In 1976, Jingzhou, Hubei Province welcomed a girl named Zeng Li. Born in an ordinary worker family, she is naturally beautiful and has a stunning appearance: thick eyebrows and big eyes, white skin and beautiful appearance, and slender legs, which can be described as a real beauty embryo.
This innate beauty seemed to foreshadow her future destiny.
Zeng Li's mother seemed to have an early insight into her daughter's artistic potential, and sent the young Zeng Li to the Children's Palace to learn physique, vocal music and dance, and joined the "Red Scarf Song and Dance Troupe" to learn rhythmic gymnastics.
These early artistic trainings laid a solid foundation for her later success in her acting career.
At the age of 11, the Hubei Provincial Peking Opera Troupe selected Peking Opera seedlings, and Zeng Li stood out among many competitors with her tall figure and outstanding appearance.
For the next seven years, Zeng Li was passionate about learning Peking Opera. This period of artistic edification laid a solid foundation for her acting career. At the age of 18, she graduated with honors and was assigned to the Hubei Peking Opera Troupe to become an official Peking Opera performer.
When Zeng Li first entered the workplace, he received a salary of more than 300 yuan a month and lived what she described as "the life of a civil servant who drinks water and reads newspapers". However, this seemingly stable "iron rice bowl" could not satisfy her young and vigorous heart.
Zeng Li longs for a bigger stage and is eager to show his talent in a broader world.
It is this restless heart that urges Zeng Li to keep moving forward. At a party, she happened to learn that her old classmate had been admitted to the Central Academy of Drama. This news is like a seed that takes root in Zeng Li's heart.
With the foundation laid in the Academy of Chinese Opera, she was successfully admitted to the Central Academy of Drama and began her formal acting studies.
With his love for art and his vision for the future, Zeng Li resolutely embarked on the road of acting. On this road, what kind of tempering will her beauty and talent go through, and what kind of brilliance will bloom? Everything is unknown.
At the Central Academy of Drama, Zeng Li's beauty was undoubtedly displayed again. With her top-notch beauty, she became the first of the "Seven Golden Flowers of Chinese Opera Level 96", shining all over the world. But she is calm and cautious on the inside, and she is restrained, which contrasts sharply with her beautiful appearance.
At that time, Chinese opera could be said to be full of talents. Zeng Li's classmates include Qin Hailu, who won the actress with "Durian Piaopiao", Mei Ting, who dropped out of school and became famous because of her cooperation with Leslie Cheung, and Zhang Ziyi, who became a "Mou Girl" with "My Father and Mother".
However, Zeng Li chose another path in life.
At the suggestion of the head teacher, Zeng Li did not take on the drama for four years in college, and he studied with peace of mind. This decision made her miss out on some potentially fate-changing opportunities. One of the regrets is that I missed "My Father and Mother" directed by Zhang Yimou.
It is said that because Zeng Li was not at school at the time, he missed this role, and finally Zhang Ziyi played it and became famous in one fell swoop.
Faced with the regret of his friends, Zeng Li responded with a very indifferent attitude: "Don't look at others who are popular after acting, maybe my performance is not popular!" She has always believed that "there must be a road before the car reaches the mountain, and I believe that there will always be a road waiting for me."
This attitude is not only a reflection of her caution, but also of her unwavering confidence in her future.
However, the gap between ideals and reality is often wider than we think. In 2000, Zeng Li, who graduated from Chinese opera, joined the art troupe at the suggestion of his teacher. While performing in various places, she also looked for opportunities to perform in different crews.
However, during this time, Zeng Li was busy in multiple crews, but he never met a role that could make him popular overnight.
Zeng Li's caution hindered her career development to a certain extent. While the classmates seized the opportunity to become famous quickly, Zeng Li was silently waiting for his own opportunity.
Her choice reflects both her respect for art and her reluctance to follow the crowd.
However, Zeng Li did not give up, she still firmly believes that her own opportunity will always come. Perhaps it is this persistence and belief that has allowed Zeng Li to gain a long-term foothold in the entertainment industry. People can't help but ask if Zeng Li could be more decisive, would her acting career be different? This question will only be left to time to answer.
In 2000, after graduating from the Central Academy of Drama, Zeng Li followed the advice of her teacher to join the art troupe, and this decision made her acting career go in a different direction. In the days of the art troupe, Zeng Li was constantly looking for opportunities to appear in dramas while running around performing in various places.
During this time, she participated in different crews many times, but never met a role that could make her famous in one fell swoop.
It wasn't until 2003 that Zeng Li finally ushered in an opportunity. She co-starred with Ruby Lin and Lu Yi in the TV series "Talented Men and Women", and played the role of Yan Ruyu in it. Despite playing a beautiful and vicious female number two, this role made Zeng Li gain attention to a certain extent.
However, because the audience at that time preferred the silly and sweet hostess, although Zeng Li's role increased his popularity, he failed to win a wide audience.
In 2005, Zeng Li ushered in an important turning point in his acting career at the age of 29. The famous director Chen Yifei invited her to be the heroine of the new movie "The Barber" Song Jiayi, partnering with the popular student Chen Kun.
For Zeng Li, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Chen Kun at that time had already attracted much attention with TV series such as "Like Fog, Like Rain and Like Wind" and "The Family of Gold Powder".
However, fate seemed to play tricks on her again. Director Chen Yifei died suddenly during the filming of the film, and the release of the film was delayed until 2006. Although Zeng Li was nominated for the Best Actress Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival for her outstanding performance, the work did not bring her the fame and fortune she expected.
On Zeng Li's career path, we have repeatedly witnessed her ups and downs. But she still insisted on not giving up and continued to work hard in the film and television industry. After that, Zeng Li successively starred in many TV series such as "Glory of the Tang Dynasty" and "Housewives Have to Fight", although most of them were presented in supporting roles, but her acting skills and beauty still won wide recognition from the audience.
In particular, Mei Sanniang played in "New Liao Zhai Zhiyi's Painted Skin", Yang Yuhuan in "Glory of the Tang Dynasty" and other characters left a deep impression on the audience.
Although Zeng Li did not become famous at this stage, she is preparing for the shining moment in the future.
Zeng Li's acting career has entered a relatively stable but slightly embarrassing stage. Her overly cold and sexy face has become a double-edged sword, and she is always found to be a junior or a spy, and it is always difficult to break through the identity of a supporting role.
This situation makes people sigh, why is it difficult for an actor with such an outstanding appearance to become the protagonist?
Perhaps because she looks too cold and sexy, Zeng Li seems to be in a predicament: she always can't be the protagonist. This situation is regrettable for many viewers and industry insiders.
As Liu Ye commented: "If you are a little ambitious, you will not only have the height in front of you" However, for Zeng Li, this is the path she chose herself, although it may not be brilliant enough in the eyes of others, but she walked very calmly.
As he grew older, Zeng Li's performance style became narrower. Around the age of forty, she began to take on some "mother" roles, such as playing Yuan Ling's mother in "Drunk Linglong", and playing Mrs. Jin Ling in "Qingyunzhi".
These characters are all mothers of Xiao Xianrou, watching the former "Chinese opera school flower" gradually transform into a "glamorous mother", many viewers feel a little regretful.
However, in Zeng Li's view, status and reputation are not the most important things. She once admitted: "Not all actors have to be at the top of the pyramid, as long as they don't regret the decisions they make, it's enough."
This sentence may explain why she has been able to gain a long-term foothold in the entertainment industry, but she has never been able to truly become popular.
Zeng Li's experience is like a mirror, which completely reflects the complexity of the entertainment industry. Her experiences have taught us that no matter how good you look, or even your acting skills, there are many more factors that go into success in this fast-changing industry.
However, despite the difficulties Zeng Li faced, she did not stop there, and has always adhered to the path of being an actor, interpreting the actor's profession in a unique way.
Zeng Li's career is in ups and downs, and his love life has always attracted attention from the outside world. Her three well-known relationships have all been labeled as "down" and "poor" by the outside world, but in fact, after in-depth understanding, you will find that this shows Zeng Li's unique view of mate selection.
During her studies in Chinese opera, many boys confessed to Zeng Li, but she only fell in love with the class leader Niu Qingfeng. Although Niu Qingfeng's family background is ordinary, he shines with his talent.
During his time in school, he wrote and directed the sketch "The Great Desert", and also cooperated with Yuan Quan and Qin Hailu to participate in the drama "Dream Wish", although the campus romance ended after graduation in 2000, it also reflects Zeng Li's attitude of valuing talent rather than external conditions.
Later, Zeng Li and Fu Dalong, known as "China's poorest actor", became attached to the play. Although Fu Dalong's appearance is not too outstanding, he has won the title of actor four times, is proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and has an awe-inspiring style, never participating in shows or receiving advertisements.
Although this relationship ended because of less gathering and more separation, it once again proved that Zeng Li attaches more importance to inner qualities when choosing a partner.
Zeng Li's third relationship was with Li Yixiang, and his experience was bizarre and legendary. He started as a fruit seller, and because of his love for art, he started as an extra, and through his unremitting efforts, he was admitted to the China Film Academy.
He once co-starred with Wang Baoqiang in the movie "Blind Well", and won the honor of actor with the movie "Restless Chickens and Dogs" Li Yixiang fell in love with Zeng Li at first sight, after the two were together, Li Yixiang always felt inferior, thinking that he was not worthy of Zeng Li, although this relationship failed to achieve positive results, but it highlighted Zeng Li's criteria for choosing a mate who did not pay attention to external conditions.
Zeng Li, who is now 47 years old and low-key, was exposed to a new relationship in 2021. Facing everyone's eyes, she responded calmly: "True love and being loved by each other are not measured by whether they are married or not.
These words seem to be a kind of self-reflection on her emotional path, and also show her unique understanding of feelings.
Zeng Li said in an interview that she does not pay attention to the appearance of her boyfriend, but pays more attention to the inner quality and talent of the other party. Her emotional experience is in line with the stated point of view, which is confirmed by her own example.
She firmly believes that talent and content are far more attractive than wealth and status, and this may be part of her unique charm.
Zeng Li's acting career tells us that we must always maintain a surprising indifference, because not all actors have to be at the top of the pyramid. She said: "As long as you choose the path you choose without regrets, it is enough."
This sentence fully reflects her unique understanding of acting career.
Compared with career achievements, Zeng Li seems to pursue the quality of daily life. Her daily life is unique and interesting: she loves to read, drink tea, eat a vegetarian, love travel, and even obsessed with playing with walnuts.
In the floating entertainment industry, such an attitude to life is particularly precious.
Zeng Li's lifestyle profoundly shows her understanding of life, she does not pursue fame, is not trapped by interests, but focuses on what is really important. This lifestyle may be the reason why she was able to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry.
Zeng Li left home to learn art at the age of 11, and now he is 47 years old and has been in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years. Although she did not reach the heights expected by the outside world, she lived her own life.
Her story tells us that the value of life lies not only in external achievements, but also in inner calmness and contentment.
In this society that pursues immediate returns, Zeng Li's attitude is particularly valuable, she not only knows what she really wants, but also knows what she can give up. It is precisely because of this clear understanding that she can maintain her true self in the complex entertainment industry and not follow the crowd.
Zeng Li's experience is like a mirror, reflecting each of our inner thoughts on success, love and life. Perhaps, being able to calmly face the ups and downs of life and maintain inner peace is the real winner in life.
At this level, Zeng Li undoubtedly provides us with an example worth learning from.