Yong Mei

An ethnic Mongol, Yong Mei was born on 14 February 1970 in Hohhot, the capital of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.[1][2] Her original name in Mongolian is Sunjidma (Mongolian: ᠰᠦᠨᠵᠢᠳᠮ ᠠ, Сүнжидмаа, Sünžidmaa, Mongolian pronunciation: [suntʃitmaː], Chinese: 森吉德玛; pinyin: Sēnjídémǎ), meaning "fairy", which has given rise to her nickname "Sister Fairy" (Chinese: 仙姐儿; pinyin: xiānjiěr).[1] She studied business administration at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing,[1] where she was active in performing arts.[3]

After graduation from university, she initially worked in foreign trade, and later in the studio of the influential television hostess Xu Gehui (许戈辉).[2] On the recommendation of Xu, Yong Mei starred in the 1997 television drama The Man Who Herds the Clouds (牧云的男人) and began her acting career.[3] She had her breakout role in the 2004 television drama A Chinese-style Divorce (中国式离婚), which made her wildly popular.[1] She was also praised for her performances in the TV series Cell Phone (手机), Ocean Paradise (海洋天堂), You Are My Lover (你是我爱人), and Cliff (悬崖, 2012).[3]

In 2015, Yong Mei appeared in Hou Hsiao-hsien's film The Assassin (or Assassin Nie Yinniang), in which she plays the mother of the title character, Nie Yinniang. The production lasted from 2012 to 2014; she thoroughly enjoyed the experience and held the film in high regard. She did not accept a major role for the next few years for lack of a suitable script that met her standard for quality.[1]

The next major film she appeared in was So Long, My Son, directed by Wang Xiaoshuai, in which she portrays a mother who has lost her only son.[1] To prepare for the role, she interviewed a real-life mother who had lost her only child. She originally scheduled two hours for the interview, but it was eventually extended to seven hours and gave her deep insight into a mother's sorrow.[1] The film premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival on 14 February 2019,[4][5] Yong Mei's 49th birthday.[1] For their performance, Yong Mei and Wang Jingchun, who plays her husband in the film, were awarded the Silver Bear for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively.[5][6] She was the first actress from mainland China to win the award.[2]

Yong Mei is married to Luan Shu, the former lead singer of the Beijing rock band Black Panther. She became a fan of the band after being introduced to its music by a friend, and starred in the music video for its song "Don't Break My Heart".[1]

• Yong Mei at IMDb
• Yong Mei on Douban (in Chinese)