Famous People Born In Shanghai

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 1 
Yao Ming
(6th President of the Chinese Basketball Association and Former Professional Player)
Yao Ming
35
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: September 12, 1980
Sun Sign: Virgo

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Chinese basketball players ever, Yao Ming represented the Houston Rockets of the NBA. Known as the Ming Dynasty in the US, Ming's popularity and success in the NBA made him a symbol of China. One of China's most popular sportsmen, Ming is also credited with introducing the Chinese Basketball Association to the world.

 2 
Angelababy
(Hong Kong Actress and Singer Known for Her Film ‘Mojin: The Lost Legend’)
Angelababy
29
Birthdate: February 28, 1989
Sun Sign: Pisces

Angelababy is an actress, model, and singer who was selected as one of the New Four Dan Actresses in 2013 by Southern Metropolis Daily. She is known for playing Ding Sitian in the 2015 Chinese action adventure thriller film Mojin: The Lost Legend, for which she received the prestigious Hundred Flowers Award in 2016. Angelababy is also a well-known philanthropist.

 3 
Joan Chen
(Actress Who Gained Fame for her Role in 'The Last Emperor')
Joan Chen
4
Birthdate: April 26, 1961
Sun Sign: Taurus
Chinese-American actor Joan Chen initially came to be known for the films Little Flower and The Last Emperor and later appeared as Jocelyn 'Josie' Packard in the series Twin Peaks. She also delivered a multiple-award-winning role in The Home Song Stories and directed Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.
 4 
Wong Kar-wai
(A contemporary auteur, and ranks third on Sight & Sound's 2002 poll of the greatest filmmakers of modern times.)
Wong Kar-wai
3
Birthdate: July 17, 1958
Sun Sign: Cancer
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 5 
Terence Young
(Irish Screenwriter and Film Director)
Terence Young
1
Birthdate: June 20, 1915
Sun Sign: Gemini
Died: September 7, 1994
 6 
Yang Yang
(Chinese Actor)
Yang Yang
4
Birthdate: September 9, 1991
Sun Sign: Virgo

Yang Yang is a Chinese actor who was ranked fifth in Forbes magazine's China Celebrity 100 list in 2017. Best known for playing important roles in films like Once Upon a Time and I Belonged to You, Yang Yang is the recipient of many prestigious awards like the Sohu Entertainment Award, Youku Young Choice Awards, and Tencent Video Star Awards.

 7 
G.E.M.
(Chinese-born Hong Kong Singer-Songwriter)
G.E.M.
4
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: August 16, 1991
Sun Sign: Leo
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
 8 
Hu Ge
(Actor)
Hu Ge
5
Birthdate: September 20, 1982
Sun Sign: Virgo

Hu Ge began as a part-time host on TV shows at age 14 and then gained fame with the series Chinese Paladin. The Chinese actor was dragged into a controversy after stating that men are born to be playboys. An avid photographer, too, he often brings his cameras to sets.

 9 
Soong May-ling
(First Lady of the Republic of China (1950 - 1975))
Soong May-ling
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 5, 1898
Sun Sign: Pisces
Died: October 23, 2003
Soong May-ling was a Chinese political figure best remembered as the wife of President Chiang Kai-shek. She played an important role in the politics of China and held several honorary and active positions. She also played a prominent role during the Second Sino-Japanese War, rallying several Chinese people against the invasion of the Japanese.  
 10 
Charles K. Kao
(Electrical Engineer and Physicist Who Developed the Use of "Fiber Optics" in Telecommunications)
Charles K. Kao
64
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: November 4, 1933
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: September 23, 2018

Nobel Prize-winning Chinese physicist Charles K. Kao is best remembered for his discovery of how light is transmitted through fibre-optic cables. Named the Godfather of Broadband, he was also knighted by the U.K. Following his diagnosis of Alzheimer disease, he co-founded the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer’s Disease.

 11 
Liu Xiang
(hurdler, athletics competitor)
Liu Xiang
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: July 13, 1983
Sun Sign: Cancer

Hurdler Liu Xiang created history by becoming the first Chinese Olympic gold medalist in any men’s track-and-field event. While he excelled in high jump in his younger days, he deviated to hurdles by 15. He has also earned gold medals at the world championships and the Asian Games.

 12 
J. G. Ballard
(Novelist, Writer, Autobiographer, Screenwriter, Science fiction writer)
J. G. Ballard
5
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 15, 1930
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: April 19, 2009

J. G. Ballard was an English novelist, satirist, short story writer, and essayist. Renowned for his uniqueness, Ballard's style of fiction is referred to as Ballardian in the literary world. Many of his works have inspired movies, such as Crash and High-Rise. J. G. Ballard’s work has also inspired other popular writers like John Gray, Terry Dowling, and Lee Killough.

 13 
Li Jun Li
(Actress who earned her first major role portraying Maggie Huang in the series Damages)
Li Jun Li
0
Birthdate: November 6, 1983
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 14 
Betty Sun
(Actress)
Betty Sun
3
Birthdate: September 26, 1982
Sun Sign: Libra
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 15 
Laurence Tribe
(Lawyer)
Laurence Tribe
1
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: October 10, 1941
Sun Sign: Libra
 16 
Daniel Zhang
(Chief executive officer)
Daniel Zhang
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: January 11, 1972
Sun Sign: Capricorn
 17 
Tina Guo
(Chinese-born American Erhuist and Cellist)
Tina Guo
2
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: October 28, 1985
Sun Sign: Scorpio
 18 
Nina Li
(Actress, Miss Asia Pacific Hong Kong 1986)
Nina Li
0
Birthdate: December 31, 1961
Sun Sign: Capricorn
 19 
Li Peng
(4th Premier of the People's Republic of China)
Li Peng
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: October 20, 1928
Sun Sign: Libra
Died: July 22, 2019

Li Peng was a Chinese politician and hydroelectric engineer. From 1987 to 1998, he served as the premier of the People's Republic of China. As Premier, Li was responsible for the Tiananmen Square Massacre as he chose to use force to quell the protests of 1989. He is credited with overseeing the Three Gorges Dam project, which is the largest dam in the world.

 20 
Huang Shengyi
(actor, entrepreneur, singer,model)
Huang Shengyi
0
Birthdate: February 12, 1983
Sun Sign: Aquarius
 21 
Sharla Cheung
(Hong Kong Film Producer and Actress)
Sharla Cheung
3
Birthdate: February 7, 1968
Sun Sign: Aquarius
 22 
Leana Wen
(Former President of Planned Parenthood)
Leana Wen
6
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: January 27, 1983
Sun Sign: Aquarius
 23 
Mary Hayley Bell
(English Writer and Actress Who is Best Remembered for Her Novel 'Whistle Down')
Mary Hayley Bell
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: January 22, 1911
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: December 1, 2005

Mary Hayley Bell was an English writer and actress. She is perhaps best remembered for her novel Whistle Down the Wind, which was later adapted into a film with her daughter Hayley Mills playing the lead role. As far as her acting career is concerned, Mary Hayley Bell had a prominent stage acting career for about a decade. 

 24 
Victor Chang
(Surgeon)
Victor Chang
7
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: November 21, 1936
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: July 4, 1991

Born to Australian-born Chinese parents in Shanghai, cardiac surgeon Victor Chang grew up in Hong Kong, Myanmar, and Sichuan, in the aftermath of the Second Sino-Japanese War. His mother’s death from breast cancer made him study medicine. The pioneer of heart transplantation, Chang was killed in an extortion attempt.

 25 
Chen Yun
(One of the Most Influential Leaders of the People's Republic of China During the 1980s and 1990s)
Chen Yun
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 13, 1905
Sun Sign: Gemini
Died: April 10, 1995

Chen Yun was a Chinese political leader who played a major role during the Chinese economic reform. He was regarded as one of the most influential political leaders of China during the '80s and '90s. He also played an important role during the Chinese Civil War and was later counted among the Eight Great Eminent Officials of China.

 26 
Ming Xi
(Chinese Model)
Ming Xi
4
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: March 8, 1989
Sun Sign: Pisces
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 27 
Soong Ching-ling
(2nd Vice Chairperson of the People's Republic of China (1959 - 1975))
Soong Ching-ling
4
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: January 27, 1893
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: May 29, 1981

Soong Ching-ling was a Chinese political figure. Referred to as Madame Sun Yat-sen, Soong is best known as the wife of Sun Yat-sen, who played a major role in the establishment of the Republic of China. Soong played a key role in China's politics before and after the formation of the People's Republic of China.  

 28 
Tsung-Dao Lee
(Physicist)
Tsung-Dao Lee
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: November 24, 1926
Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Tsung-Dao Lee is a Chinese-American physicist renowned for his work on particle physics, parity violation, soliton stars, nontopological solitons, and the Lee Model. In 1957, he became the third-youngest person to be awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in the science fields; he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. He is also the first Chinese Nobel laureate. 

 29 
Eileen Chang
(Chinese-born American Novelist, Essayist, and Screenwriter)
Eileen Chang
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 30, 1920
Sun Sign: Libra
Died: September 8, 1995

Zhang Ailing was a Chinese-born American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter. A realist and modernist writer, Chang is credited with writing the scripts of many successful films like Miserable at Middle Age, Qing Chang Ru Zhan Chang, and Jin Suo Ji. Zhang Ailing is also credited with influencing and inspiring many creative writers in Taiwan, including Chu T’ien-wen and Yuan Chiung-chiung.

 30 
Wang Yihan
(Chinese Retired Professional Badminton Player)
Wang Yihan
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 18, 1988
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 31 
Roy Chiao
(Actor)
Roy Chiao
0
Birthdate: March 16, 1927
Sun Sign: Pisces
Died: April 15, 1999
 32 
Kenneth Tsang
(Actor who won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015)
Kenneth Tsang
2
Birthdate: September 2, 1935
Sun Sign: Virgo
Died: April 27, 2022
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 33 
Edward Yang
(Film director, Screenwriter, Actor)
Edward Yang
0
Birthdate: November 6, 1947
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: June 29, 2007
 34 
Wang Liqin
(Chinese Retired Table Tennis Player)
Wang Liqin
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: June 18, 1978
Sun Sign: Gemini

Wang Liqin is a Chinese former professional table tennis player who was selected to represent his country at the age of 15. A former world number 1, Wang won 11 World Championships, three World Cups, four Asian Games gold medals, and two Olympic Games gold medals during his playing career. He also has two Olympic bronze medals under his belt.

 35 
Jimmy Wang Yu
(Actor, Film Director)
Jimmy Wang Yu
0
Birthdate: March 28, 1943
Sun Sign: Aries
 36 
Sun Wen
(Chinese Former Professional Footballer Who Played as a Forward)
Sun Wen
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: April 6, 1973
Sun Sign: Aries
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
 37 
Ju Wenjun
(Chinese Chess Grandmaster)
Ju Wenjun
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 31, 1991
Sun Sign: Aquarius

Chinese chess Grandmaster and Woman Grandmaster Ju Wenjun is the reigning Women's World Chess Champion. The Shanghai-born chess sensation won secured the second place in the Asian Women’s Chess Championship at 13 and later also won an Asian Games gold. She became the Chinese women’s champion for the first time at 19.

 38 
Tung Chee-hwa
(Hong Kong Businessman and 1st Chief Executive of Hong Kong (1997 - 2005))
Tung Chee-hwa
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: July 7, 1937
Sun Sign: Cancer

Son of shipping magnate and Orient Overseas founder C.Y. Tung, Tung Chee-hwa was educated in Hong Kong, Britain, and the U.S. before taking over the leadership of his family business. He later became the chief executive of Hong Kong and is still known as the “kingmaker” of Hong Kong’s politics.

 39 
Anson Chan
(Ex- Chief Secretary of Hong Kong)
Anson Chan
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 17, 1940
Sun Sign: Capricorn
 40 
Robert Henry Cain
(British Army Major who was awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross in 1944)
Robert Henry Cain
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: January 2, 1909
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Died: May 2, 1974
 41 
Zheng Cao
(Chinese-Origin American Opera Singer)
Zheng Cao
4
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: July 9, 1966
Sun Sign: Cancer
Died: February 21, 2013

Born in China, opera singer Zheng Cao later moved to the US to study and further her music career. She had an illustrious career, with major roles in operas such as The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Madama Butterfly. She died at age 46, after a long battle with lung cancer.

 42 
Shannon Lucid
(American Biochemist and NASA Astronaut)
Shannon Lucid
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: January 14, 1943
Sun Sign: Capricorn

Shannon Lucid once held the record for the longest space stay by any woman and by any American. Born in China, to missionaries, she was imprisoned by the Japanese, along with her parents, as an infant. The family then moved to the U.S., where Lucid studied at the University of Oklahoma.

 43 
Zhenli Ye Gon
(Drug lord)
Zhenli Ye Gon
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: January 31, 1963
Sun Sign: Aquarius

Zhenli Ye Gon is a Chinese-Mexican businessman who owns various Mexican corporations including Unimed Pharm Chem México. A suspected member of the Sinaloa Cartel, Zhenli Ye Gon is currently under the scanner for allegedly trafficking pseudoephedrine into Mexico from Asia. 

 44 
Charles Wang
(Businessperson)
Charles Wang
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: August 19, 1944
Sun Sign: Leo
Died: October 21, 2018
 45 
Dan Vadis
(Actor)
Dan Vadis
0
Birthdate: January 3, 1938
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Died: June 11, 1987
Height: 6'4" (193 cm)
 46 
Ruan Lingyu
(Silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s)
Ruan Lingyu
2
Birthdate: April 26, 1910
Sun Sign: Taurus
Died: March 8, 1935
 47 
An Wang
(Co-founder of Wang Laboratories)
An Wang
3
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: February 7, 1920
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: March 24, 1990

Born in Shanghai, An Wang studied electrical engineering before moving to Harvard to get his PhD. The Wang Laboratories co-founder is remembered for inventing the magnetic core memory, which was the main component of computers till the invention of the microchip. He also developed many word-processing systems.

 48 
Ni Hua
(Chinese Chess Grandmaster)
Ni Hua
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: May 31, 1983
Sun Sign: Gemini
 49 
Wu Minxia
(Retired Chinese Diver)
Wu Minxia
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: November 10, 1985
Sun Sign: Scorpio

Wu Minxia is a Chinese former professional diver who has five Olympic gold medals, eight World Championship titles, and five Asian Games gold medals under her belt. She has also won Olympic silver and bronze, which makes her one of the most successful female divers in the history of modern Olympics. Wu is also one of China’s most celebrated divers.

 50 
Francis Mankiewicz
(Chinese-born Canadian Film Director, Producer, and Screenwriter)
Francis Mankiewicz
0
Birthdate: March 15, 1944
Sun Sign: Pisces
Died: August 14, 1993