Yi Yangqianxi (Chinese: 易烊千玺; pinyin: Yì Yángqiānxǐ; born 28 November 2000), also known as Jackson Yee, is a Chinese actor, singer, and member of boy group TFBoys. Following his boy-band success in the 2010s, he established himself as an actor with his breakthrough role in Better Days (2019), earning multiple Best New Actor awards, including at the Hong Kong Film Awards, the Hundred Flowers Awards, and the Asian Film Awards. He subsequently starred in A Little Red Flower (2020), Nice View (2022), Full River Red (2023), Big World (2024), for which he won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor, and Resurrection (2025).
Yee ranked 8th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2019, 1st in both 2020 and 2021.
2005–2013: Career beginnings, Fashion Youngster
Yee began his career as a child star, appearing in several variety programs from 2005 to 2008. In 2009, Yee became a member of former Chinese idol group Fashion Youngsters. He left the group in 2011. In 2010, Yee made his acting debut in the television series Iron Pear.
In March 2012, Yee participated in Hunan TV's reality talent show Up Young and entered the top 100. Despite being eliminated, he attracted the attention of TF Entertainment and was invited to audition with the company. Prior to debuting with TFBoys, Yee released his first solo single Dream Skyscraper. He also acted in several short films and appeared in the music video for Father (2013), a song by The Voice of China contestant Zhang Hexuan.
2013–2016: TFBoys and solo activities
Yee officially debuted as a member of TFBoys in August, 2013. In 2015, he voiced the main character for the Chinese dub of the animated movie The Little Prince.
In July 2016, he starred in the xianxia television series, Noble Aspirations, playing a fox demon. In November, he released his second solo single "You Say". The single was produced by music producer Lee Wei Song and written by Leehom Wang. The same month, he joined the cast of the variety show Let Go of My Baby.
2017–present: Mainstream popularity
In January 2017, Yee joined the voice cast of the animated movie GG Bond: Guarding, playing the character of a mysterious man. Yee starred as the young version of the male protagonist in historical drama Song of Phoenix. He also released his own rendition of Li Sao for the soundtrack of the drama.
In September 2017, it was announced that Yee has set up his own independent studio for his solo activities. In November, Yee released his first English language single, titled Nothing to Lose, produced by Harvey Mason Jr., while Yee participated in the lyrics writing. Five days later, he released another single, titled Unpredictable, produced by David Gamson and with lyrics written by Dave Gibson.
In 2018, Yee was confirmed to join the dance-oriented variety show Street Dance of China as a captain. Yee was invited to attend the 60th Grammy Award Ceremony on 28 January 2018, held in New York as the Music Ambassador of Radio 101, a China Music Vision guest. He was also the youngest Chinese musician ever to be officially invited to the ceremony. The same month, Yee was named as one of the top 10 influential charity stars by Sina. Later in the year, it was announced that he will star in the fantasy animated film L.O.R.D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties 2. He was invited to perform at the closing ceremony of 2018 Asian Games to promote the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games. This year, he was accepted into Beijing's prestigious Central Academy of Drama after placing first and achieving the highest score for both his college entrance examination and live audition.
In 2019, Yee starred in the film Better Days, adapted from a Chinese novel In His Youth, In Her Beauty. His performance earned him the Best New Performer Award at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards. The same year, he starred in the historical mystery drama The Longest Day in Chang'an. On 22 December 2019, he held his first solo concert, Su Er in Shanghai, China.
In 2020, Yee starred in period action drama Forward Forever. In November 2020, he released Backseat Theater, a cover album. He recreated his imaginary "backseat concert" based on his numerous journey of going back and forth between North 2nd Ring Road and Changping when he was small. His second film, A Little Red Flower, was released in the theaters on 31 December 2020.
In 2021, Yee's first war film,The Battle at Lake Changjin, was released in the cinemas on 30 September 2021, and it became the highest-grossing film of all time in China. He was featured in the short film, A Date with Snow and Ice, that promotes Beijing Winter Olympic Torch Relay with Eileen Gu. The next year, Yee starred in a sequel to the film, The Battle at Lake Changjin II, was released on 1 February 2022.
In January 2023, Yee starred in the film Full River Red, directed by Zhang Yimou. The film gained a box office of 4.5 billion RMB, becoming one of the highest-grossing film of all time in mainland China. On 14 April 2023, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Shanghai joined together to unveil two brand new wax figures of Yee. He is also the first-ever millennial to have three different wax figures at Madame Tussauds. His first figure was unveiled in 2018.
In January 2024, Yee was elected as a member of the Chinese Film Association Council, making him the youngest among the 167 members. On 24 June 2024, Yee has been appointed as the first Olympic™️ Friend in the People's Republic of China and will be championing the Olympic Values and Paris 2024 in his homeland. Two days later, with 30 days left until the 2024 Paris Olympics, Yee spoke about the Olympic spirit in an International Olympic Committee promotional video.
In 2025, Yee starred in the art-house film Resurrection, which was selected for the main competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival and awarded a Special Award. He became the first Chinese actor born after 2000 to surpass ¥20 billion in cumulative box office earnings and was named Best Actor by the China Film Director's Guild. On 15 November 2025, Yee won the Best Actor award at the 38th Golden Rooster Awards for his role in Big World, becoming the youngest actor and the first post-2000 actor to receive the honor. He sang the Mandarin version of the theme song, Together to the Mountains and Seas, for the 2025 National Games for Persons with Disabilities of China.