China’s most famous daughter-in-law

Hai Qing, 32, started her career as a dancer. When she was 18, she decided to move into acting and enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy. Since then, Hai has starred in many television series including Dwelling Narrowness, a hit TV series about the struggles of two sisters to make it in a dynamic metropolis modelled on Shanghai. Hai has also been ranked in “China’s top 50 beauties” polls by domestic media.

Why is she famous?

Hai became hugely popular on the mainland for her portrayal of the daughter-in-law in several hit TV series that examines female-in-laws relationships (see WiC83). She says she has become so well-known for the role that many of her fans now ask her for advice on how to deal with stubborn mothers-in-law. In fact, Hai isn’t married, so she is yet to have the pleasure of a real mother-in-law experience.

She is also an outspoken critic of plastic surgery. She famously refused the request of Teng Huatao, director of Dwelling Narrowness, who had asked her to go under the knife. She told the China Daily that she believes in aging naturally, preferring not to rely on plastic surgery.

Why is she in the news?

She recently won a favourite actress gong from Hunan TV’s Golden Eagle Award, one of the most prestigious awards on Chinese television. The Golden Eagle is the only award where winners are chosen by popular vote involving millions of voters across the country.

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