2005–2013: Career beginnings, Fashion Youngster Yee began his career as a child star, appearing in several variety programs from 2005 to 2008. In 2010, Yee made his acting debut in the television series
Iron Pear. He also acted in several short films and appeared in the music video for
Father (2013), a song by
The Voice of China contestant Zhang Hexuan.
2013–2016: TFBoys and solo activities Yee officially debuted as a member of TFBoys in August, 2013. In 2015, he voiced the main character for the Chinese dub of the animated movie
The Little Prince. In July 2016, he starred in the
xianxia television series,
Noble Aspirations, playing a fox demon. In November, he released his second solo single "You Say". The single was produced by music producer Lee Wei Song and written by
Leehom Wang. The same month, he joined the cast of the variety show
Let Go of My Baby.
2017–present: Mainstream popularity In January 2017, Yee joined the voice cast of the animated movie
GG Bond: Guarding, playing the character of a mysterious man. Yee starred as the young version of the male protagonist in historical drama
Song of Phoenix. He also released his own rendition of
Li Sao for the soundtrack of the drama. In September 2017, it was announced that Yee has set up his own independent studio for his solo activities. In November, Yee released his first English language single, titled
Nothing to Lose, produced by
Harvey Mason Jr., while Yee participated in the lyrics writing. Five days later, he released another single, titled
Unpredictable, produced by
David Gamson and with lyrics written by
Dave Gibson. In 2018, Yee was confirmed to join the dance-oriented variety show
Street Dance of China as a captain. Yee was invited to attend the 60th
Grammy Award Ceremony on 28 January 2018, held in New York as the Music Ambassador of Radio 101, a China Music Vision guest. He was also the youngest Chinese musician ever to be officially invited to the ceremony. The same month, Yee was named as one of the top 10 influential charity stars by
Sina. Later in the year, it was announced that he will star in the fantasy animated film
L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties 2. He was invited to perform at the
closing ceremony of 2018 Asian Games to promote the upcoming
Hangzhou Asian Games. This year, he was accepted into
Beijing's prestigious
Central Academy of Drama after placing first and achieving the highest score for both his college entrance examination and live audition. In 2019, Yee starred in the film
Better Days, adapted from a Chinese novel
In His Youth, In Her Beauty. His performance earned him the Best New Performer Award at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards. The same year, he starred in the historical mystery drama ''
The Longest Day in Chang'an. On 22 December 2019, he held his first solo concert, Su Er'' in
Shanghai,
China. In 2020, Yee starred in period action drama
Forward Forever. His second film,
A Little Red Flower, was released in the theaters on 31 December 2020. The next year, Yee starred in a sequel to the film,
The Battle at Lake Changjin II, was released on 1 February 2022. In January 2023, Yee starred in the film
Full River Red, directed by
Zhang Yimou. The film gained a box office of 4.5 billion RMB, becoming one of the
highest-grossing film of all time in mainland China. On 14 April 2023,
Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and
Shanghai joined together to unveil two brand new wax figures of Yee. He is also the first-ever millennial to have three different wax figures at Madame Tussauds. His first figure was unveiled in 2018. On 24 June 2024, Yee has been appointed as the first Olympic™️ Friend in the People's Republic of China and will be championing the Olympic Values and Paris 2024 in his homeland. Two days later, with 30 days left until the
2024 Paris Olympics, Yee spoke about the Olympic spirit in an
International Olympic Committee promotional video. In 2025, Yee starred in the art-house film
Resurrection, which was selected for the main competition at the
78th Cannes Film Festival and awarded a Special Award. He became the first Chinese actor born after 2000 to surpass
¥20 billion in cumulative box office earnings and was named
Best Actor by the China Film Director's Guild. He sang the Mandarin version of the theme song,
Together to the Mountains and Seas, for the
2025 National Games for Persons with Disabilities of China. == Other ventures ==