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.
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 emperor — 35.1× the global rate.
Beijing under-produces politician — only 0.5× the global rate.
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.
- Sports
- Film & TV
- Writing
- Science
- Politics & Law
- Art & Design
- Other
- Filtered to 1880s Clear ×
Yang Chengfu
1883 - 1936
Zaifeng, Prince Chun
1883 - 1951
Zaitao
1887 - 1970
Hoja-Niyaz
1889 - 1941
Zaixun, Prince Rui
1885 - 1949
René Ristelhueber
1881 - 1960
Vasily Yao
1888 - 1962