How Zhang Ziyi lookalike Tong Yao, Chinese actress and star of Nothing But Thirty, overcame controversy to win audiences’ hearts
- Dubbed the ‘little Zhang Ziyi’, 35-year-old Tong Yao won widespread acclaim for her role in recent TV drama Nothing But Thirty
- Though her looks gave her a head start in showbiz, her career was sidelined after assault and rape controversies at Beijing’s Central Academy of Drama
Being famous for looking like a well-known celebrity can be both a blessing and a curse. Tong Yao should know.
Dubbed the “little Zhang Ziyi”, the 35-year-old Chinese actress looks remarkably like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Zhang and her looks have helped open many doors in showbiz since 2002, when she was still a student. But it has also meant never having a strong identity of her own.
That was until recently when she starred in the Tencent TV drama Nothing But Thirty, which became a huge hit in China.
The show, which aired from July to September, charts the lives of three successful 30-year-old women, though it is probably best known for the “handbag war” scenewhich went viral on Chinese social media.
Tong’s portrayal of a highly intelligent, manipulating housewife who ingratiates herself into the lives of rich women to help advance her husband’s career won her acclaim among critics and viewers alike and made her a household name.
Being named best actress at last week’s 30th China TV Golden Eagle Awards for her performance in Chinese period drama Like a Flowing River, a co-production between Shanghai Media, Daylight Entertainment and SMG Pictures, was the icing on the cake.