Four Dan actresses are the four most bankable young actresses from Mainland China. Guangzhou Daily editorial first used the term to reference modern Chinese actressesZhang Ziyi, Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun, and Xu Jinglei in July 2000, when they were all in their 20s. It gained widespread use in China thereafter following a series of interviews on Southern Metropolis Daily from December 2001 to January 2002. As expected, the four actresses dominated Chinese cinema in the following decade with varying degrees of success. Originally, a Dan was a male actor who portrayed a leading female character in Peking opera. The term "Four Dan" was first coined in the 1920s to refer to four extremely popular Dan actors: Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Shang Xiaoyun, and Xun Huisheng.
The Four Dan actresses
Xu Jinglei, graduate of Beijing Film Academy, gained fame through A Sentimental Story and Cherish Our Love Forever
Zhou Xun, graduate of Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art, gained fame through Palace of Desire and Suzhou River
Zhao Wei, graduate of Beijing Film Academy, gained fame through My Fair Princess
Sometimes Li Bingbing and Fan Bingbing, two mainland actresses who had similar levels of success in the first decade of 2000s, were mentioned along with the group as "Four Dan and Two Bing". Shu Qi, a Taiwanese-Hong Kong actress who had also similar levels of success in the first decade of 2000s and Tang Wei, a Chinese actress who gained fame through Lust, Caution. All of them were mentioned along with the group as "Four Dan Two Bing Qi Wei" or "Eight Big Dan actress"
New Four Dan actresses
From 2005, the media and articles by publication companies have reported efforts to pick four new young actresses as the "New Four Dan actresses". 2009 version by Tencent QQ:
Huang Shengyi, gained fame through Kung Fu Hustle and Fairy Couple.
Wang Luodan, gained fame through Struggle and My Youthfulness.
Angelababy, gained fame through Love in Space and Taichi 0.
Tang Yan and Zhao Liying, two mainland actresses who had similar levels of success post 2013, are usually associated with the new Four Dan Actresses of the 2013 list.
New Four Dan actresses of the "post-'90s" generation
In August 2016, Southern Metropolis Daily conducted a survey among 173 million netizens and 110 professional media and industry insiders. After a series of voting, four actresses who were born after the '90s were picked.
Zheng Shuang, gained fame through Meteor Shower and Mural.
Yang Zi, gained fame through Home with Kids and Battle of Changsha.
Guan Xiaotong, gained fame through The Left Ear and To Be a Better Man.
New Four Dan actresses of the "post-'95s" generation
In January 2019, four young actresses who were born after the '95s were picked by CCTV.
Zhang Zifeng, gained fame through Aftershock and Go Brother!.
Wen Qi, gained fame through Angels Wear White and The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful.
Guan Xiaotong, gained fame through To Be a Better Man.
Nana Ou-yang, had similar levels of success post 2018-2019, is usually associated with the new Four Dan Actresses of the 2019 list.
Similar titles
In the early 1990s, Hong Kong's most popular male stars were collectively referred to as "Four Heavenly Kings". Later Taiwan also introduced four male idols labelled "Four Younger Heavenly Kings".
