Zhou Xun 周迅

Quickly becoming the darling of the fashion set in China and France, actress Zhou Xun 周迅 has graced the covers of Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Vogue China. She is also the spokesmodel for French luxury handbag line, Lancel.

“She can be sweet, charming, natural, straight, sexy and multi-faced. All these characteristics are what Lancel women have. We believe Zhou perfectly embodies Lancel.” – Marc Lelandais, CEO, Lancel

But her biggest fan seems to be Karl Lagerfeld. The elusive designer has invited her to sit front and center at Chanel couture twice—no other Chinese actress has had the honor. Although she is a super VIP, she still acts as a fan, bringing a sold out Karl teddy bear as her date and girlishly asking him to autograph.

“We can easily communicate without speaking, and she is talented and expressive." – David Sims, fashion photographer

Supertalented—she was one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" 四小花旦 and has won numerous awards, both for acting and singing. 2000’s “Suzhou River“ 蘇州河 garnered her international acclaim when she won Best Actress at the Paris Film Festival. Instead of concentrating on global superstardom like Zhang Ziyi, she focused on honing her craft.

"I think it's the same to be an actress anywhere because the profession is about attitudes towards events -- it is a process to try to understand life. I think this is the case for actors across the world. It all comes down to how you try to be a good person, and act responsibly."

Hardwork paid off when she won six Best Actress awards in 2005, including a Golden Horse臺北金馬影展 (the Asian “Oscars”) for “Perhaps Love” 如果, 愛. She won two Best Supporting Actress awards for following film, The Banquet 夜宴. Her song was also nominated for a Golden Horse Award, marking her place as a legitimate singer. In 2009 Forbes ranked her number 9 in the Top 100 Chinese celebrity list, and CineAsia named her “Star of the Year.”

Zhou Xun has that rare combination of talent and grace. Perhaps China’s worst kept secret: it is only a matter of time when she captures everyone’s hearts.