iQiyi‘s theme for International Women’s Day this year is #BreakTheBias, a call for all to break the discrimination, and stereotypes around us and our communities. To celebrate this day of significance, we’ve carefully curated a list of our favourite Female Leads that you may catch on iQiyi’s platform, in our effort to honour the passion and dedication that they put into their work.

Keeping in line with this year’s theme, iQiyi is highlighting interesting but important traits or accomplishments by these female stars, defining them not only as a master of their craft but also as unique, talented individuals in their own right.

Celebrate International Women’s Day with these female leads:

Shu Qi

Lin Li-hui, also known by her stage name Shuqi, is perhaps the biggest juggernaut in this list with over 80 films, drama series, and television shows under her belt. She is best known to the layman for her roles in Journey to the West, and My Wife is a Gangster 3. So expansive is her success within an industry, that her list of awards require a separate Wikipedia page for a full listing.

As an industry veteran, Shuqi has gone beyond starring in films, and was a jury member of the Berlin Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Recently, she’s also taken on a mentorship role, guiding young directors in iQiyi’s exclusive reality series Action!.

Despite being known for her strong personality which has at times offended her peers, she has revealed in interviews that this trait is due to her lessons from a harsh childhood and tough formative years after running away from home to find success on her own at 17. Of all the stars in this list, Shuqi is probably the one we’re most afraid of, but also arguably the one we’ve come to respect the most.

Ju Jingyi/ Kiki Yu

Next on our list is Ju Jingyi, an actress who started out as a musician, studying at Sichuan Conservatory of Music before joining Chinese Idol Group SNH48. Having won the SNH48 General Elections twice, Ju left the group to explore acting, quickly finding success via her role in historical romance drama and iQiyi exclusive Legends of Yunxi.

Ju Jingyi would go on to star in many other dramas, including iQiyi exclusive The Blooms of Ruyi Pavillion, cementing her not only as a talented performer but an all-around entertainer. Ju was also listed in the Forbes Asia 30 under 30 list 2019 edition.

Gianna Jun

The next power actress on our list is no stranger, especially after her explosion to farm from her leading role in hit movie My Sassy Girl. Jun Ji-hyun, also known as Gianna Jun is one of the most celebrated actresses in the industry, having starred in many chart-topping shows and films such as The Thieves, Assassination, and most recently, iQiyi exclusive Jirisan. Despite having a smaller filmography than some of her counterparts, the awards she has amassed are too many to count, with notable ones being Best Actress at the 33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.

Outside the sphere of showbiz, Jun is no slouch either, picking up her Master’s Degree in Digital Media. She’s also a philanthropist, previously donating half a million dollars to children with single mums. As one of the most senior stars on our list, Jun’s philosophy towards aging is one of peace and purposefulness, stating previously in interviews that aging well for her revolves around being happy, peaceful, and content with what she has in life.

Bailu

Starting out initially as a model, Bailu landed her first role in television series Zhaoge, under Yu Zheng’s entertainment company Huanyu Films. Despite not having received any formal acting training, Bailu continued to find success, winning the Newcomer Award at the iQiyi All-Star Carnival for playing a dual role in the series Untouchable Lovers as two different characters.

Bailu’s roaring success has shown no signs of slowing since, and she has handily picked up several more awards along the way, including the 7th Actors of China Award Ceremony in 2020 for Best Actress as well as iQiyi’s 2020 Scream Night Most Popular Actress for her role in iQiyi exclusive Love is Sweet.

Hu Yixuan

Hu comes from a strict family and had no original ideals of stardom and fame, studying instead for a degree in Accountancy. It was only after her exploratory debut role in the television drama I Cannot Love You did she fall in love with acting. Landing a leading role did not take long for Hu, as she starred in I’m a Pet at Dali Temple before going on to win her first award in the 2020 Golden Bud – The 5th Network Film and Television Festival as New Force of the Year.

Be sure to check her out as well in iQiyi’s exclusive Unforgettable Love!

Choi Soo Young

Choi is next on our list, with a career trajectory similar to that of many other female stars here. Debuting as a member in now-defunct Japanese Korean Idol Group Route 0, Choi eventually moved to join Girl’s Generation where she remains as a member. However, Choi’s acting success did not come as easily as the others’ where she once shared in an interview that she had always been keen on acting prior to music but had failed over 70 auditions prior to her debut days.

Regardless, she is a talented, all rounded musician and performer, proficient in singing, dancing, television presenting, as well as lyric and songwriting. Choi’s breakout role was as a terminally ill patient in 2014 drama My Spring Days and she’s amassed an impressive filmography since then, including iQiyi exclusive So I Married an Anti-Fan. Choi is also an avid photographer, oftentimes asking the girls in her idol group to model for her photos, which are subsequently plastered all over the refrigerator of their dorm.

Andrea Brillantes

Born in 2003, Andrea Brillantes is a Filipina actress who rose to stardom after being cast in the drama series Alyna at 7 years old. Brillantes went on to star in her next series, Annaliza, cementing her status as one of the most talented child actresses of all time. Brilliantes has racked up an impressive list of roles and appearances since then, starring as main lead recently in iQiyi’s Filipino original Saying Goodbye.

Though not much is known about her life outside of acting, we reckon she’s one actress we could not afford to exclude in our list of industry shakers and we look forward to seeing and learning more of her in the future.

Esther Yu

Esther, also known as Yu Shuxin had her origins here in Singapore, graduating with a degree in Fashion Media and Industries from Lasalle College of the Arts. Scoring her first leading role in the drama Youth back in 2018, Yu’s rise to stardom took off in 2020, after participating in the iQiyi exclusive variety programme Youth With You 2. She then gained even more popularity via her lead role in Find Yourself and was subsequently nominated for the Audience’s Choice Awards at the 30th Chinese TV Golden Eagle Award in the same year.

Yu’s rising popularity has not slowed down since, and she has gone on to star in several other dramas as the main lead, including I’ve Fallen For You and iQiyi exclusive Moonlight. Outside of acting, one of Yu enjoys going fishing, as well as following the K-Drama group Blackpink. Yu was also listed in the Forbes Asia 30 under 30 list, 2020 edition.