Hong Yao (洪尧)

Hong Yao first made a name for himself not as an actor, but as a champion street dancer — winning national competitions and even catching the eye of CCTV. His transition to acting came in 2014 when he competed on the reality show Super Teacher (超级先生), finishing second in host Xie Na's group. Xie Na was so impressed that she personally recommended him to producer Yu Zheng, landing him a role in the web drama Against the Light (逆光之恋). But it was his 2018 performance as the "absurd prince" Hongzhou in the blockbuster hit Story of Yanxi Palace (延禧攻略) that brought him nationwide recognition — a role that showcased his ability to play a seemingly frivolous royal who is, in truth, a calculating survivor.

Breakthrough Role Hong Yao's breakthrough came with the 2018 period drama Story of Yanxi Palace, one of the most-watched Chinese dramas in recent years, amassing over 150 billion views and breaking multiple viewership records. He portrayed Prince Hongzhou (和亲王弘昼), the younger brother of the Qianlong Emperor — a character who appears outwardly arrogant and dissolute, but is secretly playing the fool to protect himself in the treacherous royal court. The role earned him significant critical praise for its layered complexity. He followed this with memorable supporting turns in The Legends of the Condor Heroes (烈火军校) as Shen Tingbai and in The Legend of Hao Lan (皓镧传), steadily building a portfolio of period drama credits.

Public Perception Despite over a decade in the industry, Hong Yao remains a somewhat peripheral figure in China's entertainment landscape — widely described as a "third-tier" actor whose career has never quite caught fire. He is signed to Yu Zheng's Huanyu Entertainment, yet industry observers note that his resources, commercial appeal, and income level lag significantly behind his more famous peers. Critics have pointed to his acting as underwhelming for someone with eleven years of experience, and his filmography outside of Yanxi Palace and The Legends of the Condor Heroes offers few standout roles. In 2024, he married actress Wu Jinyan — his co-star from Yanxi Palace and a much bigger name in the industry — a relationship that has drawn more public attention than most of his acting work. While he continues to land steady roles in both long-form dramas and the emerging short-drama space, his reputation remains that of a competent but unexceptional performer, better known for his personal life than for his on-screen achievements.