Yi Yangqianxi (Jackson Yee), 24, became the youngest winner of the Best Actor of Golden Rooster Awards in its history for his performance as Liu Chunhe in Big World.
"Recognized by so many forerunners in the industry, which gives me the power to keep moving forward, I feel honored, and it means a lot to me," he told China Media Group (CMG) in an exclusive interview after receiving the award in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian of east China, on Saturday.
Big World tells the story of Liu Chunhe, a young man with cerebral palsy, who overcomes challenges to fulfill his grandmother's dream.
Once a teen pop idol, Yi worked hard to portray this character that requires emotional restraint, physical transformation and a will to dismantle his idol aura.
"I think this character is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime roles for me. I'm lucky to work with this creative team, these great partners. Together with them we managed to nail this difficult project," Yi said.
Unlike many commercial films, Big World is stripped of spectacle. It focuses instead on the rawness of everyday survival, which distinguished the project from the clean, handsome screen persona audiences often associate with Yi. Taking on such a role meant confronting and discarding that comfort zone, but Yi did not hesitate to challenge his public image.
"I honestly didn't think too much about those things. Actually I just delved myself into this very demanding role. I didn't consider my image or anything like that at the time," the young actor said.
Yi won the award on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema, which added symbolic weight to the trophy. For Yi, the experience offered something beyond the industry recognition.
"The biggest gain for me is that I came to realize my own boundaries. I'm keen on choosing a role that is slightly beyond where I currently am every time I have the chance. Getting the audience's recognition is the greatest gift for us actors. I hope I can continue to live up to everyone's expectations," he said.
24-year-old becomes youngest Golden Rooster best actor
The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting concluded in east China's Suzhou on Saturday, yielding fruitful results and laying significant groundwork for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.
The trade ministers' meeting focused on "building an open and predictable regional and multilateral economic and trade order" and "fostering new engines of innovative and dynamic trade and investment cooperation."
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao briefed the media on the meeting's outcomes at a press conference.
Wang said the meeting issued a joint statement titled the Suzhou Statement, and approved the latest edition of the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services.
All parties agreed to advance policy innovation and reform in services trade, build an open and predictable investment environment, improve regional trade facilitation and supply chain resilience, strengthen standards coordination, and enhance intellectual property protection, Wang told the media.
He also said that substantial progress was made on a framework document for regional digital trade cooperation and the ministers emphasized promoting inclusive AI development, strengthening AI-related trade, and bridging the digital divide to ensure shared benefits from digital transformation.
The minister noted that the outcomes of the meeting demonstrated strong cooperation willingness, highlighted an innovation-oriented approach, and reflected inclusiveness and shared benefits. "The fact that Asia-Pacific economies can come together, uphold the original aspiration of promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation while supporting economic growth and prosperity, and engage in in-depth discussions on the important issue of 'where multilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation is headed,' fully demonstrates that open regionalism and true multilateralism enjoy broad support, and that mutual success and shared development serve the fundamental interests of all economies," Wang said.
2026 APEC trade ministers' meeting concludes with fruitful results
