Yang Chaoyue (, born July 31, 1998) is a Chinese actress and singer. After finishing third in Tencent's girl group survival show Produce 101, she debuted as a member of Rocket Girls 101. She was named by China Newsweek as one of the most influential Chinese people in 2018.
Early life Yang was born on July 31, 1998, in a village in Dafeng, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China. She is of Bai ethnicity. Her parents divorced when she was twelve. Instead of going to high school, she decided to help support her family and left home to work. She had various job experiences such as waitress, garment worker, flyer distributor, prior to becoming an idol.
Career 2016–2017: Girl group contest and CH2 In 2016, the eSports game Battle of Balls hosted a girl group contest offering a 2000 RMB salary with accommodation and meals. Yang was voted to be the most popular contestant during the contest and began her idol trainee career along with ten other contestants. In 2017, eight of the trainees formed the girl group CH2. Due to Wenlan Culture's video game industry background and the lack of a dedicated performance theater, Yang did not receive proper training; instead, her jobs were mostly involved in promoting video games at various events.
2018–present: Produce 101, Rocket Girls 101 and acting debut
In April, Yang Chaoyue and three of her CH2 teammates were chosen to represent Wenlan Culture on reality girl group survival show Produce 101 aired from April 21 to June 23, 2018, on Tencent Video. During her time on the show, Yang was the subject of intense online debate due to a perceived lack of singing and dancing ability. Despite a poor performance during the evaluation stage, when the first episode aired, Yang soon gained popularity for her "rags-to-riches backstory, doll-like looks, [and] sweet-mannered personality", and was voted by fans into A-class. This resulted in debate and put her on multiple Weibo trending topics. Yang was subjected to hateful internet comments that degraded her stage performances and her personality, leading to debate on cyberbullying. Some netizens anonymously reported Yang to the Ministry of Culture, claiming that she did not have any singing or dancing talent and that allowing her to debut in Rocket Girls 101 "violated the Core Socialist Values". Wang Sicong, son of tycoon Wang Jianlin, also criticised Yang and made her a trending topic on Weibo once again. Despite debate, Yang remained one of the most popular contestants throughout the course of the show, never ranking outside the top 9. She ultimately finished third with over 139 million votes and debuted as a member of Rocket Girls 101 on June 23. In response to critics, Yang stated "I can't do anything well. I am [only] good at arguing with my boss … But God doesn't just like clever people. He blesses stupid children like us, too. So don't give up on yourself [even if] you are mediocre and stupid".
While promoting with Rocket Girls 101, Yang also pursued solo activities. In September 2018, she released her first solo song, a promotional single, titled Follow Me. In November, Yang was announced to make her acting debut in the historical drama The Promise of Chang'an. Also in 2018, Yang was cast as a panelist in the first season of the dating reality show Heart Signal, an adaptation of the South Korean reality show of the same name. In March 2019, she appeared in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup draw ceremony as a special guest and World Cup draw ambassador. The same year she played her first leading role in the youth sports drama Project 17: Side by Side. As Yang had never been formally trained as an actor, the casting placed Yang's acting skills under scrutiny, with director Chiang Hsiu-chiung reporting that the pressure drove Yang to tears multiple times during filming. In evaluating her performance, Chiang praised Yang for her hard work and motivation to improve. Also in 2019, Yang returned for the second season of Heart Signal. Yang was later ranked 58th in the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list for 2019. Forbes China listed Yang under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields.
After Rocket Girls 101 disbanded on June 23, 2020, Yang chose to focus on pursuing acting and variety shows. In 2020, Yang starred in the fantasy historical web series Ever Night playing Hao Tian/Tian Nu. She then played lead roles in xianxia romance drama Dance of the Phoenix and romantic comedy-drama Midsummer Is Full of Love. Yang's transition to leading roles attracted mixed reviews, with praise focused on her natural charm as an actor and criticism focused on her ability to portray more dramatic scenes. In addition to acting, Yang was a main cast member in multiple variety shows, including When We Write Love Story, The Great Wall, and the third season of Heart Signal. She ranked 80th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.
In 2021, Yang played a supporting role in the iQiyi drama series . With The Ideal City, Yang willingly took a step away from leading roles in order to further hone her acting skills and work alongside experienced actors such as Sun Li and Mark Chao. In 2022, she starred in the wuxia drama and the family sitcom . In 2023, Yang starred in the xianxia romance Love You Seven Times alongside Ding Yuxi. Though she continued to receive criticism for her dramatic acting, Yang was praised for the improvements she had made as a leading actor. However the drama underperformed relative to expectations, and was considered a commercial flop. Also in 2023, Yang starred in the xianxia romance The Journey of Chong Zi, and made guest appearances in the dramas Fireworks of my Heart, Never Give Up, and Gone with the Rain.
2024 was a breakthrough year for Yang. In January, Yang starred in the family drama Born to Run as Chen Ruoha, an unloved daughter who becomes the sole object of her controlling mother's affections after the sudden death of her brother. The show was a ratings success for CCTV-8, with many viewers finding Yang's performance sympathetic and relatable. In June, Yang made a guest appearance in the historical romance drama The Double as Jiang Li. The drama was a hit, becoming the most-watched drama on Youku that year. Though her appearance was brief, Yang received widespread praise for her role, prompting renewed interest in her career. Also in 2024, Yang made her theatrical debut with the play The Insanity, where she received positive reception for her performance. That same year, Yang released her debut EP Authentic, which she also co-wrote, with lyrics reflecting on her struggles as an artist and her journey of self-growth.
Discography
Extended plays Title Album details Authentic (透明) Released: November 29, 2024 Label: Tencent Music Entertainment Group Formats: Digital download, streaming
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album CHN* "跟着我一起 (Follow Me)" 2018 — Nin Jiom Herbal Cough Syrup Promo single "冲鸭冲鸭 (March On and On)" — 光明勇士 (Legend of Honour) Game promo single "招财进宝 (Lucky Fortune)" 93 Kung Fu Monster Holiday Promo single "哈哈农夫 (Haha Farmer)" 2019 57 Haha Farmer Theme song "O.O" —The Wind "Never Stand Still" —Project 17 promotional song "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.
Filmography Film Year English title Chinese title Role 2021 Our New Life 我们的新生活 Chen Jing Yu 2026 Being Toward Death 10间敢死队 Xie Xie
Television series Year English title Chinese title Role 2019 极限17 羽你同行 Xiao Na 2020 Ever Night 2 将夜2 Hao Tian / Tian Nu Dance of the Phoenix 且听凤鸣 Feng Wu Midsummer Is Full of Love 仲夏满天心 Luo Tianran The Promise of Chang'an 长安诺 Dong Ruoxuan 2021 理想之城 Du Juan 2022 说英雄谁是英雄 Wen Rou 家有姐妹 Fang Xiang 2023 重紫 Chong Zi Love You Seven Times 七時吉祥 Xiang Yun 我的人间烟火 Zhai Miao Never Give Up 今日宜加油 Wu Yimei Gone with the Rain 微雨燕双飞 Empress Dowager (young) 2024 如果奔跑是我的人生 Chen Ruohua The Double 墨雨云间 Jiang Li rowspan="2" King of Comedy 喜剧之王 A Zhen Sunshine Through the Rain 今天是太阳雨 Zheng Yu
Television show Year English title Chinese title Network Notes 2018Produce 101创造101Tencent VideoContestant 3rd placeHeart Signal心动的信号Panelist2019Haha Farmer哈哈农夫Mango TV Hunan TelevisionCast memberHeart Signal 2心动的信号2Tencent VideoPanelist 2020The Great Wall 了不起的长城Beijing TVCast memberHeart Signal 3心动的信号3Tencent VideoPanelistWhen We Write Love Story平行时空遇见你Cast memberWonder Agency神奇公司在哪里Dragon TelevisionTencent VideoHost 2021Go Fighting! Treasure Tour 2极限挑战宝藏行·绿水青山公益季Dragon TelevisionCast member 2022Onair Sitcom开播！情景喜剧 第一季Dragon TelevisionTencent VideoYoukuGo Fighting! Season 8极限挑战第八季Dragon TelevisionThe Oasis登录圆鱼洲Tencent Video 2023Warrior Girls漂亮的战斗iQIYISuper Smart超机智青年大会YoukuHost 2024Random Journey on the Way盲盒旅行局Cast member 2025We Are the Champions 4战至巅峰 第四季Tencent Video
Awards and nominations
+ Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result China Newsweek China's Most Influential 2018 Artist of the Year Herself SMG TV Series Quality Awards 2023 Media Popularity Award The Ideal City Golden Bud Network Film And Television Festival 2019 Best Newcomer Project 17: Side By Side Shanghai Television Festival Best Performance in Web Variety Shows Produce 101 Tencent Video Star Awards 2018 Best Newcomer Award Herself 2020 Annual Potential TV Drama Actor
Notes
References
External links