Profile | China actress Zeng Li, classmate of Zhang Ziyi, celebrated as most beautiful university student

Zeng’s beauty sparked rumours that director Zhang Yimou considered her for film role, but chose Zhang Ziyi instead due to her school absence

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Rumour has it that Zeng Li, left, missed an opportunity to work with the renowned director Zhang Yimou, middle, during his visit to her university, which resulted in a film role being awarded to Zhang Ziyi, right. Photo: SCMP composite/Weibo/Sohu

Published: 6:00pm, 4 Dec 2024

Chinese actress Zeng Li, celebrated as “the most beautiful student at university” while sharing the classroom with the now-renowned actress Zhang Ziyi, continues to captivate audiences with her stunning style.

At 48, Zeng hails from Hubei province in central China. Her journey began in primary school when she was scouted by the secondary school affiliated with the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, marking the start of her independent life in Beijing as a Peking opera student.

Zeng trained for the role of Qingyi, a female character in Peking opera, typically embodying dignified and virtuous personas. Many believe this experience laid the groundwork for Zeng’s calm and unambitious life philosophy.

Zeng, right, was celebrated as the most beautiful student at university when she was in the same class as Zhang Ziyi, left, who later became a renowned actress. Photo: Weibo

Although she was assigned to the Hubei Provincial Peking Opera Troupe, Zeng soon chose to leave what many would consider a “dream job” to pursue performing arts at the Central Academy of Drama.

There, she studied alongside Zhang Ziyi, who later gained international acclaim for her leading roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).

During her time at the academy, Zeng frequently drew attention. Her schoolmate, actor Bao Jianfeng, famously described her as “the most beautiful student of the Central Academy of Drama in 200 years” despite the school’s establishment in 1950.

Though mainly known for her beauty, Zeng stays grounded and dedicated to her work. Photo: Weibo

Zeng’s beauty sparked rumours that famed director Zhang Yimou considered her for the lead role in the 1998 film The Road Home. However, he ultimately chose Zhang Ziyi because Zeng was not present at school at the time.