She has hosted the Spring Festival Gala for 17 years and is known as CCTV's "nail household".
Everyone also said that she was Ni Ping's "successor" and an outstanding female host who could compete with Dong Qing for the throne of CCTV's "first sister".
Zhou Tao, the "gold medal host" of CCTV, is not only beautiful, but also very talented.
After marrying a rich man for the second time, she was spoiled as a "little princess".
After that, she resolutely left her job at the peak of her career.
Now, Zhou Tao has left CCTV for 8 years, how is her life?
Zhou Tao grew up in a family full of books since he was a child.
She grew up in a very unique environment:
Her grandfather was a senior accountant, her grandmother and parents were both teachers, and her mother later served as the director of the local cultural bureau.
Since childhood, Zhou Tao has been immersed in such an atmosphere.
She has a clear goal and a clear plan for the future from an early age.
At work, Zhou Tao has never been satisfied with the status quo.
In 1992, she was hired by Beijing Radio.
3 years later, her talent was discovered by CCTV and officially joined CCTV to replace Ni Ping to host "Zhengda Variety Show".
Regarding this job change, Zhou Tao was actually very hesitant at first.
In an interview, she admitted that Beijing TV provided her with the opportunity to study in the United States, and promised that she could be a director and producer after returning to China.
It's an irresistible temptation.
Zhou Tao said that this kind of opportunity is enough to make people dizzy.
After careful consideration, Zhou Tao chose to join CCTV.
She explains:
"CCTV's platform is larger, and with the same investment of time and energy, the audience of Beijing TV may only be 10 million, while on CCTV there may be hundreds of millions or even billions of people watching my program."
Sure enough, Zhou Tao's performance on CCTV was particularly outstanding.
Especially the Spring Festival Gala she hosted, so that Chinese people all over the country and even the world are familiar with her intellectual and elegant smile.
After she won the love of the audience in "Variety Show", she also created public welfare programs such as "Infinite Truth".
"This year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala is over here, thank you for watching, audience friends, see you next year!"
This is Zhou Tao's usual closing remarks, and she has persisted for 16 years.
In 2016, she concluded with this:
"This year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala is over here, thank you for watching, audience friends, goodbye!"
Goodbye, there is no "next year".
Zhou Tao's love life is equally exciting.
She and Yao Hong met in college, Yao Hong was his senior and talented.
Under the "relentless pursuit" of the other party, Zhou Tao fell deeply.
Later, the two quickly got a marriage certificate and became husband and wife.
However, the marriage of Zhou Tao and Yao Hong gradually produced many contradictions due to the different expectations and pressures of both parties for life.
In 2002, Zhou Tao and Yao Hong's marriage officially ended.
After the divorce, Zhou Tao quickly adjusted his state and continued to strive for excellence in his work.
Two years later, Zhou Tao remarried, and her new partner was Lu Yun, a businessman who had an affair with her.
This time, she seems more mature and wiser, as she has found a partner who is truly suitable for her.
However, some people say that Zhou Tao took a fancy to Lu Yun's money.
Because he was worried that there would be a dislike between the two, Zhou Tao also clarified:
"We've known each other for almost 10 years before we developed into a relationship."
"I'm looking at his people, and I'm sure he's the type that's best for me."
Lu Yun's appearance brought new hope and support to Zhou Tao's life, and also made her feel a different family and love.
Lu Yun understands Zhou Tao's work pressure, thinks about her everywhere, and takes care of and supports her meticulously......
Zhou Tao has always been work-oriented, even in the face of the choice of family life, she did not hesitate to choose work.
In 2005, Zhou Tao joined the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, where he was responsible for the global television coordination and communication of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Three years later, she also served as a commentator for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
Her dedication and love make her feel comfortable as a narrator.
In the years that followed, Zhou Tao continued to challenge himself and broaden his professional boundaries.
She has always been the focus of the public, but in private, she also has an unknown sadness.
After leaving CCTV, she realized that she had missed many important moments in her daughter's growth.
"Who do you think this is?"
"I don't know, I don't know her."
Even if Zhou Tao stood in front of his daughter, his daughter couldn't recognize him.
When Zhou Tao realized that her daughter was estranged from her, she decided to reduce her workload and spend more time with her daughter.
"I've dedicated my most precious years to the broadcast industry, and now I'm starting to realize that there are many things I might never have had in my life if I didn't get in touch with them. I want to give the rest of my time back to myself. ”
After his daughter was diagnosed with autism, Zhou Tao decided to retreat into the background and devote himself to the family.
For the sake of his daughter, Zhou Tao slowed down and re-examined his life.
At the peak of her career, she decided to resign from CCTV, which surprised many people.
For Zhou Tao, this is a new understanding and pursuit of life.
At first, Zhou Tao's daughter didn't know about her job.
As time went on, her daughter showed a potential talent for hosting.
In addition to being proud, Zhou Tao is also open to his daughter's future.
She said that she would not force her daughter to follow any particular path and hoped that she would follow her heart to make decisions.
After retiring to CCTV, Zhou Tao did not disappear from public view.
She moved behind the scenes and became the chief performance officer of Beijing Performing Arts Group.
He has even dabbled in film dubbing and drama performances, which is really versatile.
Now, she occasionally returns to hosting, but she's more than just a TV host, she's also a producer, director, and even an actress.
In the TV series "Old Guy" broadcast not long ago, Zhou Tao was there.
She played on the same stage with the veteran actors Zhang Guoli, Zhang Tielin and Wang Gang, who had partnered in "Iron Tooth and Bronze Tooth Ji Xiaolan".
Ni Ping said:
"A good host should be omnipotent."
Today's Zhou Tao has proved this with his own practical actions.
Seeing such a versatile Zhou Tao, netizens were excited and couldn't help but ask a question:
"Where is Sister Tao's boundary?"
This is a question, perhaps only time will tell.
But one thing is for sure,
An artist like Zhou Tao, there is no limit to her life on the stage.
Every transformation and challenge is a process of continuous exploration and realization of her self-worth.
"The Old Guy" is just another wonderful chapter in her long artistic career.
Hard work will not fail anyone, and time will give us the answer. As long as you persevere, you will reap the rewards.
We are fortunate to witness such a "jack of all trades" constantly reinvent themselves and continue to showcase their talents in different fields.
No matter where her boundaries are, we look forward to seeing more of her in action.