Xiao Zhan, Joy of Life and The Untamed. As a singer, Xiao's single "Light Spot" which was released at the end of April 2020, has already become the second best selling digital song of all time.
Early life and education
Xiao Zhan was born on 5 October 1991 in Chongqing. Since he was young, he learnt drawing and violin. He studied at Modern International Art Design Academy of CTBU. During his university days, he was in the choir team. He worked as a photographer and graphic designer prior to his debut.
Career
2015–2018: Beginnings and rising popularity
In 2015, Xiao Zhan participated in the reality program X-Fire where he trained to be an idol alongside 15 other trainees. He also participated in recording the programTeen Channel by Tencent. His first performance stage was at the 2016 Zhejiang TV New Year Concert, where he performed the single "Freeze" as well as the theme song "Be A Man" alongside his teammates. He debuted alongside eight other trainees in the idol group X Nine in 2016, taking on the position of main vocal. X Nine released their first mini album X Jiu in September 2016. In 2016, Xiao made his acting debut in the fantasy web drama Super Star Academy where he played the leading role. The same year, he played a minor role in the time-travel romance dramaShuttle Love Millennium. In 2018, he starred in the historical romance web drama Oh! My Emperor. The series was well-received for its comedic and romantic storyline, and Xiao earned recognition with his role as a domineering yet gentle prince. He sang a soundtrack for the drama, titled "Stepping on Shadows". The same year, he starred in the fantasy action dramaBattle Through the Heavens, as well as historical drama The Wolf.
2019–present: Breakthrough
In 2019, Xiao starred in the xianxia drama The Untamed, based on the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi, as one of the two male leads alongside Wang Yibo. He and Wang also released a duet titled "Unrestrained" for the drama. His portrayal of the carefree and unrestrained Wei Wuxian received positive reviews, which led to increased popularity for him. The series was also popular overseas, leading to a surge in global recognition for the actor. The same year, he played the protagonist Zhang Xiaofan in the film Jade Dynasty, adapted from the xianxia novel Zhu Xian. The film topped the China box office on its day of release, and had a total box office revenue of more than 400 million yuan in 18 days of screening. In Thailand, the film set a new record as the highest-grossing Chinese language movie in 10 years. Xiao featured as a spy in the historical drama Joy of Life and sung the ending theme song " Remaining Years". In September, it was announced that he had established his own studio, "XZ Studio". In 2020, Xiao appeared in CCTV New Year's Galafor the first time, acting out a skit Like You Like Me alongside Xie Na.· On April 25th, Xiao released his digital single "Light" which went on to become the second highest selling digital single of all time with over 37.2 Million copies sold. For this song, he entered the Guinness World Records for the fastest-selling digital track in China.
Other activities
Endorsements and commercial value
Xiao has become one of the most in demand endorsers following the success of The Untamed. His endorsements range from beverage and washing products, to jewelry and fashion magazines; with most of them breaking their previous sales record. After he was appointed as the brand endorser for Estée Lauder's fragrance and beauty line, the brand's sales record reportedly surpassed last year single day's record, as well as topping the most popular Chinese brands list for 11:11 and Black Friday 2019. Forbes China listed him under their 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 list which consisted of 30 influential people under 30 years old who have had a substantial effect in their fields. The actor-singer has been topping various charts for consecutive weeks and months since his breakthrough. He topped the R3 index celebrity ranking from August to November 2019; and the Star Fashion Value by Sina Fashion in August and October 2019. He also topped Ai Man's Data Star's Business Value list for the month of September to November. He ranked 1st for the TCCAsia's Most Handsome Faces in Asia 2019 list. Xiao won the Most Influential Actor of the Year in Power Star 2019 list by reaching the top 25 consecutive times among 44 male actors.
Ambassador activities
Xiao was named the promotional ambassador for the Beijing Television Spring Gala 2020.
