Somewhere between Season 2 of Divas Hit the Road and a Netflix chart takeover a decade later, Jing Boran quietly became one of the most talked-about men in Chinese entertainment, and he did it without ever raising his voice. His new drama, The Early Spring, dropped on Youku and Netflix simultaneously on August 26 and immediately started breaking things: a top-six debut on Netflix’s global daily chart within 48 hours, a number-two spot on the worldwide non-English weekly rankings with over 2.4 million views, top-ten placement in 54 countries, and the honour of being the first Chinese drama ever to crack the number-two spot on Netflix Brazil. In it, he plays Luke, an advertising executive with a chilly stare and a filthy mouth, and the internet has not recovered.
But the man off-screen is nothing like Luke. Here’s what you should know about him.
1. Jing Boran grew up with his grandparents
Born in Shenyang in 1989, Jing was raised primarily by his grandparents after his parents split when he was young — a detail he’s spoken about warmly over the years, describing a childhood that was modest but full of love. That didn’t stop the internet from running wild with far darker versions of the story once he was back in the spotlight, including claims that he’d been abandoned by his mother weeks after his birth and forced into child labour. On September 4, he got on a livestream and shut down all the rumours, saying that none of it happened and that he and his mother have always been close.
2. Jing Boran was one half of a K-Pop-Adjacent Duo called BOBO
Jing’s career started not with a script but with a reality singing competition in 2007, where he and a fellow contestant, Victor Fu, both placed and were signed as a package deal by Huayi brothers. The duo, BOBO, released an EP and a couple of albums, picked up some award-show hardware, and quietly disbanded in 2012 once their contracts ended. Five years, one solid discography, and a whole generation of fans who will get nostalgic about it.
3. Jing Boran has been with Supermodel Liu Wen for six years
The two met through CHANEL ambassador duties back in 2019 and have been famously, almost aggressively private about their relationship ever since it became public knowledge in 2022. No confirmations, couple photos, or captions — just years of both families reportedly meeting (he’s taken her home to Shenyang, she’s taken him to Hunan) and a rumour cycle in September 2026 claiming they’d quietly registered their marriage. Neither camp has confirmed it. Don’t expect them to.
4. Jing Boran’s nickname came from giving birth to a monster
In the 2015 fantasy film Monster Hunt, Jing’s character unexpectedly becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby monster king named Huba — a plot twist that earned him the nickname “Huba’s Mum.” The bit never really ended: the film’s official account has wished him a happy Mother’s Day without fail for eleven years straight, and he always replies in character, thanking his “eldest son.” It might be the most committed running joke in Chinese celebrity culture.
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5. Jing Boran became a folk hero by simply… not complaining
Jing’s 2015 stint on the reality travel show Divas Hit the Road has become the stuff of legends, and not in the way you’d expect: gruelling itineraries, tangled group dynamics, and one especially brutal night where he and a castmate hauled thirteen suitcases up 150 steps — only to be told afterward they’d climbed the wrong building. He didn’t complain once. Fans have since crowned him the unbothered king of a very messy season, the guy who protects his own peace without ever stepping on anyone else’s.
6. Jing Boran’s apartment looks like a gallery
Jing’s 400 square-metre duplex in Beijing skips the usual celebrity mansion playbook entirely in favour of bare concrete walls, a muted, haze colour palette, and an industrial minimalism so stripped-back that fans have compared it to a museum. He’s said to be hands-on with every design detail, down to the lighting. In one post, he described home as “the best source of energy” — music on, sun coming in, life arranged exactly how he likes it.
7. Jing Boran and Bai Jingting are a package deal, wardrobe included
The two actors met on a variety show years ago and, at an identical 183 centimetres tall, quickly earned the joint nickname “Combo 183.” Nearly a decade later, they’re still trading clothes — and jabs. Bai has publicly joked that Jing’s closet is basically his dream wardrobe and admitted to planning outfits a week in advance just so he doesn’t get outdressed. During the The Early Spring press run, Jing jokingly promised Bai a piece of his own clothing if the show hit a trending-topic milestone; Bai took the bait immediately and came collecting.
8. Jing Boran has been the face of CHANEL since 2020
Jing attended his first CHANEL high jewellery event back in 2015 and was officially named a brand ambassador in 2020, becoming a rare male face for the house’s Coco Crush jewellery line. Add in front-row access to Valentino and Zegna, and his fashion CV reads a level above most of his peers. For The Early Spring, he went so far as to style himself, bringing over 120 of his own pieces on set — several of them, naturally, Chanel and Valentino.
9. Jing Boran responded to plastic surgery rumours with complete honesty (and a little humour)
Longtime fans noticed a signature monolid had shifted to a clear double eyelid mid-drama, with some shots even showing a triple crease — and the surgery speculation followed immediately. Jing addressed it directly on livestream, saying there was no procedure involved, just skin loosening with age. He admitted to shooting two dramas back-to-back with months of near-constant late nights, and that the fatigue made his eyelids puffier and less predictable. Refreshingly candid, and it worked — the rumours mostly died on the spot.
10. Jing Boran’s handwriting is basically a second career
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Jing is, by wide agreement, one of the best ‘calligraphers’ in the industry — clean, distinctive, instantly recognisable enough that fans have dubbed it the “Jing Boran font.” He hand-lettered the opening title card for The Early Spring himself, and his calligraphy has shown up in other drama and variety-show branding over the years. Acting may pay the pills, but the pen game is real.
11. Jing Boran is one of the best-liked people in the industry, and for good reason
Beyond the Bai Jingting bromance, Jing’s reputation for being easy to work with runs deep. He’s still close friends from his talent-show days, and he and Liu Wen are regularly spotted at low-key hangouts with their circle. He’s also known for looking out for younger co-stars — on the set of The Early Spring, he reportedly shared styling advice with co-star Sun Qian and gave her some of his clothes. Sun later revealed that Bai Jingting had borrowed the same pieces, tying all three of them into one very tangled, very wholesome friendship web. Understated, sincere, no main-character energy required — probably exactly why people like him this much.
Editor
Bianca LoCredit
Lead Image: @jingxiaoxiansheng via Instagram
