In 1971, Yan Ni was born in a family of ordinary workers in Xi'an, Shaanxi. Both parents are workers with traditional ideas, and Yan Ni is the youngest daughter of the family. When the name was chosen, the parents also argued about it.
Her mother wanted to name her "Yan Ni", which was both nice and easy to remember, but her father was worried that the name would make her even more confused. In the end, the two had their own opinions, and Yan Ni had two names.
When she was a child, Yan Ni was black and thin, and was called "black doll" by the children in the courtyard. But she didn't care at all, but felt that being called "Hei Li Kui" was worth being angry about. This optimistic and open-minded personality has become an important confidence for her to break into the entertainment industry in the future.
However, Yan Ni also gave her parents a headache because of her habit of losing everything. When she was in elementary school, she could lose four pencils a week, and her hat and scarf often disappeared without even realizing it.
Once I made tea for my father's friend, and I actually made a big joke about the dry tobacco as tea. When she was in high school, Yan Ni and her friend Su Shuang participated in the admissions exam of Beijing Film Academy in Xi'an.
Although she was just in the mindset of giving it a try, she unexpectedly passed the first two rounds of the exam. Although she ended up in the third round, this experience ignited Yan Ni's passion for acting.
Two years later, 19-year-old Yan Ni resolutely gave up her studies at Shaanxi University of Finance and Economics and was admitted to the Combat Drama Troupe of the Political Department of the Lanzhou Military Region. Subsequently, she was fortunate to enter the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts to study acting.
In school, Yan Ni was often misunderstood for her cold personality because of her myopia and poor dressing. For this reason, she learned to laugh when she sees people and resolve misunderstandings with enthusiasm. This experience laid the foundation for Yan Ni's future acting career.
Although she is not outstanding enough in appearance and temperament, she enjoys the process of learning to act, does not care about the evaluation of others, and silently hones her professional ability. Yan Ni's artistic path slowly unfolded in her persistence and persistence.
In 1994, Yan Ni bid farewell to her comrades in Lanzhou and was transferred to the Repertory Troupe of the Political Department of the Air Force, officially starting her acting career. When she first arrived in the air government, she felt a completely different atmosphere from Lan Zhan.
There are a group of outstanding actors such as Niu Li, Yin Tao, and Gao Yalin, and they have busy work arrangements every day, which makes Yan Ni feel pressured. Starting from the tricks, Yan Ni cherishes every opportunity to play a role.
In the drama "Xiangjiang, Xiangjiang", she only has one line "The second class of the Red Army!" But she's still fully engaged. In order to grasp every detail, she worked the action of falling, and often fell bruised.
This dedication and enthusiasm have become the driving force for her continuous improvement. At the age of 25, Yan Ni was introduced to Zou Wei. The two didn't have much experience in love, but they quickly developed a good impression because of their common military background.
With the support of their parents, they quickly entered the palace of marriage. On the wedding day, Yan Ni was almost late because of the performance, and it wasn't until she heard her father's lengthy speech that she really realized the significance of getting married.
In 1998, Yan Ni gave birth to her daughter Zou Yuanqing. However, as a budding actress, she couldn't stay at home for an extended period of time. Soon after the birth of her daughter, Yan Ni returned to work.
She began to travel back and forth between the crews frequently, sometimes for months at a time. At first, Zou Wei silently supported his wife's career, and every time Yan Ni came home, he would carefully prepare food to treat her.
But as time went on, the contradictions between the husband and wife gradually emerged. Zou Wei is looking forward to a wife who can accompany him, not a strong woman who travels all year round.
Yan Ni also feels deeply guilty, and she tries to find time to spend with her family outside of work. When she was seven months pregnant, she also took her comrades to play the slide, which scared the other party out of a cold sweat.
But this kind of dedication is far from enough, and the pressure of her family makes her feel tormented. During this time, Yan Ni has been seeking a balance between career and family. She participated in works such as "The Rooster Crows, the Hen Lays Eggs" and began to emerge.
But at the same time, she also missed many important moments in her daughter's growth. This contradiction continued to magnify in Yan Ni's heart, laying the groundwork for the future marriage crisis. After entering the new century, Yan Ni's efforts finally began to pay off.
The movie "Rooster Crows, Hen Lays Eggs" in which she participated was nominated for the first Golden Rooster Award, and won the Lily Award, the Five One Project, and the second prize of the "Golden Star" of the whole army. These achievements made Yan Ni see hope, and also made her more determined to pursue her acting career.
Yan Ni's comedic talent caught the attention of director Shang Jing. She first made a cameo appearance in "The Story of the Cooking Class", and then participated in "Health Express". These experiences allowed her to accumulate valuable experience in comedy performances, which laid the groundwork for her future explosion.
However, just as her career was gradually improving, Yan Ni's married life came to an end. One day in 2004, Zou Wei solemnly filed for divorce in the kitchen. Although this decision shocked and saddened Yan Ni, she also understood that it was the result of long-term accumulation of contradictions.
Zou Wei proposed to leave the house, car and children to Yan Ni. They sat in the living room and talked for a long time, looking back on the bits and pieces of these years. Yan Ni is well aware of her lack in the family, and Zou Wei also understands his wife's love for her career.
In the end, the two chose to break up peacefully. After the divorce, Yan Ni's daughter Yuan Yuan temporarily lived with her parents-in-law. Although the marriage ended, the relationship between Yan Ni and her ex-in-laws is still as close as father and daughter.
She is grateful to them for taking care of her over the years, and also for their support of Yuan Yuan. At this low point in her life, Yan Ni received a role that changed her life - Tong Xiangyu in "Wulin Gaiden".
Faced with this opportunity, Yan Ni was both excited and apprehensive. She knew it could be a turning point in her career, but she also had to deal with the emotional distress of a marriage she had just ended.
At this crossroads, Yan Ni chose to devote herself to the role. She brings her emotions to her performances and overcomes difficulties in her personal life with professionalism.
On the set of "Wulin Gaiden", there was a scene sitting on the roof, Yan Ni acted and revealed her true feelings, and shed tears in front of the camera. This kind of sincere performance not only created a classic role, but also made her achieve an unprecedented breakthrough in her career.
The broadcast of "Wulin Gaiden" made Yan Ni an instant hit. The ratings of this drama were as high as 9.49% 10 days after CCTV was launched, and since then it has been stable at about 5%, becoming the childhood memory of a generation of Chinese people.
Tong Xiangyu played by Yan Ni is even more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and she interprets the character's amorous style and scheming well, winning the love of the audience. After becoming famous, Yan Ni did not stop.
She cherishes every opportunity and carefully chooses different types of roles. In "The North Wind That Blows", the cow flower she played was recorded in the Chinese TV drama history yearbook and was the only female character to be recorded.
This role brought her the highest awards at the 6 major ceremonies, showing her profound acting skills. Yan Ni also participated in "Three Guns Shooting Surprise" directed by Zhang Yimou, once again playing the amorous boss, but the completely different interpretation from Tong Xiangyu is impressive.
Zhang Yimou sighed in the interview that he regretted that he did not meet an actor like Yan Ni earlier. During this period, Yan Ni's acting career reached its peak. She collaborated with Huang Bo in "Bullfighting" and was highly praised by director Guan Hu.
In "National Action", she played the resourceful and approachable county party secretary Xiang Yunxiu. In "Zhang Xiaowu's Spring", she turned into the resourceful contractor Zhang Xiaowu.
Each role showed Yan Ni's diverse acting talents, and won unanimous praise from the audience and industry insiders. However, while her career is thriving, Yan Ni's heart is not calm.
She often wonders what she is pursuing, fame and fortune, or pure love for the performing arts. This kind of thinking pushes her to be sober and rational in choosing roles and dealing with life.
Yan Ni's success is not only reflected in the field of TV dramas, she has also participated in many well-known movies, such as "Monster Hunt", "Happy New Year", "The History of the Disappearance of Romantic" and so on. Her hard work and talent have been widely recognized, and she has become an indispensable and important actor in the Chinese film and television industry.
While her career is thriving, Yan Ni has also started a new emotional exploration. After the divorce for many years, she became acquainted with Wang Wei on the set of "Coming Home". Wang Wei is 9 years younger than Yan Ni, is Hu Ge's classmate, and focuses on drama performance.
The two have been in love for 4 years and have a deep relationship, but eventually parted ways due to the age gap. Subsequently, Yan Ni and Wang Qiming, who are 11 years apart, had a vigorous relationship. The relationship lasted for 2 years, but ended because the man was too possessive.
When they broke up, Wang Qiming even threatened Yan Ni with intimate photos, which caused a lot of turmoil on the Internet. This experience made Yan Ni more cautious in her feelings. During the filming of "Wolf Warriors", Yan Ni and Zhang Duo met, and the two have known each other for several years.
Although this relationship failed to achieve positive results in the end, Yan Ni has always maintained an open attitude towards love. At the same time, Yan Ni is also trying her best to make up for her debt to her daughter.
She sent her daughter Zou Yuanqing to high school in United States to support her in pursuing her dreams. When Zou Yuanqing was admitted to the double degree class of the Central Academy of Drama with an excellent score of 12th in his major, Yan Ni felt both proud and gratified.
She silently supported her daughter, but she didn't hype it too much. In her career, Yan Ni continues to maintain a high yield. She starred in many excellent works such as "Youth School", "Loading the Stage", "Mountains and Seas", showing her diversified acting talents.
In 2019, her performances in "The Great Journey" and "Breakout" attracted a lot of attention, making people feel her charm as an actress again. Yan Ni, who has entered the year of knowing her fate, not only did not stop, but showed more vigorous vitality.
She continues to be active in the film and television industry, starring in works such as "The Great Journey" and "Breakthrough", showing the charm of mature women. When she was over half a hundred years old and her daughter in the same frame, the audience marveled that they were like sisters, and this "reverse growth" phenomenon sparked widespread discussion.
The secret of Yan Ni's success lies in her optimistic attitude towards life. As she herself said: "Usually confused, but big things are never ambiguous." This seemingly contradictory philosophy of life reflects her wisdom.
She maintains a relaxed and happy attitude in daily life, but she is rigorous and serious in her work, and never sloppy. In her love life, Yan Ni maintains an open and sincere attitude.
Although she has experienced several relationships, she has not lost hope in love because of this. She believes that everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness, regardless of age. This attitude makes her both brave and rational in the face of feelings.
Regarding the status quo of "after 18 years of divorce, Zou Wei married a good wife and mother, but Yan Ni is still unmarried", Yan Ni accepted it calmly. What she pursues is not a "perfect" life in the eyes of the world, but a life where she can be true to herself and realize her dreams.
This attitude has kept her unique charm and vitality in her career and life. Yan Ni once said in an interview: "Each flower has its own eyes, and right and wrong are in the hearts of the people." This sentence is not only a summary of her emotional experience, but also reflects her attitude towards life.
She doesn't care about the judgment of the outside world, she only pursues inner truth and happiness. This open-mindedness has become a source of vitality and charm for her.