirou in the original anime.^[2] The same year, Li released his first full-length album Mr Child.^[3]

Li gained recognition after starring in the Taiwanese drama Sunny Happiness, which achieved high ratings in both Taiwan and China.^[4] He received the Best New Actor award at the 2011 China TV Drama Awards for his performance.^[5] The same year, he made his feature film debut in Lovesick, starring alongside Ariel Lin and Chen Bolin.^[6]

In 2012, Li starred in the television series White Lies and earned praise for his performance as an autistic youth.^[7] In 2013, Li starred in the romance revenge drama The Return of a Princess,^[8] and won the Best Acting Idol award at the 2013 China TV Drama Awards and the Most Popular Actor award at the 2013 LeTV Awards.^[9]

2014–2022: Breakthrough and mainstream popularity

Li achieved breakthrough with the fantasy action drama Swords of Legends (2014), where he portrayed the protagonist Baili Tusu.^[10] Li became the first male actor to win the Newcomer Award at the 2014 Elle Style Awards.^[11] The same year, Li released his first autobiographical book entitled A Once in a Lifetime Moment.^[12]

Li solidified his popularity with two hit dramas in 2015: period drama Legend of Fragrance^[13] and action adventure web drama The Lost Tomb where he played the role of Wu Xie,^[14] based on the popular tomb-raiding novel Daomu Biji.^[15] The same year Li worked as a producer for the first time, taking part in the production of outdoor variety show Lets Go! Go! Go!.^[16]

Li's starred in two films in 2015, coming-of-age tale Forever Young^[17] and romance drama Fall in Love Like a Star,^[18] both were panned by critics. He bounced back in December 2015 with a supporting role in Feng Xiaogang's crime blockbuster Mr. Six, where he plays a rebellious youth who runs away from home because of conflicts with his father and later gets into trouble with gangsters.^{[citation needed]} The film topped Chinese box office charts and won critical acclaim.^[19]^[20] Li won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance at the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards.^{[citation needed]}

Following his success, Li entered the 2015 Forbes Chinese Celebrity list for the first time, placing at 9th with an estimated revenue of 69 million yuan (10.5 million dollars; 9.6 million euros).^[21] He was also named "Most Commercially Valuable Celebrity" by CBN Weekly.^[22]

In 2016, Li was appointed the Chinese Spectator Ambassador for the blockbuster film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.^[23] The same month, Li the attended 2016 Style Icon Asia Awards as the only Chinese representative, and won the 2016 SIA Style Icon Award.^[24]

In 2016, Li starred as the protagonist in both seasons of Noble Aspirations, adapted from popular xianxia novel Zhu Xian.^[25]^[26] The drama received positive reviews and surpassed 28 billion views, becoming one of the most watched Chinese dramas.^[27]^[28] He then starred in Sparrow, an espionage series set in the 1940s.^[29] The drama received critical acclaim, and became the second highest rated drama of the year with the finale reaching the peak rating of 2.46.^[30] Li won the Best Actor award at the China TV Golden Eagle Award for his performance.^[31]

In 2017, Li starred in the suspense crime film Guilty of Mind, based on the novel Evil Minds by Lei Mi.^[32]

In 2018, Li appeared in CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time, performing the song "The New Era of Zanzan".^[33] The same year he starred in the thriller film Animal World, based on the Japanese manga series Ultimate Survivor Kaiji.^[34] The film received positive reviews and topped the box office of the week of its release.^[35]

In 2020, Li starred in modern romance drama Wait in Beijing and historical spy drama Fearless Whispers.^[36] ^[37] The latter was in the Top 10 of 2020 highest-rated dramas.

In 2021, Li starred in the first Chinese rocket force themed military television series The Glory of Youth, produced by People's Liberation Army Rocket Force.^[38] He also starred in the xianxia fantasy drama Mirror: Twin Cities. ^[39]

In 2022, the suspense series Day Breaker, in which Li took on the protagonist role, was released. ^[40] The drama received positive reviews, ranked 2nd on 2022 top suspense dramas list.

2022–Present: Career stoppage

On 11 September 2022, Beijing police detained Li for multiple incidents of soliciting prostitutes, which he had confessed to.^[41]^[42] After the announcement, multiple brands such as Prada, Panerai, Remy Martin and L’Oréal Paris terminated their partnership agreements with Li.^[43]^[44] Li's social media accounts, as well as those of his studio and fan club, were suspended.^[45] Li's Weibo account was subsequently removed, and his drama series and films were removed from MangoTV.^[46]^[47]

In 2014, Li mentioned on a variety show that he had dated a Korean girlfriend, which was speculated to be Korean actress Lee Dahae, his co-star in The Honey Party of Love (2012).^[48] Lee, however, denied the speculation. ^[49]

In 2022, the internet influencer Guo Ziyu came out as Li's girlfriend for three years, expressing her disappointment at Li's soliciting prostitution and accusing him of cheating with another influencer in their relationship. ^[50]