Zhu Yilong (, born April 16, 1988) is a Chinese actor. He first gained recognition in television series such as Guardian (2018), The Story of Minglan (2018), Reunion: The Sound of the Providence (2020), and The Rebel (2021). Zhu is best known for his performance as Mo Sanmei in the drama film Lighting Up the Stars (2022), for which he won the Best Actor awards at the 35th Golden Rooster Awards and 37th Hundred Flowers Awards. He continued to star in high-profile films including Lost in the Stars (2022) and Only the River Flows (2023), the latter of which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Zhu is the first Chinese Global Ambassador for World Wildlife Fund since 2019, and has been committed to campaigns that raise public awareness of protecting endangered species and promoting biodiversity.
Early life Zhu Yilong was born in Wuhan, Hubei, on April 16, 1988. His father was a Sanda coach. He graduated from the Beijing Film Academy with a bachelor's degree in performance in 2010.
Career 2009–2016: Beginnings at Oriental Feiyun In 2008, Zhu debuted in the TV film Zai Sheng Yuan as an assassin. He went on to act in several TV films over the following years; such as The Snatched Bride, Blood-Colored Deep Mansion, Curse of the Blood Jade and Terror Eyes. One of his most notable roles in his earlier career is Zhu Changxun in the Da Ming Pin Fei film series; as well as General Junshi in Legend of the Daming Palace. He also portrayed a national hero in the war drama Fanjingshan Story, and played the male lead in the wuxia film Ci Fei and romance comedy film Love Retake.
In 2014, Zhu first gained recognition for his performance in the period romance drama Love Three Lives, which won him the "Most Anticipated Actor" award at the Asian Influence Awards Oriental Ceremony. In 2015, he gained increased recognition after starring as Ying Ji in the hit historical drama The Legend of Mi Yue.
In 2016, Zhu starred in wuxia drama The Shaw Eleven Lang, based on the novel of the same name by Gu Long. He played the main antagonist, Lian Chengbi. Zhu's performance earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at TVS Award Ceremony. Zhu starred in another adaptation of Gu Long's novel, playing the protagonist in Border Town Prodigal. He received positive reviews for his performance and his popularity rose significantly afterwards.
2017–2019: Rising popularity In 2017, Zhu starred alongside Ady An in the romantic comedy drama Royal Sister Returns. The same year, he starred alongside Aaron Kwok and Zhao Liying in the spy thriller film Eternal Wave.
In 2018, Zhu starred in the science fiction mystery web drama Guardian, where he played three roles. The series developed a cult following online, leading to a surge in popularity for Zhu. He won the Popular Actor award at the 2018 Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony. Forbes China listed him under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields. He then starred in the historical drama The Story of Minglan produced by Daylight Entertainment. He received positive reviews for his role as wealthy gentleman who is the female lead's first love, and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Magnolia Awards for his performance.
In 2019, Zhu appeared in CCTV New Year's Gala for the first time, performing the song and dance item "Youth Rave It Up". He starred in the workplace romance drama My True Friend as an interior designer, and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at the Asian Television Awards. The same year, he was nominated for the Most Promising Actor award at the China Movie Channel (CCTV-6) M List for his role as a soldier in the film My People, My Country. For his performance in various works, Zhu was awarded the Best Actor in the Emerald Category at the 6th The Actors of China Award Ceremony. That year, Zhu ranked 17th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.
2020–present: Breakthrough in Zhu Studio In 2020, Zhu portrayed Wu Xie in the tomb-raiding web series Reunion: The Sound of the Providence, adapted from the Daomu Biji series. Zhu also sang on three soundtracks for the drama. The series topped the index charts at iQiyi upon premiere, and received positive reviews. Zhu was praised for his portrayal of Wu Xie. He is set to star in the modern romance drama To Dear Myself opposite Liu Shishi. In April, he began filming the spy drama The Rebel. He ranked 12th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.
In 2021, Zhu starred in the critically acclaimed Republican Drama The Rebel, where he won the Tencent White Paper Award for Best TV drama actor. Also in 2021, Zhu Yilong sign on for an indie film about the Funeral Industry in China, in a Wuhan-based production - Lighting Up the Stars. This film tells the story of an ex convict undertaker who encounters an orphan girl who changes his life. Later in 2021, Zhu starred in the disaster Movie - Cloudy Mountain, and a tribute movie to the epidemic situation in Wuhan, Embrace Again - where both films amassed a collective total box office of almost 1.4 billion RMB.
In the spring of 2022, Zhu sign on for the mystery thriller film Lost in the Stars. In the summer of 2022, Lighting Up the Stars broke 1.7 billion RMB at the domestic box office, making history in the Chinese Summer Family Film Category. Also in summer 2022, Zhu was named the ambassador for the Hundred Flower Awards Film Festival in Wuhan where he picked up an award for best actor. He won the best actor at the 2022 Changchun film festival for his performance in Embrace Again, and won Golden Rooster Awards' Best Actor for his performance in Lighting Up the Stars.
Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes 2010 Confucius 孔子 Wei ambassador 2013 Love Retake 爱情不NG Yan Jige 2016 The Nursery 3D 育婴室3D Meng Shaohui 2017 Yang and His Summer胡杨的夏天 Hu Yang Eternal Wave 密战 Cen Zimo 2019 My People, My Country我和我的祖国 Song Leqiang Segment: "Going Home" 2021 1921 1921 Zhou Enlai Cloudy Mountain 峰爆 Hong Yizhou Embrace Again 穿过寒冬拥抱你 Ye Ziyang 2022 Lighting Up The Stars 人生大事 Mo Sanmei Lost in the Stars 消失的她 He Fei 2023 Only the River Flows 河边的错误 Ma Zhe The Volunteers: To the War 志愿军：雄兵出击 Li Xiang End credits cameo 2024 Land of Broken Hearts 负负得正 Huang Zhenkai The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death 志愿军：存亡之战 Li Xiang 2025 Dongji Rescue 东极岛 Ah Bi 2026 Scare Out 惊蛰无声 Huang Kai V 空枪 Man Tsz-keung
Television series Year English title Chinese title Role Notes 2011 Fanjingshan Story 风雨梵净山 Sun Rubo 2012 Wang Yang Ming 王阳明 Zhu Houzhao Weird Doctor Wen Sankuai 怪医文三块 Hai Dongshen 2014 Family Banquet 家宴 Feng Douzi Love Three Lives 情定三生 Chi Rui 2015 The Legend of Mi Yue 芈月传 Ying Ji 2016 The Shaw Eleven Lang 新萧十一郎 Lian Chengbi My Love to Tell You我的爱对你说Fan Wei Border Town Prodigal新边城浪子Fu Hongxue 2017 Royal Sister Returns御姐归来 He Kaixin As Flowers Fade and Fly Across the Sky花谢花飞花满天Hua Wuxie 2018 Guardian镇魂 Shen Wei / Black Robe Envoy / Ye Zun Granting You a Dreamlike Life 许你浮生若梦 Luo Fusheng / Cheng Musheng / Luo Qingeng The Story of Minglan 知否？知否？应是绿肥红瘦 Qi Heng 2019 Skynet Action 天网行动Pang Jia My True Friend 我的真朋友 Jing Ran 2020 Reunion: The Sound of the Providence 重启之极海听雷 Wu Xie Season 1–2To Dear Myself 亲爱的自己Chen Yiming 2021The Rebel叛逆者Lin Nansheng Crossroad Bistro 北辙南辕 Lu Wei Cameo
Short film Year English title Chinese title Role Notes 2010 Night Lord 夜郎Yang Zhong Special Mentioned, FIPRESCI, Hong Kong International Film Festival 20102011 Legend of the Daming Palace 大明宫传奇 General Junshi 2018 Clown 丑 Chou Short film2019 Youthful China in the Headlines 头条里的青春中国 Deng Jiaxia Short film Save the Black Rhino看不见的黑犀牛Himselfby World Wild FundTracking of Wild Giant Panda大熊猫追踪之旅Himselfby World Wild Fund2021Along the Elephants' Wrinkles沿着大象的纹路Himselfby World Wild Fund2022Biodiversity in Baima Jokul National Natural Reserve山海生万物Himselfby World Wild Fund
Television film Year English title Chinese title Role 2009 Another Lifetime of Fate 再生缘Ruan Ying Snatched Bride 抢来的新娘 Xiao Ziwei Bloody Mansion 血色深宅 Xue Zimei Blood Jade Curse 血玉咒 Zhou Yubai 2010 Treasure Hunting 宝藏寻踪 Shangguan Yunfeng Da Ming Pin Fei Series 大明嫔妃系列 Zhu Changxun Wrong Marriage 错嫁 Shen Fang Terror Eyes胭脂劫 Ye Cang Shen Gui Si Yun 深闺疑云 He Tianyu 2011 Jue Mi Shi Ming 绝密使命 Jin Tiexin Cinderella 灰姑娘 Luo Huaifeng Ci Fei 刺妃 Ye Fan The White Fox Spirit 白狐仙 Yu Yihong Duo Er War 朵儿的战争 Mai He Shen Shi Da Dao 绅士大盗 Wu Xundong The Gates of Hell鬼门关 Gong Tiexin San Ye Ren 猎野人 Ye Ren 2012 Zhan Di Qing Tian 战地情天Jin Feiyu Tou Kui Zhe 偷窥者 Jiang Xinbai Sha Ji Si Fu 杀机四伏 Tan Wei Gu Le Qing Chun鼓乐青春Lin Feng2015Following Your Heart贴着你的心跳Xie Yuhang
Music video appearances Year English title Chinese title Role 2009 "Love Rotate" 爱转移 Yan Chubin "Angel's Song" 天使之歌 Yan Chubin
Discography YearEnglish titleChinese titleAlbum Notes/ 2014 "Eternal Star" 恒星 Love Three Lives OST 2016 "I Will Wait" 我会等 The Nursery OST 2017 "Crazy Love"疯狂的爱 Royal Sister Returns OST 2018 "Flight of Time" 时间飞行 Guardian OST with Bai Yu "Earth Star Meets Sea Star" 地星撞海星 "Granting You a Dreamlike Life" 许你浮生若梦 Granting You a Dreamlike Life OST with An Yuexi "Where Dreams Begin" 梦开始的地方 Charity song for 人人都是志愿者 campaign 2019 "Youth Rave It Up" 青春跃起来 Performance for CCTV Spring Galawith Li Yifeng "Dragon Text" 龙文 with Dong Wenhua"The Light Upwards" 向上的光 Theme song of 中国Young project "My Motherland and I" 我和我的祖国 My People My Country OST with Chen Feiyu, Liu Haoran, Ou Hao & Zhou Dongyu"Romance Between Mountain and Water" 山水相恋 with Jiang Shuying 2020 "Hello 2020" 你好2020 Performance for CCTV Spring Galawith Li Xian, Li Qin, Ma Sichun & Zhou Dongyu "Wuhan, How Are You" 武汉，你好吗 Support song for fighting SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan"Reboot" 重启 Reunion: The Sound of the Providence OST "Iron Triangle" 铁三角 with Huang Junjie & Chen Minghao "Jumping Downward" 往下跳 "Dear myself" 亲爱的自己 To Dear Myself With Keyso"Dear you" 亲爱的你 2021 "The Rebel" 叛逆者 The Rebel OST
Bibliography YearEnglish titleChinese title Notes/ 2019 Depart 出发
Other activities In 2018, Zhu was named the ambassador for the China-Australia Tourism Promotion.
In 2018, Zhu was named the ambassador for the inaugural Hainan Island International Film Festival.
In 2019, it was announced that Madame Tussauds Shanghai and Madame Tussauds Hong Kong would each display a different wax figure of Zhu. The first wax figure was officially displayed at Madame Tussauds Shanghai on 20 Dec 2019. The second wax figure was being officially displayed at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong on 20 Oct 2021.
In 2019, Zhu was appointed the WWF Ambassador for Global Wildlife Crime Campaign to call on public to reduce the demand for ivory and other endangered species’ products.
In January 2020 he donated $150,000 to fight COVID-19 in his hometown of Wuhan.
Awards and nominations