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
- Field: Physicist Clear ×
Fang Lizhi
1936 - 2012
Ian Barbour
1923 - 2013
Huang Kun
1919 - 2005
Xiao-Gang Wen
Born 1961
Chih-Tang Sah
Born 1932
Richard Bolt
1911 - 2002
Liang Sili
1924 - 2016
Hao Bailin
1934 - 2018
Li Lin (physicist)
1923 - 2003
Lee C. Teng
Born 1926
Hong Chaosheng
1920 - 2018
Thomas Kuo
Born 1931
Lijun Wang
Born 1966
Ma Zuguang
1928 - 2003
Frank Fang
Born 1930