The tale behind the 'talented bella'

Xu Jinglei - the Beijing Film Academy graduate selected by Time Magazine as "the most revolutionary representative of Chinese cinema" - has long been called showbiz's "talented bella".

Xu first captivated public attention as a 20-year-old acting student, who played a policewoman who falls for a gangster in the smash hit TV serial A Romantic Story (1997).

Xu rose to stardom by playing an innocent and refined woman characterized by her girl-next-door image in the popular TV drama Cherish Our Love Forever (1998).