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 1920s Clear ×
Zao Wou-Ki
1920 - 2013
Lisa Lu
Born 1927
Ivan Desny
1922 - 2002
Li Zhisui
1920 - 1995
Anna Chennault
1925 - 2018
Ying Ruocheng
1929 - 2003
Ian Barbour
1923 - 2013
Bai Yang
1920 - 1996
Bai Guang
1921 - 1999
Larry Wu-Tai Chin
1922 - 1986
Jean Pasqualini
1926 - 1997
Sun Daolin
1921 - 2007
Don Robertson (songwriter)
1922 - 2015
James P. Grant
1922 - 1995
Tan Yuling
1920 - 1942
Zong Pu
Born 1928
Chia-ying Yeh
Born 1924
Ray Wu
1928 - 2008
Huang Zongying
Born 1925
Liang Sili
1924 - 2016
Wu Zhaonan
1926 - 2018
André Padoux
1920 - 2017
Xie Xuejing
1923 - 2017
E-An Zen
1928 - 2014
Kong Duen-yee
1923 - 1966
Louisa Horton
1920 - 2008
Wen Jieruo
Born 1927
Li Yuru
1923 - 2008
Li Lin (physicist)
1923 - 2003
Mei Shaowu
1928 - 2005
Li Xifan
1927 - 2018
Charles T. Cross
1922 - 2008
Yang Zhenduo
1926 - 2020
P. E. de Josselin de Jong
1922 - 1999
Evan Yang
1920 - 1978
Kevin Andrews (writer)
1924 - 1989
Jean-François Chauvel
1927 - 1986
Su Wenmao
1929 - 2015
Cao Tianqin
1920 - 1995
Fe Reichelt
Born 1925
Oskar Garstein
1924 - 1996
Wu Ta-k'uei
1923 - 1972
Zhou Yaohe
1927 - 2018
Alain de Prelle
1922 - 1955
Chen Hsing-ling
1924 - 2017
Lee C. Teng
Born 1926
Chen Chi-kwan
1921 - 2007
Cheng Zhifan
Born 1928
Wen Kezheng
1929 - 2007
Hong Chaosheng
1920 - 2018
Liu Guangding
1929 - 2018
Betty Clemo
1920 - 2005
Cheng Youshu
Born 1924
Chen An-hu
Born 1924
Calvin C.J. Sia
1927 - 2020
John Cox (Royal Navy officer)
1928 - 2006
Wang Dong (diplomat)
1922 - 1983
Johannes Balser
1922 - 1985
Ma Zuguang
1928 - 2003
O.D. Hopkins
1926 - 2010
Bill Smyly
1922 - 2018