A promotional photo of actress/producer Yang Mi Photo: Courtesy of H&R Yang Mi Studio

Like her or not, you cannot deny that Yang Mi has become one of the most influential Chinese actresses among the young generation.

According to China Celebrity 100 (a list compiled by Forbes, taking into account factors including income, search engine hits and exposure in media), Yang is ranked No.7 this year, over the Nobel laureate Mo Yan who came in at No.16, and she is the only one born after 1985 to make the top 20. Rising from No.13 last year and way up from the 98th spot in 2011, Yang has claimed the highest rate of online exposure for the past two years.

Point of attraction

Though Yang gains various comments, she is a strong rallying point for audiences.

According to a report on sohu.com, the total box office for movies in which she took part last year is 1.2 billion yuan ($195 million), and the controversial movie Tiny Times led by Yang took in 76 million yuan on its first day in theaters.

The TV series A Clear Midsummer Night led by Yang consistently ranks first when aired and gets 100 million views online in the first four days of availability, which breaks the record set by The Legend of Zhen Huan last year, according to China Youth International.

Yang has taken part in 28 TV dramas since 2004 while still in high school, including the new version of A Dream of Red Mansions directed by Li Shaohong in 2010 and the hotly discussed series Palace in 2011. Justifiably, Yang rebuffs claims that any particular character allowed her to gain "overnight" success.

"The job of being an actress is a process of building oneself up," she said. She gains experience  when discussing things with a director or other cast members in a drama playing the part of a rich girl as well as when she is learning to play a musical instrument, playing chess, practicing calligraphy or painting as she did in another drama in the role of a Han ethnic girl. "The more experience you get, the easier it is for you to present the character."

From actress to producer

Yang became a child star when she was only 4 years old, playing an adorable princess in the TV series Tang Ming Huang (Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty). She appeared on numerous TV dramas as a toddler, but then her acting career was put on hold.

"I didn't realize what I was doing when I was a child; I only did what I was asked to do. My parents thought I should focus on my studies, so I stopped doing any dramas after I went to primary school," she told Global Times. Later, when she attended Beijing Film Academy and started to learn some skills, she found how suitable and interested she was in becoming an actress.

In 2012, Yang went on a fact-finding trip to Hollywood where she met some directors and producers. This year, she is fulfilling her ambition to be more than an actress. After setting up her own creative studio within H&R Century Pictures, Yang announced that she would also begin to work as a producer.

The studio's first TV drama, The Love of Micro Era, is still in post-production and will come out soon. Zhou Bichang, the second-place winner of talent show Super Girl in 2005, who was asked to perform in this drama, told Global Times with laughter that she finds Yang Mi is very suited to being a producer.

When asked about the difference between being an actress and a producer, Yang said, "It's more complicated and macroscopic to be a producer. It broadens my horizon because I need to consider more: such as whether we could take the scene outside considering the weather, and how to balance the schedules of all the actors and actresses."

Yang also announced this year her plan to produce a TV series called Jade Dynasty, a story based on an online novel about swords and fairies, which also has a series of online games. With her early work The Legend of Fairy and Sword III and her recent TV series Ancient Sword both based on popular PC games, Yang seems to have a strong connection with games.

Yang does not conceal her love for games and cartoons. Though she is often too busy, she still enjoys playing some PC games or reading some comic books during her spare time. "I think I am so lucky to have the chance to act a character in my favorite (graphic) novel and game. I have had the chance, more than once. It's a dream come true."

Outspoken and fearless

Yang was dubbed as "Chinese best friend" by netizens on Weibo early this month for stating her anger toward the now ex-boyfriend of her friend Tang Yan, who was caught cheating on Tang. When talking about this, Tang Yan told Global Times, "Yang didn't tell me she would do it, but I believe she is someone who can help a friend at the price of her life. I am so grateful to have a friend like this."

Yang said she did it out of impulse: "I am the type of person who is independent and a careless prankster, and many of my friends are quite similar to me. Someone who can be my friend is usually a person who can understand me. Though I don't like to talk much about myself, my friends know what I am thinking because I usually just speak out when I want to."

There are always discussions about whether Yang had plastic surgery, or about her personality and her acting talent. In March of this year, Yang got the Golden Broom Award for Most Disappointing Actress chosen by Youth Movie Handbook for her work in Wu Dang and Hold for Your Love. Similar criticism can often be seen online, while her large number of fans lavish the actress with compliments.

Yang said she often visits some online communities such as Tianya anonymously reading some interesting gossip, but she has no ID online and seldom leaves any comment herself. "I don't often read the words written by my fans or critics, because what they are talking about actually has no impact on me."

"Maybe I am strong in heart. I know exactly what I want, what to do and how to go for it. I don't care what others say, and I will be loyal to what I want to do.

"I insist that if someone keeps criticizing me on purpose over a long period, he must be someone who really loves me in the end, otherwise how could they care about me for so long?"