Yao Chen is a Chinese actress, producer, and philanthropist. A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, she has garnered over thirty domestic and international acting awards, including the Golden Mulberry Award of the Far East Film Festival, the Cinema Icon Award of the Singapore International Film Festival, and Best Actress Award of the Busan International Film Festival’s Asia Contents Awards.

Her television credits include My Own Swordsman, a Friends-style TV series, as well as Lurk, All Is Well, and Rock it Mom. She has worked with the directors Chen Kaige and Stephen Chow on films including Caught in the Web, Journey to the West: the Demons Strike Back, and Lost Found.

Yao Chen was the first Chinese celebrity to open an account on Sina Weibo in 2009, and has used the platform to introduce her philanthropic causes to her 80 million followers. As a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador she has visited refugees in the Philippines, Thailand, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Pakistan, and she has supported numerous Chinese public welfare projects.

In 2017, Yao Chen co-founded Bad Rabbit Pictures with her cinematographer husband, Cao Yu, producing five award-winning films in their first six years. 

Yao Chen has been featured on the Time 100 list, and the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list. She is the recipient of the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum, where she was selected as a Global Young Leader.