Meet ‘born actress' Zhang Ruonan, star of The First Frost: China's new queen of the romantic drama plays opposite New Life Begins' Bai Jingting in the hit Netflix series
Chinese actress Zhang Ruonan finally stepped into a spotlight all her own recently with the leading role in romantic drama series The First Frost – her major career breakthrough after eight years in the entertainment industry.
Zhang Ruonan filmed several scenes for The First Frost in Hong Kong. Photo: Weibo
The saga hit
Netflix 's top 10 television shows worldwide, racking up more than 1.2 billion views in China, according to Sina. Playing Wen Yifan, a character haunted by trauma from her teenage years, Zhang, 28, delivered a deeply moving performance, said critics.
Zhang Ruonan struggled to become an actress
Inspired by classic Chinese TV drama My Fair Princess, Zhang dreamed of becoming an actress. However, growing up in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, she felt her goals were out of reach.
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Zhang Ruonan was born in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, later moving to Shijiazhuang, Hebei, with her family. Photo: Weibo
Per Vogue Taiwan, the actress revealed on a reality show in 2022 that her family opposed her acting career. 'They worried the entertainment industry was too complicated and ruthless for someone like me,' she confessed. 'But I had to give it a go. So I flew to Beijing alone and signed my first contract – and only told my mom after the fact,' she added.
She's a natural performer
Unlike many peers who attended elite academies of performing arts, Zhang studied graphic design at university and was a model before she began acting.
The First Frost director Chu Yu-ning has described Zhang Ruonan as 'a born actress'. Photo: Weibo
'Zhang's a born actress,' The First Frost director Chu Yu-ning told Weibo. 'Off camera, she's bubbly, but the moment we started rolling she completely transformed and even teared up spontaneously during rehearsals. That's when I knew – she is Wen Yifan.'
She's the queen of romance
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