Yan Ni was born in 1971 in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, to a family of ordinary workers. In her childhood, she was lively and naughty, playful and did not like to study, which made her parents worry a lot. Although her skin was a little dark, she didn't care and continued to play her own way.
Her family lives next to the West Film Studio, and she has been full of longing for acting in movies since she was a child.
During the college entrance examination, Yan Ni and her classmates applied for the Beijing Film Academy, but unfortunately failed to make the list, and were finally admitted to Shaanxi University of Finance and Economics. Despite this, she did not give up on her acting dreams.
In her sophomore year, when she learned that the Lanzhou Comrades-in-Arms Art Troupe was recruiting actors, Yan Ni did not hesitate to sign up and pass the exam, and after she stayed there for two months, she was then sent to the Performance Department of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts to study.
After graduating, Yan Ni returned to Lanzhou and spent more than two years of lonely waiting. During this time, she rarely had the opportunity to perform on stage, and the only gain was to watch a lot of movies and accumulate experience for her future acting career.
At the end of 1994, after a long wait, Yan Ni finally ushered in a turning point, and she was transferred to the Kongzheng Drama Troupe, which gave her stage career a new beginning. However, on the fiercely competitive stage of Beijing, the fledgling Yan Ni can only play small roles in various film and television dramas.
Despite this, she was not discouraged and waited patiently for her opportunity.
During this time, Yan Ni's eyes often revealed confusion about the future and persistence in her dreams. She often stood alone on the streets of Beijing, looking at the bustling crowd, and secretly determined to make a difference in the city.
Although she started late, Yan Ni believes that as long as she perseveres, she will eventually have her own stage, every small role, and every performance experience is a stepping stone to her success.
In 1999, 28-year-old Yan Ni ushered in the first important opportunity in her life. In the movie "The Rooster Crows, the Hen Lays Eggs", she played the role of a village chief for the first time as a heroine. This role made her feel the joy of being the main character, and it also made her full of determination to develop in the entertainment industry.
However, this is only the beginning of her career, and the real turning point is yet to come.
In 2005, 34-year-old Yan Ni successfully played the role of Tong Xiangyu in the TV series "Wulin Gaiden". The success of this role made her an actor known to audiences across the country. Yan Ni successfully interpreted Tong Xiangyu's shrewdness, ability and gentleness to the fullest, which made the audience deeply impressed by this unique role.
The hit of the show not only made her famous, but also opened a new chapter in her acting career.
Yan Ni's acting career has become more and more prosperous, and in 2009, she played Niu Huahua in the TV series "The North Wind That Blows", with this role, she won more praise and recognition.
After two years of hard work, she won the highest awards in six TV drama festivals, and also won the first prize of the Chinese TV drama awards, which are not only an affirmation of her performance charm, but also make her position in the entertainment industry more solid.
After that, Yan Ni's acting career was even more diversified. She starred in the film "Three Guns Shooting Surprise" directed by Zhang Yimou, playing the amorous boss lady, and walked on the red carpet of the Berlin Film Festival with this film.
In addition, she also played the role of the female president Tang Hong in "One Servant and Two Masters", played the cheerful and frank Yu Xiaoqiang in "Life Apocalypse", and played the unmarried lawyer Bao Xiaolei in "Ex-Husband's Courtship".
played the role of the psychiatrist Teacher Yan in "Youth Assembly", and played the role of the boss lady Luo Bing in "Monster Hunt", bringing one wonderful character image after another to the audience.
However, fame brings not only opportunities, but also many challenges. Yan Ni began to seriously think about how to maintain her unique charm in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry and how to balance career and family.
These questions often kept her awake late at night, but she remained positive and optimistic, believing that she could forge her own path.
Yan Ni's eyes began to be full of confidence, and her demeanor was even more calm. This little girl from Xi'an, China, with her own hard work and talent, has gained a firm foothold on the vast stage of Beijing and has become a powerful actor loved by the audience.
In 1996, Yan Ni's life ushered in an important turning point. Under the arrangement of her parents, she met Zou Wei, who works in the Beijing public security system. Zou Wei used to be a soldier with a stable job and a considerable income, and he was deeply loved by Yan Ni's parents.
The two fell in love at first sight when they first met, and their relationship was soon confirmed.
During the relationship, Yan Ni wanted to go from Lanzhou to Beijing to find Zou Wei, and in order to save money, she chose to live together. Yan Ni and Zou Wei's parents think that since they have already lived together, it is natural for them to get married.
So, not long after falling in love, Yan Ni and Zou Wei completed their wedding in Beijing in a low-key manner.
However, as Yan Ni's acting career gradually rose, her family was neglected by her. Her husband and daughter don't see her a few times a year, and every time they come home, they don't recognize her as a mother.
The long-term separation led to the gradual weakening of the relationship between the husband and wife, and finally to the point of no return.
In the winter of 2004, Zou Wei came back and said, "Let's get a divorce!" The car, the house, and the children are all yours, and I will leave the house. Yan Ni was shocked and didn't believe that this was the end of their marriage. When Zou Wei accused her, "My daughters are 6 years old, how many days will you care?" At that time, Yan Ni was speechless, and her heart was filled with remorse and self-blame.
It was snowing heavily. This marriage experience made Yan Ni's eyes more vicissitudes and perseverance, and she began to find a balance between career and family, and cherished every moment with her daughter even more.
Despite the pain caused by the failure of her marriage, Yan Ni did not give up her love of life and the pursuit of her career, on the contrary, she became more mature through this experience and knew how to balance all aspects of her life.
After the divorce, Yan Ni's love life was tortuous, and she had romances with two actors who were 11 years younger than herself, but these two relationships failed to achieve positive results.
First of all, Yan Ni lived with actor Wang Qiming for 2 years. However, the relationship ended in an unpleasant way. When they broke up, Wang Qiming made a big fuss in Yan Ni's community, and Yan Ni had to invite more than 20 security guards to kick him out.
Under the anger, Wang Qiming also publicly posted an intimate photo of the two, which brought a lot of trouble to Yan Ni.
After that, in 2018, Yan Ni fell in love with actor Zhang Duo. Zhang Duo has starred in well-known works such as "Life and Death", and has a certain reputation in the entertainment industry. However, due to the differences between the two in terms of personality and life planning, the relationship eventually ended in a breakup.
Although there have been twists and turns in her love life, Yan Ni has not collapsed because of this, on the contrary, she has put more energy into her work. On her acting path, she always breaks through herself and faces every challenge with a positive attitude.
During this time, Yan Ni starred in many works, such as the domineering female president Tang Hong played in "One Servant and Two Masters", the frank and cheerful Yu Xiaoqiang in "Life Apocalypse", the independent and self-reliant unmarried lawyer Bao Xiaolei in "Ex-Husband's Courtship", the psychiatrist Yan Instructor in "Youth Assembly", and the proprietress Luo Bing in "Monster Hunt" and other roles.
These roles fully demonstrated Yan Ni's multi-faceted acting skills and brought a lot of joy to the audience.
Yan Ni's hard work paid off, and she repeatedly appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, showing her versatile side. In 2020, she won the Magnolia Award for her outstanding performance in Life of Pi.
In her acceptance speech, Yan Ni showed respect for her peers and love for her career, demonstrating her high emotional intelligence and professionalism.
During this period, Yan Ni showed the unique charm of mature women. Her eyes are full of confidence and calmness, and she shows an independent temperament between her gestures. Although she was emotionally frustrated, she did not give up her longing for love, but pursued a breakthrough in her career and proved her strength and worth.
With the passage of time, Yan Ni's daughter Zou Yuanqing is also gradually growing up, and after that, she chose to step into the showbiz. The first step in Zou Yuanqing's acting career was to participate in the movie "Secret Fruit", which was also her first screen work.
After that, the mother and daughter also co-starred in the movie "I Am Your Mother", and this collaboration allowed the audience to see their unique chemistry on the screen.
In order to help her daughter better in the profession of an actress, Yan Ni took Zou Yuanqing to experience life in the countryside, so that she could understand the characters through her own analysis. These strict requirements reflect Yan Ni's great attention and dedication to her daughter's career.
However, as a rookie actor, Zou Yuanqing's acting skills were once questioned. She participated in the second season of the variety show "Actors Please Be in Place", and her performance sparked heated discussions. Commentator Zhao Wei and director Chen Kaige both criticized his acting skills.
In the face of these doubts, Yan Ni always supported her daughter and encouraged her to stick to her dreams and constantly improve her acting skills.
On April 8, 2024, 51-year-old Yan Ni and 24-year-old Zou Yuanqing jointly photographed the cover of the magazine, which attracted widespread attention. Although there is a 27-year age gap between mother and daughter, it is not difficult to see from their interactions and photos that there is no generation gap at all.
Yan Ni's well-maintained appearance is amazing, and her relationship with her daughter is more like a sister.
Yan Ni was wearing a long gray coat and pulling up her long hair, showing a gentle and generous temperament; Zou Yuanqing wore slightly curly long hair and a dark gray coat, which was playful and lovely. When taking pictures, Yan Ni held her daughter in her arms, both of them had smiles on their faces, and their eyes revealed the deep emotions of mother and daughter.
This series of photos shows in depth the excellent personal traits that Yan Ni has displayed through her amazing state of care, that is, the multi-faceted image of a successful woman and a loving mother. In the photo, her eyes are full of love for life and anticipation for the future, as if the years have never left a mark on her face.