Zhang Linghe

Zhang Linghe was born Zhang Jiawei on 30 December 1997 in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. He studied at Jiangsu Tianyi High School.^[2] In 2016, he was admitted to Nanjing Normal University where he majored in electrical engineering. Due to an interest in physics, he joined the Aerospace Society.^[3]

Zhang made his television debut in the costume romance drama Maiden Holmes and also starred in the youth romance drama Sparkle Love. The following year, he appeared in the urban romance drama Love Crossed and the youth school drama Flourish in Time.

He began to achieve wider recognition in 2022 after portraying Chang Heng, the god of war in the costume fairy tale drama Love Between Fairy and Devil, which gained him recognition.^[4] Zhang achieved breakout success after starring as Gong Ziyu in the historical drama My Journey to You and Xie Wei in costume romance drama Story of Kunning Palace.^[5] In 2025, Zhang starred as He Suye, a traditional Chinese medicine doctor in modern romance drama The Best Thing.^[6] Later that summer, Zhang starred as Jiang Qiaoxi in youth romance drama Our Generation.^[7][8]

In March 2026, Zhang was launched into international stardom after starring as the lead Xie Zheng in historical drama Pursuit of Jade. The series recorded heat indexes exceeding 31,000 on Tencent and 10,000 on iQIYI within one week of its broadcast, and debuted at number six on Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English Shows chart.^[9][10] Media outlets and viewers praised his performance as a disguised marquis.^[11][12]

During a promotional appearance for the drama on Chinese variety show Hello Saturday, Zhang and Tian drew portraits of each other. Zhang joked that Tian's stylized drawing of him looked as if the person depicted had been "born in Southeast Asia," and also compared it to Chinese comedian Yang Di. Clips of the segment circulated online, drawing criticism from Southeast Asian viewers who interpreted the remark as stereotypical. Zhang later issued an apology in both Chinese and English, stating that he did not intend to offend anyone and expressed appreciation for fans in Southeast Asia.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18]}

After the success of Pursuit of Jade, Zhang was invited by the Chinese government's Taiwan Affairs Office to speak at the annual Straits Forum. The forum is hosted in Xiamen, China to promote cross-strait exchange between China and Taiwan. Approximately 6000 people, ranging from students to businesspeople, attended the forum.^[19] The first Chinese actor to be invited to speak at the event, Zhang encouraged Taiwanese people to visit the mainland China. He supported the increased exchange of creative works, arts, and film between the two peoples, stating that, "the power of culture can always transcend mountains and seas, connecting the hearts of compatriots on both sides of the strait." ^[19] Among the public, there was a mixed reaction to Zhang's speech. While some appreciated the desire for peaceful exchange, many saw the speech as Chinese Communist Party propaganda for the reunification of China and Taiwan. On Threads, one commenter stated that, "I really like him, but I still have a clear head."^[19]

Zhang Linghe was nominated for his work in Pursuit of Jade in the Seoul Drama Awards for Best Actor. He was the only male Chinese actor nominated in the category (352 submissions internationally).^[20]