39.9040° N, 116.4065° E

BEIJING

Most Famous People Born in Beijing, China

Notable people
897
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1959
Most distinctive
Emperor 35.1×

An imperial capital with a long red tail. Beijing's most distinctive profession is emperor at more than thirty times the global rate — the Forbidden City fills two millennia of bench — alongside an unusually thick column of gymnasts, badminton players, swimmers, and physicists, the trades of a state athletic system and a strong national science tradition. The modern half adds the actors and directors of the Fifth Generation, the postwar wave that brought Chinese film to international festivals.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Beijing during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 150 notable births.

What Beijing Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Beijing's biggest profession — 10% of all notables (89).

Beijing over-indexes on emperor35.1× the global rate.

Beijing under-produces politician — only 0.5× the global rate.

  1. Actor89
  2. Football69
  3. Politician48
  4. Player45
  5. Writer35
  6. Film31
  7. Painter28
  8. Singer25
  1. Emperor1735.1×
  2. Gymnast106.5×
  3. Badminton115.4×
  4. Physicist154.0×
  5. Swimmer143.2×
  6. Film312.8×
  7. Player452.6×
  8. Artist202.2×
  1. Politician480.5×
  2. Football690.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Beijing's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Politics & Law
  • Art & Design
  • Other
All897
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Showing 4 of 897 notable people

0038 POLITICIAN

Tan Sitong

1865 - 1898

Preview
0189 PAINTER

Marzan Sharav

1869 - 1939

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0591 WARLORD

Wang Zhanyuan

1861 - 1934

Preview
0830 POLITICIAN

Long Jinguang

1863 - 1917

Preview