Amid the cicadas of Beijing in August, the story of Wan Peng’s transformation quietly unfolds. Born just after the start of autumn in 1996, this Beijing girl would grow into a uniquely “wood-toned” screen presence—cool like sandalwood, yet warm like pearwood.
Her four years at the Beijing Dance Academy cultivated not only a graceful swan neck and flexible bones but also an inner resilience. While classmates hurried to audition for film and TV roles, Wan Peng spent countless hours in the studio, repeating Swan Lake over a thousand times. It wasn’t until the script for If Not Fierce, Then Youth landed in her hands that she realized her stage extended beyond ballet, into the vast arena of life itself. Directors described her as an uncut gem, but only she knew that the calluses worn from practice had already honed her acting to perfection.
Her breakout moment came with a set of black strap photos. Reclining on an old leather sofa, shadows traced her collarbones like wet ink, her fingers brushing through hair as silver bracelets and ribbons entwined in an unbreakable knot. The photos went viral, prompting fans to rediscover her old ballet studio snapshots with a youthful bun and untouched innocence. Ten years of training had solidified the grace of dance into the composure of an actor.
The unexpected storm of 2025 tested her poise. A marketing account released a vague video accusing the “W-named actress of diva behavior,” flooding her social media with thousands of abusive comments. Wan Peng watched it through the night, ultimately posting only a brief clarification. Much like her character Lin Wanqiu in Shine Bright, who remains composed under misunderstanding while practicing smiles in private, she tackled her new role as a jewelry designer with Zhao Lusi with remarkable nuance, earning online praise for her expressive eyes—all while memorizing lines quietly on set.
“An actor must be like water—able to fit into a teacup, yet flow into the river,” she once said in an interview. From ballet to film, from dancer to “wood-toned” actress, Wan Peng maintains this delicate balance. Her microcosms of Beijing life shine through even in a simple Weibo post: crouching in an oversized sweatshirt at a hutong’s brick wall, holding a candied hawthorn, passersby rushing behind her, captioned only “In Beijing”—a moment that moved countless fans.
Recently, she has turned to stage drama. In rehearsals, she repeatedly blocked scenes in a black turtleneck, the side lighting tracing her jaw like the silhouette of palace eaves. In one crying scene, she performed twelve takes, still curled in a corner sobbing after the director called cut. When handed a tissue, she smiled through tears: “This cry was worth it; tomorrow the lines will go smoothly.” From the hutongs to the stage, Wan Peng infuses every role with the spirit of Beijing. Whether as ponytailed Yang Xi in If Not Fierce, Then Youth or high-fashion Lin Wanqiu in Shine Bright, she balances cool and warmth like her favorite wooden scents—initially crisp, ultimately comforting.
