Beginnings In 1990, at the age of four, Yang made her acting debut in the historical television series
Tang Ming Huang directed by
Chen Jialin, playing the role of young Princess Xianning. She also had a minor role as Beggar So's daughter in
King of Beggars (1992), which starred
Stephen Chow as the titular character. Two years later, she starred in the television series
Hou Wa, where her acting left a deep impression on the producer. In 2002, Yang signed a contract with
Li Shaohong's agency, Rosat Entertainment. In 2003, Yang received her first script and made her official acting debut in
The Story of a Noble Family.
2006–2010: Rising popularity In the late 2000s, Yang started to gain increased attention and popularity with her roles as
Nie Xiaoqian in legendary drama
Strange Tales of Liaozhai (2005), and
Guo Xiang in wuxia drama
The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006), In 2007, Yang played the titular role of
Wang Zhaojun in the eypnomous television series, which was broadcast on
CCTV. She received positive reviews for her performance, and was nominated for the Best Actress award at the
China TV Golden Eagle Award. In 2010, Yang starred in
Li Shaohong's
adaptation of the classic novel
The Dream of Red Mansions, and received positive reviews for her portrayal of Qingwen. The same year, she starred in big-budget historical series ''
Beauty's Rival in Palace'', winning acclaim for her role as a cold assassin.
2011–present: Breakthrough and Mainstream success In 2011, Yang achieved widespread fame with her role as the time-traveling protagonist in the hit historical romance drama,
Palace (2011). She was voted the Most Popular Actress at the 17th
Shanghai Television Festival. The theme song of the drama sung by Yang, titled "In Support of the Love", was also a hit and won Best Theme Song (OST) at the 6th
Huading Awards. The same year, she starred in horror film
Mysterious Island, for which she was credited with ushering China's entertainment industry into the "fan economy." It raked in more than 70 million yuan at the box office and became the most successful horror film in China.
Mei Ah Entertainment announced that it will be producing four tailored-made films (
Wu Dang,
Chinese Princess Turandot,
Windseeker, and
Butterfly Cemetery) for Yang with a total investment of 300 million yuan for the four films due to the box office success of
Mysterious Island. However, the films failed to live up to the success of
Mysterious Island, and Yang was named Most Disappointing Actress at the Golden Broom Awards for her performance in
Wu Dang. In 2012, Yang starred in
Beijing Love Story, a modern romance drama directed by
Chen Sicheng; where she played a prideful gold digger. The series was a hit, and Yang won the
Best Actress award at the 26th
China TV Golden Eagle Awards. The same year she co-starred in
Painted Skin: The Resurrection, a sequel to
Gordon Chan's 2008 hit fantasy film
Painted Skin. Yang was then announced to play the leading protagonist Lin Xiao in the
Tiny Times film series, based on
Guo Jingming's best-selling novel of the same name. The first two installments of the film were released in 2013, with the subsequent installments released in 2014 and 2015. Despite receiving negative reviews,
Tiny Times was an overwhelming success at the box office. Also in 2013, Yang took on the role of a television producer for the first time with web series
V Love. In 2014, Yang starred in the comedy film
The Breakup Guru directed by
Deng Chao. The film grossed 180 million yuan in its opening week and ended up as one of the highest-grossing films in China that year. She then starred in fantasy action drama
Swords of Legends as the female lead Feng Qingxue. The drama was a commercial success, topping television ratings and becoming the most watched Chinese drama online at that time. In the same year Yang co-founded her own agency
Jiaxing Media. In 2015, Yang starred in romance films
You Are My Sunshine with
Huang Xiaoming and
Fall in Love Like a Star with
Li Yifeng. She also challenged the role of a blind girl in
The Witness, adapted from the South Korean thriller
Blind. In 2016, Yang starred in the modern drama
The Interpreter, which premiered on
Hunan TV. The series was a huge success, and became the highest-rated drama of 2016. She also featured in fantasy animated film
L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties, directed by
Tiny Times director
Guo Jingming. In 2017, Yang starred in
Eternal Love, adapted from the
xianxia novel Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms by TangQi GongZi. The fantasy-romance drama was a massive hit both locally and internationally and Yang received acclaim for her acting performance in the drama. She then starred in science fiction thriller
Reset produced by
Jackie Chan, which led to her win for Best Actress at the 50th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. Yang next starred in wuxia film
Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield alongside
Chang Chen as a painter. She ranked third on
Forbes China Celebrity 100 list for the year, her highest ranking yet. In 2018, Yang starred in
Negotiator, a modern workplace drama which deals with the profession of negotiators. Yang then headlined the fantasy adventure drama
Legend of Fuyao. Yang returned to the big screen with
Baby directed by Liu Jie, a film which tells the story of a woman who was abandoned by her parents due to severe birth defects, and her battle as an adult to try and save a baby in the same situation. She received positive reviews for her portrayal of a brittle, harried working-class woman prematurely aged by ill health and poverty. Her film
Baby (Bao bai er) was selected for the "Special Presentations" section of the
43rd Toronto International Film Festival and competed in the main competition of the
San Sebastián International Film Festival, where she received a nomination for the
Silver Shell for Best Actress in the latter. The same year, she was cast in the fantasy suspense film
Assassin in Red directed by
Lu Yang; where she would play the role of an antagonist. In 2019, Yang starred in the period drama
The Great Craftsman. Yang was cast in the cyber-security drama
Storm Eye as a police officer; and medical drama
Thank You Doctor as a surgeon. In 2020, Yang was cast in the historical fantasy drama
Novoland: Pearl Eclipse. On 10 May 2023, Yang officially announced she had left Jiaxing Media. In 2024, Yang's TV series
In the Name of the Brother was nominated Best Series Drama at the
Seoul International Drama Awards. In 2026, Yang won the Actress of the Year award at the 4th
CMG Annual Chinese TV Drama Ceremony for her role as Ning Xiu Xiu in
This Thriving Land. This marked her first "Best Actress" title in nearly 14 years, since winning the
Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress in 2012. ==Personal life==