Liu Yifei has claimed first place in a fan-compiled ranking of the most visually striking actresses in Chinese historical dramas over the past five years, edging out rising stars like Wang Churan and Song Zuer on the strength of her 2022 comeback role in Dream of Splendor.
The ranking was drawn from viewer commentary aggregated across Weibo, Douban, and Chinese public forums, evaluating actresses on three criteria: appearance in period costume, makeup and styling quality, and the cultural resonance of the character portrayed. Ten actresses made the final list, spanning dramas released between 2022 and 2025.
Liu Yifei Wins With Maturity, Not Nostalgia
Liu Yifei — known in Chinese fan culture by the affectionate nickname "Fairy Sister" — had been largely absent from period television before returning as Zhao Paner in Dream of Splendor. The character is a Hangzhou tea house owner who rebuilds her life in the Song Dynasty capital of Bianjing after a broken engagement, eventually forging a new future alongside two female companions. Unlike the otherworldly heroines that defined Liu's early career, Zhao Paner carried a lived-in warmth and pragmatism that fans said suited her current presence. "The more I watch, the more celestial yet spirited she seems," one Weibo commenter wrote. Another described her as being "born for period costume." Voters widely agreed that Liu had not attempted to replicate the image that made her famous in her youth — and that this restraint made her all the more convincing.
Song Zuer and Chen Duling Shine in Starkly Different Roles
Runner-up Song Zuer earned her second-place finish for her portrayal of Xiao Qiao — a character whose legendary beauty is a central premise of the source novel — in the 2025 drama The Prisoner of Beauty. Her delicate features and youthful quality, voters felt, made the role's premise immediately believable without requiring the audience to simply take the script's word for it.
Third-place Chen Duling took on a quieter challenge in the 2025 drama The Glory, playing a young noblewoman who returns to her aristocratic family after years away, carrying secrets alongside quiet resilience. Viewers praised her slender bone structure and naturally cool-toned appearance as particularly well-suited to minimal-makeup period styling. "Her presence and aura after returning to the capital is in a class of its own," one commenter wrote. "What kind of innate quality is this?"
Liu Shishi's Dance-Trained Physicality Sets Her Apart
Ranked fourth, Liu Shishi made her period drama return in the 2023 series A Journey to Love, playing a poised, disciplined former imperial guard commander — a sharp departure from the gentle romantic heroines that defined her television career in the early 2010s. Voters pointed to her years of formal dance training as a key visual asset: in sword sequences and action scenes, her posture and movement gave the character an inherent classical quality that heavy costuming and accessories could only reinforce, never replace. "I used to think of her as simply refined and graceful," one fan admitted. "This is the first time I've actually found her beautiful."
Wang Churan, fifth on the list, starred in the 2024 romance Are You the One opposite Zhang Wanyi, playing an amnesiac woman who mistakes the male lead for her husband. Viewers repeatedly described her as looking "like she stepped out of a painting." Soft robes, pinned hair, and restrained color palettes amplified her oval face and long, narrow eyes into a silhouette that felt drawn directly from classical Chinese portraiture.
Zhou Ye's Armor Look Surprises First-Time Viewers
Seventh-place Zhou Ye, who starred in the 2025 military drama Legend of the Female General as a cross-dressing soldier, earned praise less for conventional period-beauty trappings than for how sharply her features responded to armor, military dress, and action framing. One viewer who encountered her for the first time through the drama described seeing Zhou remove her face covering mid-scene as simply: "Wow — very handsome." Several fans noted her angular features actually performed better in warrior styling than in the drama's feminine costume sequences, calling it "a face that suits being commanding."
Sixth-place Meng Ziyi, appearing in the 2024 court drama Blossom, was recognized for holding her own against the heavy costuming and elaborate headpieces common to court-set productions — a visual environment that tends to overwhelm less distinctive features. Voters noted she performed equally well in elaborate and understated styling alike.
Li Qin and Tian Xiwei Prove That Less Is More
The list's ninth and tenth entries offered a study in contrast. Li Qin, ninth, starred in the 2024 drama Snowy Night: Timeless Love as a solitary, cold-mannered healer in a world rendered in snowscapes and desaturated tones. The production's restrained visual palette — white robes, minimal cosmetics, muted cinematography — worked strongly in her favor, sharpening her naturally cool features in a way that heavier styling would likely have suppressed. "The more understated the makeup," viewers observed, "the more her face and aura come through."
Tian Xiwei, who closes the list at tenth, was recognized for her 2022 performance in the romantic comedy New Life Begins, playing a warm, food-loving young woman who ends up in an accidental marriage arrangement. Her large round eyes and visible dimples — what fans called a naturally "sweet" quality — suited the character's lightness rather than the composed coolness more typically associated with period beauty ideals. "A heaven-sent sweet girl," one commenter wrote.
