Famous Living.
Because of China's immense population, a sizeable number of renowned celebrities and famous persona hail from all corners of the nation. Therefore, this section will – for starters – focus only on the famous people who are still alive and originally come from the China's great and historic capital, Beijing.
Actors/actresses
Jet Li (李连杰), perhaps second only to Jackie Chan in the world of movie-marital artists, was born in Beijing, and has been known to travel back to his home town from time to time for family matters. Keep an eye out and a sharp mind, word has it both he and Mr. Chan (also a homeowner and frequent visitor in Beijing) enjoy singing karaoke (KTV).
Female stars of the silver screen include Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’s heroine Zhang Ziyi (章子怡). A dancer and singer as well, she hails from the Haidian District and is quickly climbing among the elite of Beijing’s protégés.
Her stardom is reminiscent of Lisa Lu (盧燕), now aged 80, who has entertained the world for decades, appearing in such movies as The Last Emperor and The Joy Luck Club. She is still alive and acting in and around Beijing.
Leon Lai (aka 黎明, or Li Ming, meaning “dawn") is one of Hong Kong’s most celebrated male musicians and actors. As one of the “Four Heavenly Kings” who ruled Hong Kong airwaves in the 1990’s, he amassed numerous awards and top 10 single hits. He is now an actor, spending his time around all of Asia... but he was born a Beijinger!
Another Musician of note is the lovely Yang Xuefei (杨雪霏), whose beautiful, sad ballads entertain millions. She is a classical guitarist of the highest caliber, and she too brings her Beijing-born talent home on occasion.
Authors
There are also a number of famous authors who originally come from Beijing. Among these are the noted revolutionary author Nien Cheng (鄭念), who now resides in the United States after fleeing from Maoist enthusiasts and the Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution.
Poet Bei Dao (北島), of the revered Misty Poets, was also born in Beijing, and is noted for having written critical poems about the government under pseudonyms while serving as a Red Guard. He is a highly decorated writer, and a repeated Nobel Prize nominee, who also now lives in exile.
Politics
Liu Qi (刘淇), born in Beijing and brought up to become the capital's mayor, is one of the most prominent political figures from the city. He is now the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Committee Secretary, first-in-charge of Beijing, and also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Politburo Central Committee.
Science
Recently, a small Père David’s deer was born in Beijing. This animal was the first artificially conceived in China, and is one of a species that originated in China, was hunted to extinction, and has since been reintroduced from other lands. Rumor has it that there have also been over 6000 human artificial conceptions in the last 4 years, an interesting development considering the fact that the one-child policy of 1979 is still in effect.
Athletes
Wei Wang was born in Beijing, China, but sought fame and glory as a U.S. table tennis player during the 1996 Olympics. China won 8 of the 12 possible metals in table tennis that year, including 4 gold, 3 silver and one bronze. Wei Wang did not metal.
Famous athletes not from Beijing include: NBA stars Yao Ming (姚明) and newcomer Yi Jianlian (易建联), Olympic heroes Liu Xiang (刘翔 - hurdles) and Xing Huina (邢慧娜 - hammer throw), and world renowned table tennis star Lin Zhigang (林志刚).