She learned dancing as a teenager and graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
The actress shot to fame in 2015 playing a protagonist with a dual personality in the television series Kela Lover, which earned her the prestigious China TV Golden Eagle Award for best actress.
Also admired for her exotic and distinctive facial features, Dilraba’s earnings from commercial endorsements are the highest for a women in China. She works with global brands such as LV, Valentino, Dior, Mikimoto and Hennessy.
In 2019, she endorsed 35 domestic and international brands, grossing 3.7 billion yuan (US$521 million), according to the media outlet sohu.com.
In August, after learning she had 80 million fans on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, the star penned a handwritten letter to thank her supporters.
“Hi, I am Pang Di (which means plump Dilraba in English, a nickname which refers to her voluptuous figure when she started her career a decade ago),” she said.
“I thank you and I send my energy to you. I wish I could do more. I don’t know your names. But I hope all the people reading this letter have smooth lives, keep the light in your eyes and be happy and safe always.”
A recent highlight for the star was receiving a special endorsement after filming an episode of the arts programme Flowers and the Youngsters in Croatia in November 2023, in which she performed a Uygur dance.
The video of her dancing was forwarded by China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Facebook, with the caption: “Dilraba, wearing Xinjiang clothing and dancing Xinjiang dance, is shining brightly.”
It was then relayed by several Chinese embassies to “spread the beauty of Chinese culture”.
On the star’s Weibo account, many of her posts have garnered at least 1 million likes.
A thread she released on January 1 with photos of her enjoying the New Year celebrations received 6.5 million likes.
The hashtag of why Dilraba is so admired has been among the most searched items on websites such as baidu.com and zhihu.com.
“Dilraba not only has a peerless appearance, but also has an adorable character. Off the screen, she is as cute as a young girl,” one of her fans said.
“Dilraba goes viral because of her gorgeous looks, excellent acting skills and kind personality. She is quite down-to-earth and treats her fans well,” said another.
“She wrote a letter to fans. She bought snacks, milk tea and bottled water for fans who had waited for her for hours in the summer. She is considerate and sincere. She is absolutely my goddess!” another admirer said.
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