Song Weilong has been voted the most handsome leading man in Chinese drama in a recent online fan poll, beating Yang Yang into second place and Gong Jun into third. Zhang Linghe, Xiao Zhan, and Dylan Wang, three of the industry's biggest names, all made the top 10 but missed the podium.
The ranking comes from a vote in which netizens named the actor they personally find the most handsome, with the results compiled by Storm Media's Chinese-language lifestyle section; the source does not name the platform that hosted the poll. The 10 names span a wide range of looks, from the bold, strong-featured style Chinese fans call "nong yan" to the softer, understated "dan yan" type, and from youthful charm to grown-man appeal.
Song Weilong Wins On Striking Features And Range
Song first drew attention for his looks at a young age and built his profile through variety shows and TV dramas. Wider audiences came to know him through Untouchable Lovers, Find Yourself, Go Ahead, and Love For You.
His face is defined by a high nose bridge, thick brows, large eyes, and sharply drawn contours. Early in his career he came across as a sunny, youthful heartthrob; with age and experience, his presence has shifted toward a more mature, steady masculinity.
Go Ahead showcased his fresh, natural youthfulness, while costumes and character settings in his other dramas have let him project quite different moods. His recent work has carried him further from the teen idol image and toward a more grown-up screen presence with a classical air.
What lifted Song past Yang, Gong, Zhang, and Xiao, according to the Chinese-language report, was his highly recognizable face and the way he comes across on camera. Many viewers see him as equally convincing in period costume and modern wardrobe, and that versatility made him the biggest winner of the poll.
Yang Yang And Gong Jun Complete The Top Three
Yang Yang, the runner-up, has been one of Chinese drama's signature good-looking stars since his early days, when his looks and bearing earned him the nickname "campus heartthrob of the PLA Arts College," a reference to the People's Liberation Army arts academy he attended. His appearance has been a talking point ever since his debut.
He is best known for Love O2O, You Are My Glory, and Fireworks of My Heart. As Xiao Nai in Love O2O, an aloof, clever, and gentle hero, he created what many viewers still regard as a classic idol drama lead.
Compared with some strong-featured actors, Yang has delicate features without overpowering lines. That lets him play cold and distant, then turn warm and approachable the moment he smiles, and this ability to run hot or cold has kept him on heartthrob rankings for years.
Gong Jun takes third place. A former model, he worked in web series and TV dramas before Word of Honor brought him into the mainstream, his portrayal of Wen Kexing putting both his looks and his acting under a much brighter spotlight.
With sculpted contours and deep-set eyes, Gong belongs firmly in the strong-featured camp and is instantly recognizable. In Word of Honor, he played Wen as carefree and flirtatious on the surface but complicated underneath, a contrast that became a major reason viewers loved the character.
He has since appeared in Begin Again and The Legend of Anle, among other dramas. Beyond his looks, audiences tend to remember him for a sunny, friendly personality with a surprising flip side.
Costume Epics Launched Zhang, Xiao And Dylan Wang
Zhang Linghe, in fourth, is one of the fastest-rising actors of the new generation. Tall, with long, elegant features and a cool, aloof look that suits period costume, he is increasingly seen as the next great costume drama heartthrob.
He built his following through Love Between Fairy and Devil, My Journey to You, and Story of Kunning Palace, and more recently drew attention with Pursuit of Jade, where his looks and styling became a hot topic online.
Unlike the strong-featured actors on the list, Zhang leans toward the understated, cool, and polished "dan yan" look, often described as carrying a sense of first love. In costume, his height and long features give him a clear visual edge, which is why many viewers consider him a natural fit for period roles.
Xiao Zhan places fifth. He debuted as a member of a boy band before turning to acting, and his role as Wei Wuxian in The Untamed made him one of the most recognizable stars in Chinese drama while cementing his standing in the costume genre. He has since appeared in Joy of Life, Douluo Continent, The Longest Promise, and The Legend of Zang Hai.
Xiao's features are well proportioned and evenly framed: his smile makes him approachable, while period costume gives him the air of a refined young gentleman. A regular on heartthrob rankings, he misses the top three this time, but fifth place still reflects his large fan base and visual appeal.
Dylan Wang, known in Chinese as Wang Hedi, is sixth. He first drew notice in Meteor Garden, but it was Love Between Fairy and Devil that pushed him into the top tier. His Dongfang Qingcang, cold, domineering, and full of contrasts, suited his sculpted face and tall frame, and the role quickly won him a huge following.
Wang's strongly defined features and commanding presence make him a textbook strong-featured actor. In costume he reads as fierce and icy; in a modern suit he becomes a fashionable, mature leading man, and both looks generate plenty of discussion.
Palace Dramas Made Xu Kai And Chen Xingxu
Xu Kai, eighth, shot to fame as Fuheng in Story of Yanxi Palace. His handsome looks and the character's gentle devotion made him one of the most watched faces in costume idol drama, and Fuheng's steady, faithful image defined his early career as a period heartthrob.
He went on to star in The Legends and Ancient Love Poetry, working opposite actresses including Bai Lu, Zhou Dongyu, and Yang Mi. With deep-set eyes and sculpted features, Xu fits the strong-featured mold, which shows especially well in period styling, and he has moved between mild-mannered young gentlemen and more forceful roles. Many viewers consider him a leading example of the strong-featured actors born after 1995.
Chen Xingxu rounds out the list in 10th place. A former child actor, he shifted his focus to TV dramas as an adult, and his real breakthrough came as Li Chengyin in the costume drama Goodbye My Princess.
After the series aired, both his looks and his performance drew wide discussion. Chen relied heavily on his eyes and subtle expressions to convey Li's tangled emotions as the character swung between devotion, coldness, and political scheming, and the role remains one of the defining parts of his career.
He has since taken on a range of period and contemporary dramas. Unlike actors who became famous through a single idol drama, Chen has always carried a strong period drama aura, and his distinct brows and eye contours make him easy to pick out on screen, which has kept him a favorite of costume drama fans.
Jing Boran And Wang Anyu Bring Contrasting Charms
Wang Anyu, seventh, is one of the younger actors to break out in recent years. His fresh look, refined features, and natural boyishness make him stand out among the new generation.
His credits span youth, urban, and costume dramas, including Twenty Your Life On and its sequel, The Last Immortal, and Romance in the Alley. Opposite Zhao Lusi in The Last Immortal, his clean-cut period look once again got viewers talking.
Unlike the strong-featured stars, Wang leans toward a neat, delicate, youthful style that can still turn mature with the right styling. Fan comments about him tend to swing between two qualities: "boyishness" and "roguish charm."
Jing Boran, ninth, started out as a singer before expanding into film and television, and now works across music, drama, and fashion. Rather than the boyish charm common among younger actors, his look has grown more mature and coolly reserved in recent years.
His drama credits include A League of Nobleman and Road Home, with his roles shifting from youthful idols to more grown-up men. His features and overall presence have only sharpened with age, giving him the quality viewers describe as "the more you look, the more there is to him." His recent pairing with Sun Qian in The Early Spring has taken his career to a new high.
Jing's good looks do not rest on bold brows and big eyes alone; they come from the combination of his build, his dress sense, and his bearing, which add up to a distinctive personal style and keep him on heartthrob rankings of every kind. His ninth-place finish suggests his appeal has not faded with age.
