The historical romance mystery drama Glory has added further attention to its cast with the appearance of Zhang Wanying, who portrays the character Rong Jun’e. Her participation marks another step in a career path that has rapidly evolved from academia to the entertainment industry.
Zhang Wanying holds a bachelor’s degree from Henan Normal University and a master’s degree from Henan University. After graduating in 2022, she joined Kaifeng University of Science and Technology Communication in Henan as a lecturer at the School of Marxism. On October 10 of the same year, videos of her classroom teaching circulated widely online, drawing attention for her engaging and approachable teaching style. The unexpected exposure quickly made her a viral figure, with many netizens praising her as a standout presence among university lecturers.
In September 2024, Zhang Wanying left her academic position, signaling a clear shift toward the performing arts. One month later, on October 8, producer Yu Zheng officially announced that she had signed with his agency, marking her formal entry into the entertainment industry.
Since then, Zhang has steadily expanded her acting portfolio across different formats and genres. In June, she began filming the short drama Spring Thunder, Thoughts Unspoken, followed by the broadcast of Auspicious Heaven Shines in 2025. Her screen activities further extended to film, with My Lover commencing production in September, and the historical revenge drama Golden Brilliance, Jade Drunk airing later that same month.
Toward the end of the year, Zhang continued to appear in television projects, including Defying Authority and the urban fantasy web series A Day That Suddenly Returned, which entered production in December. On December 29, the release of Glory added a historical romance mystery to her growing résumé, positioning Zhang Wanying as a newcomer with a diverse and fast-developing body of work.
