Xiao Zhan

In 2024, he released his first studio album WM, which became the best-selling album of all time on TME Physical Album Sales Chart and earned him "Album of the Year" at the QQ Music Awards.

Xiao Zhan was born on 5 October 1991, in Chongqing. From childhood, he began to learn painting and play the violin. He studied at Modern International Art Design Academy at Chongqing Technology and Business University wherein he was a member of the class literary committee and an active participant in the university choir, the head of the vocal music department of the student art troupe, the head of the male vocal department, and participated in the school's language art troupe as an actor. He was once awarded the title of the top ten singers on campus. In 2012, he set up a photography studio with his friends and served as their main photographer. After his graduation in 2014 and prior to his debut, Xiao worked as a photographer and graphic designer.

Xiao Zhan’s acting career began on the set of the youth fantasy series, Super Star Academy. He joined the filming team on April 15, 2016 and portrayed the leading character, Fang Tian Ze. The series premiered on September 29 and garnered 1.68 billion views on Tencent Video. In 2017, on April 9, Xiao Zhan joined the filming for The Wolf, as Ji Chong, the second male lead who has double identity, a bounty hunter and a prince. This was his first participation in a major drama production (49 episodes) with well known production team and cast members. On the set, due to various filming locations, he had to endure almost five months of intense filming in hot and cold weather conditions, harsh environments of high altitudes. Xiao Zhan gained a lot of acting experience through this role. He finished filming his part on September 18. In 2018, he starred as Beitang Moran in the well-received historical romance web drama Oh! My Emperor, which garnered over 3.58 billion views. His portrayal of a domineering yet gentle prince earned him recognition, and he also sang the soundtrack "踩影子" (Stepping on Shadows). Additionally, he played Liu Xiuya in the fantasy action drama Battle Through the Heavens that same year. He made cameo appearances in series and films between 2016 and 2018, including Shuttle Love Millennium 2, Monster Hunt 2, and The Rookies.

In 2019, Xiao starred in the xianxia drama The Untamed, adapted from the web novel Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (墨香铜臭). His portrayal of the carefree and unrestrained Wei Wuxian, who evolves into the darker and tormented Yiling Laozu (Yiling Patriarch), received very positive reviews, aiding the series' rise in popularity; it had gained over 10 billion views by December 2021. The series also gained a huge following overseas after it became available on Netflix on 25 October 2019. Xiao also recorded original soundtracks for the series, namely, "曲尽陈情" (Song Ends with Chen Qing) and "无羁" (Wú Jī，Unrestrained). In the same year, he portrayed the protagonist Zhang Xiaofan in the film Jade Dynasty, adapted from the xianxia novel Zhu Xian by Xiao Ding (萧鼎). The film topped the China box office on its opening day that earned over 400 million yuan within 18 days of release and became the highest-grossing Chinese language movie in Thailand in a decade. He also released a soundtrack for the film titled, "问少年" (Asking Youth). In September 2019, it was announced that Xiao had established his own studio, "XZ STUDIO," in collaboration with Wajijiwa Entertainment. On January 24, 2020, Xiao appeared as a participant in CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time, acting out a skit Like You Like Me alongside Xie Na. On 26 November 2020, the historical drama Joy of Life streamed on Tencent and iQIYI, where he played the supporting role Yan Bingyun, and featured him in the soundtrack "余年" (Remaining Years). Xiao starred in The Wolf as Ji Chong and was released on Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Youku on 19 November 2020. The series topped the popularity indexes in mainland China since its release and surpassed 500 million views on a single platform within 11 days. As of December 2020, the total number of viewership on the three platforms has exceeded 1 billion, with an average daily view of nearly 100 million. In late 2020, Xiao was filming Ace Troops, which wrapped production on 14 December 2020.

In February 2021, the drama Douluo Continent, adapted from the acclaimed book series of the same name by Tang Jia San Shao, premiered on CCTV-8, CCTV Video App and Tencent Video. Xiao played as the protagonist Tang San, a rare wielder of dual martial souls. Douluo Continent was one of the most successful dramas in China, with a total of 5.70 billion views, the highest single-day broadcast volume of 211 million views, and an average of 138 million views per episode. China Literature also recognized it as one of the most successful dramas adapted from IP of the year. He also contributed to the original soundtrack with his single "策马正少年" (Righteous Youth on Horseback). On 29 March 2021, Xiao was announced as the main lead Shi Ying in the historical drama The Longest Promise, inspired by the fantasy novel "Mirror: Zhu Yan" (朱颜) by author Cang Yue (沧月). The first trailer was released on 7 June 2021, and the series filming wrapped on 4 August 2021. On 22 April 2021, he made his theater debut, starring in Yang Hua's version of the critically acclaimed eight-hour drama A Dream Like a Dream (如夢之夢), wherein the first day served as a paid tribute to the volunteers, community workers and medical staff in Wuhan. He played the central character of nameless Patient No. 5, and had since continued to act the role for over three years, touring with the cast in cities such as Qingdao, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing as well as participating for a total of 72 performances until May 2023. The production is listed in the China Performance Industry Association's Performance Market Annual Report for 2021, ranking as No. 1 in the Theater Category for the Highest Average Ticket Sales in a Single Screening and Annual Ticket Sales and Screenings. In a heartwarming gesture to bless Xiao on his first theater play, fans from all over the world flooded the Wuhan QinTai Theatre with flower stands, forming a picturesque "Flower Ocean." Later that evening, in a demonstration of gratitude and generosity, his studio requested the flowers be distributed among the people of Wuhan. On 26 December 2021, the military drama Ace Troops broadcast exclusively on Jiangsu TV and iQIYI platforms. The drama was well received, and data from CVB, China Audiovisual Big Data, showed an increase in viewership of up to 125% during the drama's airing period for the Jiangsu Television Channel. The drama's ending theme song "我们曾经在一起" (We Had Been Together) was also sang by him in duet. On 15 March 2022, he played Gu Wei, a warm and gentle doctor, in the highly anticipated modern romance drama The Oath of Love, which began broadcasting on Hunan Television Primetime, as well as the Tencent Online Platform, and simultaneously on WeTV for international audience. He sang two tracks for his drama, respectively a solo "最幸运的幸运" (The Luckiest Fortune) and a duet "余生，请多指教" (The Oath of Love). The drama received positive reviews, was a commercial success, and hit 4 billion views on 20 April 2022, in just 37 days of broadcast, and won the "Tencent Business Breakthrough Award," one of the highest platform-level award. The Weibo Character Index for Xiao's portrayal of Gu Wei is breaking a new height at 120. The WeChat Index for Gu Wei hits 164 millions. On 28 September 2022, Xiao was announced as a lead for Sunshine by My Side. In May 2023, Xiao was confirmed to play the pivotal role of Guo Jing, the lead character in Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's highly anticipated big-budget adaptation of the 1957 seminal wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes, written by Jin Yong. On 1 June 2023, The Youth Memories aired on state-run CCTV-8, Tencent Video, Dragon TV, and online platforms. The show has consistently exceeded 2% in real-time TV ratings, has been the top show among shows airing in the same time slot, and was the first show in 2023 to surpass 30,000 heat index on Tencent Video. For his portrayal of Xiao Chunsheng, he received acting awards, namely, Outstanding Actor at the 19th Chinese-American Film and TV Festival Golden Angel Awards and Breakthrough Actor of the Year at the 2nd Chinese TV Drama CMG Annual Ceremony. On 2 July 2023, The Longest Promise premiered on WeTV. The drama exploded to the top spot on Weibo's hot search upon its release. After the premiere, it hit 21,000 popularity points on Tencent and increased to 26,000 points 3.5 hours later. On 7 July, the drama made its debut on Netflix, five days after being released on WeTV. It has become one of the top five most popular series in Thailand. Since its premiere, it has achieved the highest single-day viewership in multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. After the completion of its exclusive VIP broadcast, the drama comments have surpassed 10 million, setting a record for a character's popularity that surpasses 50 million and acquiring over 100 million interactive bullet screen comments on Tencent Video. On 1 September 2023, Sunshine by My Side was aired on CCTV-8, IQIYI and Tencent Video. The series set a record for CCTV's highest ratings in the past five years. The drama also topped the Maoyan platform and became the most popular drama at that time, surpassing well-established titles such as Lost You Forever and Glory of Our Fathers. On 30 December 2023, The Legend of Zang Hai, directed by Zheng Xiaolong and starring Xiao as the male lead, was officially launched and a concept poster was released.

In early 2015 Xiao Zhan was contacted by one of the produces from the talent/ competition variety show X-Fire, inviting him to audition for the program, he agreed and subsequently won a place on the show. His solo public debut was on the first episode of X-Fire (燃烧吧少年) singing his cover of “Cruel Moonlight” (残酷月光) which aired on Zhejiang Satellite TV on November 21, 2015. On December 31, Xiao along with the other contestants participated in the Zhejiang TV New Year’s Eve Concert performing “Freeze” (冻结) and “Be A Man” (燃烧吧少年). After the X-Fire concluded in February 2016, X Nine was formed, Xiao Zhan and 8 others from the show joined the boy band, where he served as one of the lead vocalists. On September 28, a press conference was held for the group’s official debut performance of the self-titled track “X Nine” (X Jiu, X玖) from its mini album of the same name, released 4 days prior. In 2017, X Nine held their first concert, "In My Own Name," at theShanghai Stadium and won the "Most Popular Group of the Year" at the Asia Golden Melody Awards. On October 5, 2018, his 27th birthday, Xiao’s first, personal solo single “Satisfaction” was released on NetEase Cloud Music. The musical video for the single premiered on November 16.

In 2019, as part of the celebration for the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, CCTV-15 presented a series of large-scale themed performances in a special program entitled “I Love You China”, aired during the National Day. Xiao Zhan was invited to the program and sang the tribute song, “My Chinese Heart” (我的中国心). The performance on October 4, coincided with the release of this song’s music video, recorded by Xiao Zhan for the tribute music album “Youth Sings for the Motherland.” For the same album, he participated in recording of a music video for the song “My People, My Country” (我和我的祖国), together with the original singer, soprano Li Guyi and 15 other inspiring young artists, released both as music video and audio track on September 30. He contributed to the cause with another music video, “Best Summer”, a duet released on November 5. From October 2019, up to January 2020, Xiao Zhan participated in the first season of the variety show, Singing with Legends-Our Song. This was Dragon TV's new program allowing experienced singers and new singers to compete on the same stage performing popular classics. For his blind selection Xiao Zhan sang “Satisfaction”, his first single. Some of the classics he performed on the show include duets such as “Follow the Feeling” (跟着感觉走), “Night at the Naval Port”(军港之夜) “Inquiring”(问情) and “Perfect Life”. Also in 2020, on January 1, an official music video “Remaining Years” (Yu Nian, 余年) was released. The ending theme song from the television series Joy of Life 1 (庆余年) features Xiao Zhan as the original singer of the track, he plays Yan Bingyun in the series. On January 18, he performed the song live on stage at the 2019 Yuewen Original Literature Awards Ceremony. On January 26, he took part in the third edition of the CCTV-1 music variety show Everlasting Classics, program combining traditional Chinese poetry with modern music. Xiao performed a solo, the classic “Bamboo and Rock”(竹石) and a duet, the show’s theme song “Thousand years of singing”(千年一声唱). On February 8, during the Lantern Festival, a charity song “Peace and Happiness Every Year” (Sui Sui Ping An, 岁岁平安) was released, a collaboration between Xiao Zhan and Li Yuchun (Chris Lee). The song was dedicated to Wuhan, aimed to comfort the public and express hope that loved ones would stay safe during the Covid-19 epidemic. Li Yuchun written and composed the song and invited Xiao Zhan to sing it with her. On April 13, Xiao Zhan participated in the special edition of the “Beautiful China” music album and reinterpreted the classic patriotic song “Ode to the Red Plum Blossom” (红梅赞), the next day he published an essay and soundtrack of his cover of the song. On April 25, 2020, Xiao released his digital single "Spotlight" (光点), globally distributed on Western platforms as "Made to Love", which went on to become the highest selling digital single of all time with over 54 million copies sold. For this song, he entered the Guinness World Records for the fastest-selling digital track in China and Biggest-selling digital single. On March 9, 2021, the single was named the 7th Best Selling Digital Single of 2020 globally by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), having amassed 1.48 billion subscription stream equivalents worldwide. The song was also listed as one of 10 biggest-selling digital single worldwide by Guinness World Records. On October25, he participated in the Double Ninth Festival Gala (Chongyang Festival) themed “Years of Flowing Fragrance, Reunion Again on Chongyang,” with his rendition of the classic song “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky” (夜空中最亮的星), televised on CCTV-3. In the later half of 2020, Xiao made an appearance during the finale of the second season of Everybody Stand By, performing “Running to You with All I Have” (用尽我的一切奔向你) by Bibi Zhou. He also performed two songs during the Tencent Video All Star Awards 2020, a duet “The Oath of Love” (余生请多指教) and a solo “The Luckiest Fortune” (最幸运的幸运) the theme songs from The Oath of Love (2022). He recorded the original soundtracks for both songs. In 2021, on March 5, as the Men’s Ice Hockey Promotion Ambassador and the National Stadium Winter Dream Promotion Ambassador for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey competition venue, Xiao Zhan participated in the Winter Dream Promise variety show, aired on Beijing TV. His activities on the program included music performances, such as an opening song “Winter Dream” (冬梦) sang alongside a children’s choir and his cover of “Something Just Like That”. On October 16, Xiao performed the theme song “Chinese Power” at the closing ceremony of the 6th Jackie Chen International Action Film Festival Week in Datong, Shanxi Province, China. In 2023 on June 29, Xiao Zhan had his first appearance at the Greater Bay Area Film and Music Gala in Hong Kong, where he sang "Walk Gracefully Once” (潇洒走一回). The same year, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road initiative, the China News Network released a tribute song titled "Fellow Travelers," performed by Xiao Zhan, officially released on October 16.

On 2 February 2015, Xiao participated in the filming of Tencent Video's public welfare short film "Young Self-Save Firewall." Shortly after his 2016 debut, he donated ¥17,000 to the Angel Animal Protection - Animal Care Center to purchase 100 cat nests to keep stray cats warm during the winter. On 14 May 2019, Xiao participated in the "Book Road Project," jointly organized by the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and Sina News APP to raise electronic book resources for poor students. On 29 August, Xiao, as the brand ambassador of Crest, recorded a short video announcing that part of the profits would be used for charity. On 13 November, Xiao supported the public welfare project "Yuanshanli Kids' Football Dream," calling for attention to left-behind children. On 19 November, Xiao participated in the fourth "Everyone is a Volunteer" themed charity event, calling for attention to the autism community. In January 2020, during COVID-19, his studio donated various medical supplies, equipment and ventilators to hospitals in need. On 8 February, Xiao and Li Yuchun sang the charity song "Peace Every Year" to show their support to those fighting the epidemic. On 26 February, Xiao narrated the anti-epidemic public welfare short video Zhihu's "Thirty-Three," which marked the 33 days of the Chinese New Year in which people jointly fought against the epidemic. On 10 May, Xiao participated in the People's Daily charity live broadcast "Revitalize Hubei, People's Action," donating all profits from charity T-shirt sales to Hubei's economic recovery. On 11 June, the Wei County People's Government and People's Online jointly organized the "Public Welfare to Aid Farmers Media Integration Tour" event, with Xiao serving as the poverty alleviation product experience officer. In 2021, he also donated ¥1 million (US$210,000) to Zhengzhou Red Cross to help with flood relief in Henan province. In 2022, Xiao donated ¥500,000 (US$70,500) to the Amity Foundation in support of the epidemic prevention and control work in Shanghai. On 22 April, the procurement of 1,000 material packages was completed, each including rice, edible oil, and milk; another batch of 1,125 material packages had also been purchased, including rice, eggs, milk, edible salt, soy sauce, etc. Subsequent packages were later delivered and received by the towns and neighborhood committees within the Pudong New Area and distributed to groups in need. On 8 September, his studio donated ¥1 million to Red Cross Society to help with earthquake relief efforts in Luding County, Ganzi Prefecture in Sichuang province. Since 2023, Xiao has been making steady donations to the Huang Xiaoming Tomorrow Charity Foundation through the "Joining Hands for Tomorrow" relief initiatives for those affected by natural disasters—the Gansu earthquake in December 2023, the Tibet earthquake in January 2025, the Beijing rainstorms and floods in July 2025, and the Guangxi flood in July 2026.

Xiao has taken various civic and government-affiliated ambassadorships. These roles focus on cultural diplomacy, international trade, and national tourism promotion, distinct from his state and cultural awards.

Several media publications consider Xiao to be among China's most beloved celebrities and versatile leading men of his generation. In 2019, Forbes China included him in their 30 Under 30 list, which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields. During the APEC Summit, Xiao has been selected for the Asia-Pacific Leaders Under 35 in 2025 list, which recognized entrepreneurial leaders and industry elites who have made contributions to the economic development and social progress of the APAC region. Japanese media hailed him as a leading figure ushering in a new era of Asian cinema. Xiao has also been crowned the Weibo King for three consecutive years (2019, 2020, and 2026) at the Weibo Night, honoring his substantial influence on entertainment and culture. Tempo reported that Xiao was one of China's highest-paid actors, ranking alongside multi-decade legends like Jackie Chan and Andy Lau. Tatler Asia noted that he is one of the most "bankable C-drama actors" and represents the "gold standard" for his ability to carry large-scale productions with the audience attention. Being the first post-90s actor to win the Best Actor honors, the Flying Tiger Award and CMG Award, respectively, for his works The Legend of Zang Hai and Gezhi Town, he has earned the honorific title "Double Emperor of Film and Television" in his native country. Beyond successful viewership, Xiao sustains revenues with a portfolio of luxury and mass endorsements that consistently renew. Xiao has been dubbed by Chinese media as the "King of Luxury," being the face of variety of high-end brands such as Zenith, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., Boucheron, and YSL Beauty, to name a few. He has attended Milan Fashion Week multiple times, notably returning in 2023, 2025, and 2026 as a global ambassador for Gucci and Tod's for fall/winter shows. His most recent front-row appearances in 2026 for both companies in a single day received extensive coverage, ranking in the top 25 most mentioned celebrities on social media with 2.6% share of voice and generated 96% of mentions and engagement according to data-tracking platforms Onclusive and Meltwater. Matteo Tamburini, the creative director of Tod's, drew inspiration for his capsule collections from meaningful creative exchange with Xiao and his distinct take on "simplicity" and "modern, effortless, and versatile" personal style. People magazine noted that his SAIC endorsement provided a tangible testament to his public image of "careful selection and pursuit of quality." Known for his brand value, Chinese media service platform Morketing analyzed his data and interviews, saying that his supporters have high purchasing power that causes company's sales to spike and earn back their investment within hours and double it to equal revenue within a day. Xiao has been included and topped yearly listings and internet rankings of the world's most handsome and influential men. His visual appeal have been picked up by several media outlets, appearing on the covers of the Chinese edition of internationally recognized fashion magazines, including Grazia, Elle, BELLA, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Nylon, Vogue, Madame Figaro, Esquire, Marie Claire, and GQ. Describing his off-screen persona and acting approach, directors and co-stars who worked with Xiao found him to be unpretentious, very polite, and humble. Xiao topped Sohu Entertainment's "Most Media-Favorite Artists of 2025" list, supported by feedback from 60 journalists and entertainment industry professionals. Reviews highlighted his willingness to engage in unscripted interviews and delve into discussions about his craft, noting that his "comments are never empty," and lauded him for his humility, patience, and respect for crew members regardless of his status, describing him as "easy to work with, inclusive, and open-minded." In The Legend of Zang Hai, Cao Yiwen highlighted his crying scenes that were incredibly moving, noting his "meticulous attention to detail." Producer Zhang Ben echoed the same, saying, that he is "very self-disciplined actor with high standards for himself and his creative work." As per Zheng Xiaolong, he may appear "elegant and refined on the surface" but he is able to express what's hidden deep within, adding that he is a "child with understanding" who puts soul into the character that people can empathize with. Kong Sheng selected Xiao's portrayal of Mo Dexian in Gezhi Town, capturing a reaction of an ordinary man who only wants to survive when he is pushed to the edge, for W's movie issue that gathered 21 Chinese film and TV directors to share the "best performance moments treasured in their hearts." Professor Huang Huilin, founder of the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture and the Beijing College Student Film Festival, revealed that Xiao meets the "Four Uprights" (in character, artistry, professional work, and pursuits) required of a true cultural and artistic worker.

Starting in February 2020, an organised, online hate campaign targeting Xiao Zhan, his associates and fans, making it difficult /impossible for him and persons connected to him to live normal life and to access work. On 6 May 2020, he made his first official appearance after the incident in an interview with Economic View, explaining his perspective on the issue. Two days later, Xiao was invited by BTV to perform "Bamboo Rock" (竹石) in support of China's frontline healthcare workers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in China. On 19 December 2020, Xiao made his first live performance on the Tencent Video All Star Night Show, where his fans brought lights to show their support; this became known as the "Red Ocean". This resulted in trending topics on Weibo for domestic fans and Twitter for fans abroad, signifying his popularity despite the controversy. In August 2025, the Beijing Internet Court issued a civil judgment in an online infringement liability dispute involving Chinese entertainer Xiao Zhan and two individuals, Lou Chenjing and Guo Yuwei. According to court documents published on the People's Court Announcement Network and the corporate information platform Tianyancha, the court found that Lou and Guo, identified in reports as moderators of the Sina Weibo "227" super topic, had used a shared Weibo account (UID: 3274253145) to publish content deemed by the court to be factually inaccurate and contributory to online harassment targeting Xiao Zhan. The court ordered the defendants to publish a formal apology statement on the associated Sina Weibo account for 48 consecutive hours, pay compensation totaling 11,000 yuan to the plaintiff, and cease further dissemination of the contested content. Legal analysts have highlighted the ruling as a positive development in China's efforts to address online defamation and establishing clearer accountability in digital communication.