Top 10 Highest Paid Chinese Actresses

Famous actresses are often an important factor for the success of movies and TV series. Of course these actresses are not cheap, they get very high pay for their appearance. Here are the top 10 highest-paid Chinese actresses with their yearly income.

1. Zhang Ziyi – 120 million Yuan 

Zhang Ziyi

Zhang Ziyi is a world-renowned Chinese film actress. She became famous in the Western World for her role in the Oscar-awarded movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Her main income comes from commercials and acting pay.

2. Maggie Cheung – 110 million Yuan

Maggie Cheung is a famous Hong Kong actress. She has appeared in more than 70 films since 1983. Her famous works include Center Stage, Comrades: Almost a Love Story and In the Mood for Love.  She is the first Asian actress to win a prize at the Cannes Film Festival. She do have not have more works like Zhang Ziyi in recent years, that’s why her income is less than Zhang Ziyi.

3. Gong Li – 90 million Yuan

Gong Li

Gong Li came into international fame through several world-famous movies directed by Zhang Yimou. She was credited to bring Chinese movies to Europe and the United States. Today she is still one of the most famous film actresses in the country.

4. Carina Lau – 90 million Yuan

Her acting income is not as much as Gong Li, but sociable Carina Lau her self is really good at  investing in property. She has bought several several properties in big cities like Beijing, Chongqing and Suzhou.

5. Cecilia Cheung – 75 million Yuan

She first became famous through Stephen Chow`s 1999 film “King of Comedy”. Cheung then had a boom in both acting and singing career. After her divorce with Nicholas Tse, she becomes active again in showbiz.

6. Zhao Wei – 56 million Yuan

Zhao Wei, also known as Vicki Zhao, rose to fame after portraying Xiaoyanzi in Chinese television series Princess Pearl. When she came back in 2013, she directed her debut film work So Young,which grossed more than 700 million Yuan.

7. Ruby Lin – 45 million Yuan

Taiwanese actress Ruby Lin came to fame as a leading actress in the television series Princess Pearl. After 2009, she founded her own studio which have earned a lot of money for her. And she is still active in various TV plays today.

8. Liu Xiaoqing – 32 million Yuan

Liu Xiaoqing is oldest actress in the list. She became a famous actresses in China in the 1980s. Even though she is not young any more, she still participate in various stage and tv plays. Her mental and physical abilities even shame many young people.

9. Shu Qi – 29 million Yuan

Taiwanese actress Shu Qi won her fame through several Hong Kong erotic films. Now with her good acting skills, Shu Qi has made a fascinating turn and became a an international major star.

10. Zhou Xun – 15 million Yuan

 

Zhou Xun has played leading roles in many TV series and earns lots of money through various commercials. She also owns a studio and has published a book.

4 Responses

  1. Chun-Yin Yu says:

    I see only nine ladies out of ten in this article. In other words, number three top paid Chinese actress is missing. Who is the third highest paid Chinese actress?

    • Peter says:

      Thank you very much! This was a bad mistake, it seems that I did not add the 10th actress. Now it should be a complete list.

      • Chun-Yin Yu says:

        Wow! I’m impressed by your speed and willingness to correct mistakes. Also, I was surprised this pretty Zhejiang woman is the 10th on the list. (Zhou Xun is a native of Quzhou (衢州), Zhejiang, which is most famously known for the Ancestral Temple of the Southern Confucian Clan that was built by one of the descendants of Confucius, AKA Kongzi (孔子).) She started her entertainment career back in 1991, when she was about 17. She initially played minor roles in many movies, such as Temptress Moon (風月), which is currently listed as one of many banned movies in mainland China due to its explicit nature, but it can be easily seen or obtained in many foreign countries, such as US. (I won’t be surprised this movie will be shown again in mainland China after the fall of communism, just like what happened to the previous banned films in Russia, as Russia has previously been a communist country.) Later, she played major roles in movies, like The Banquet (夜宴), and Confucius (孔子) (which is fitting, since she is from a city known for the Confucian temple in the southern China, as mentioned earlier), and she is still active in her entertainment career as of today, plus she expand her income by writing her own source of income as author and model. Boy, or should I say Girl, how proud she is right now!

        Anyway, thanks for the correction. I’ll visit your website again at my convenience.

  2. Shaharuddin bin Abd Manan says:

    i like all actresses style simple nice dress sweet smiling & posing.

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