Ariel Lin

Ariel Lin
林依晨
Lin in 2024
Born
Yilan, Taiwan
EducationNational Chengchi University
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Singer
Years active2002–present
AgentZhouzi Entertainment (present)
Spouse
Charles Lin
​
(m. 2014)​
Children2
Musical career
GenreMandopop
InstrumentVocals
LabelAvex Taiwan (2009–2010)
Chinese name
Chinese林依晨
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLín Yīchén
Websitelinichen.net

Ariel Lin Yi-chen (Chinese: 林依晨) is a Taiwanese actress and singer. She rose to fame for her role as Yuan Xiangqin in the Taiwanese drama It Started with a Kiss (2005) and the Chinese fantasy drama The Little Fairy (2006). Lin won Best Actress at the 43rd and 47th Golden Bell Awards for her roles in They Kiss Again (2007) and In Time with You (2011) respectively.

Career

2004: Beginnings

Lin was first discovered in a Taiwanese beauty contest. She made her debut in the television drama True Love 18 (2002). Lin also starred in her first film Love Me, If You Can (2004), which earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 40th Golden Horse Awards. She gained more popularity after starring in the idol drama series My Secret Garden II and Love Contract opposite Mike He. She also sang the theme song for Love Contract, titled "Alone in the northern hemisphere", which topped the KTV and ring tone charts for 12 weeks.

2005–2007: Breakthrough

Lin rose to mainstream popularity for her role as Yuan Xiangqin in the popular Taiwanese idol drama It Started with a Kiss (2005). The series topped ratings in Taiwan, and was a hit across Asia.

Lin then starred in her first Chinese drama, The Little Fairy (2006) where she played the Seventh Fairy Maiden. The series was extremely popular and had high ratings, marking her successful foray into the Chinese market. The same year, she starred in Tokyo Juliet alongside Wu Chun.

Lin reunited with Joe Cheng in They Kiss Again (2007), the sequel of It Started with a Kiss. The drama had an average rating of 3.43, becoming one of the highest rated idol dramas. Lin's performance in the drama won her the Best Actress award at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards, making her the first actress in history to win the award with an idol drama. The same year, she released the single "Adventure of Lunia" as the theme song for the video game Lunia: Record of Lunia War.

2008–2013: Continued success and singing career

Lin and frequent co-star Joe Cheng at the 2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition.

Lin starred in the 2008 adaptation of Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. She plays Huang Rong, opposite her The Little Fairy co-star Hu Ge, who plays Guo Jing. She also starred in the Taiwanese drama Love or Bread, her third collaboration with Joe Cheng.

In 2009, Lin signed a three-year and three-album contract with Avex Taiwan. She released her first album, Blissful Encounter, which sold 20,000 copies within 2 days. The same year, she starred in her first theater play, The War and Peace between Men and Women.

Lin then starred in romance drama In Time with You (2011), co-starring Bolin Chen. It was the highest rated Taiwanese idol drama of the year and was extremely popular across Asia. Lin won her Golden Bell Award for Best Actress trophy for her performance in the series. She then starred alongside Feng Shaofeng in the historical drama Prince of Lan Ling (2013). In 2013, she was listed by Forbes as the 85th most influential celebrity in China.

2014–present: Films

Following her television career, Lin focused on films. In 2014, she starred in the crime caper Sweet Alibis alongside Alec Su. It was chosen as the Most Popular Taiwanese Film at the 6th Straits Film and Television Awards. Lin then starred in Go Lala Go 2 (2015), the sequel to the 2010 hit film Go Lala Go!. However unlike its predecessor, it was a critical and commercial flop.

Lin turned to the thriller genre in The Mysterious Family (2017), playing a rape victim who becomes psychologically scarred after the incident. The same year, she was cast in the television drama Old Boy alongside Liu Ye, marking her small-screen comeback after 4 years.

In 2018, Lin was cast in the historical drama I Will Never Let You Go as the protagonist.

Personal life

Lin in 2015

Lin was born in Yilan, Taiwan to a middle-income family. She has a younger brother. Her parents separated when she was very young and divorced when she was in high school. (Lin helped reconcile them in 2014.) Lin was raised by her mother and lived in poverty for many years. She began taking care of the family in her second year of high school after her mother suffered a cerebellar stroke. At age 18, she entered a beauty competition because she wanted to win the prize money and buy her brother a new computer. She won first place. She was also accepted to National Chengchi University, a top university in Taiwan. She graduated with a BA in Korean literature while working as an actress part-time. When she filmed in China, several of her classmates copied notes for her.

Lin is severely myopic (-7.0D) and wears contact lenses. In June 2008, Lin was diagnosed with a 2 cm cyst on her pituitary gland, following which she had an operation in February 2009.

In 2013, she decided to take a break from her career. She went to United Kingdom and obtained a Master of Arts (MA) in Acting for Screen from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London in 2014.

On 24 December 2014, Lin married businessman Charles Lin. The couple were introduced by mutual friends. On 29 September 2021, Lin announced her pregnancy hours after media broke the news. She gave birth to a girl on 18 October that year. She wrote a book during her pregnancy, which topped Books.com.tw's bestseller lists (both print and e-book) when it was published in January 2022. On 16 June 2025, she announced the birth of her second child, a son, born on June 14.

Filmography

Film

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes/Ref.
2003Kung Fu Girls空手道少女組Ye Lizhu/Juliet-Zhuliye
2004Love Me, If You Can飛躍情海Lin Xiaoying
Free As Love飛躍情海之浮生若夢Lin Xiaoying
2005Herbie: Fully LoadedN/aMaggie PeytonTaiwanese version, voice
2011Memory Loss憶世界大冒險Hsiao-taVoice
Love Sick戀愛恐慌症Liang Ruoqing
2014Sweet Alibis甜蜜殺機Gao Yiping
2015Another Woman234說愛你Jian Peiyan
Go Lala Go 2追婚日記Du Lala
2016Love Is Frozen愛情凍住了Tseng Mei-bao
Trippin' in Taipei迷途台北Hye
  • Short film
  • Also producer
2017The Mysterious Family神秘家族Miao Miao
A Choo不倒俠Xinxin
2023Be With Me車頂上的玄天上帝Fu-yue

Television series

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes/Ref.
1990Fire Phoenix浴火鳳凰Mei Ji and Mei Yin Shuang when they turned into phoenixes burnedStuntwoman
2002True Love 1818歲的約定Xia Xiaotong
Purple Corner紫色角落StacyCameo
2003Friends名揚四海Xiao Yanru (Little Yanru)Cameo
Secret Garden我的秘密花園Fan Xiaomin
Seventh Grade七年級生Wu Yali
2004Secret Garden II我的秘密花園 IIFan Xiaomin
Love Contract愛情合約Cheng Xiaofeng/Xiaofeng
2005It Started with a Kiss惡作劇之吻Yuan Xiangqin
2006The Little Fairy/Fairy From Wonderland天外飛仙Seventh Fairy/Long Guangbiao/Yu Xiao Qi
Tokyo Juliet東方茱麗葉Lin Laisui/Stephanie Lin
2007They Kiss Again惡作劇2吻Yuan Xiangqin
Huang Qiuju
2008The Legend of the Condor Heroes射鵰英雄傳Huang Rong
Love or Bread我的億萬麵包Zeng Shanmei
2011In Time with You我可能不會愛你Cheng Yu-ching
2013Prince of Lan Ling蘭陵王Yang Xuewu
2018Old Boy老男孩Lin Xiao'ou
2019I Will Never Let You Go小女花不棄Hua Buqi
2024Imperfect Us不夠善良的我們Chien Ching-fen

Theatre

Year English title Original title
2009–2010Man and Woman, War and Peace男人與女人之戰爭與和平

Discography

Studio albums

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleReleased dateLabel
2007Adventure of Lunia路尼亞戰記19 November 2007
2009Blissful Encounter幸福遇見10 July 2009Avex Taiwan
2010A Wonderful Journey美好的旅行21 August 2010Avex Taiwan

Singles

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleNotes
2003"Kung Fu Girls"空手道少女組Kung Fu Girls original soundtrack
2004"Cha Cha"My Secret Garden II original soundtrack
"Lonely Northern Hemisphere"孤單北半球Love Contract ending theme song
2005"The Way Home"歸途April Snow original soundtrack (Chinese version)
2006"It Had to Be You"非你莫屬Tokyo Juliet ending theme song
2007"Angel Wings"天使的翅膀The song dedicated to Beatrice Hsu
"You"你They Kiss Again ending theme song
"Record of Lunia War"路尼亞戰記主題曲Lunia: Record of Lunia War theme song
2008"If it is you"如果是你Album 如果是你 of Alex, member of 艾力克斯 - Korea music group (Chinese version)
"The Taste of Bread"麵包的滋味Love or Bread ending theme song
2010"Guardian Star"守護星Prius Online theme song
2011"Wings"翅膀In Time with You original soundtrack

Music video

TV commercial

Bibliography

YearEnglish titleOriginal titleNotes
2005Ariel's Blog林家女孩依晨的青春部落格ISBN 9576799775
2008Ariel Lin's New York Bagel Diary林依晨的紐約貝果日記ISBN 9789868414341
2010Ariel's A Wonderful Journey美好的旅行ISBN 9789866606991
2022Be Yourself, Why Do You Say Sorry?做自己，為什麼還要說抱歉？ISBN 9789570861471

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
200340th Golden Horse AwardsBest ActressLove Me, If You CanNominated
200843rd Golden Bell AwardsBest ActressThey Kiss AgainWon
201247th Golden Bell AwardsIn Time with YouWon
201413th Huading AwardsBest Actress (Ancient drama)Prince of Lan LingNominated
201510th Seoul International Drama AwardsAsia Star Grand AwardN/aWon
20246th Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT AwardsBest Lead ActressImperfect UsWon
59th Golden Bell AwardsBest Leading Actress in a Miniseries or TV FilmNominated

References

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  2. ↑ 《飞跃情海》：梁祝下世传奇 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 18 September 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  3. ↑ 「飛躍情海」林依晨 問鼎金馬有潛力. TVBS (in Chinese). 3 December 2003. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "秘密花园"续"流星"经典 林依晨饰女一号. Sohu (in Chinese). 13 January 2006.
  5. ↑ 《爱情合约》即将播出 贺军翔林依晨为爱签约. Sohu (in Chinese). 5 July 2007.
  6. ↑ 林依晨献唱《爱情合约》 歌手梁静茹亲临指点 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 28 July 2004.
  7. ↑ 《恶作剧之吻》热播 林依晨发动"恶作剧攻势" (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 24 January 2007. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  8. ↑ 《恶作剧之吻》收视爆棚 称霸周日收视排行榜 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 9 November 2015. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  9. 1 2 风靡亚洲的契机：台剧《恶作剧之吻》 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  10. ↑ 搞笑出场 《天外飞仙》林依晨化身仙女 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 7 February 2006. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  11. ↑ 《天外飞仙》开播一周收视不凡 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 26 January 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  12. ↑ 《东方茱丽叶》：限制级爱情偶像剧实战手册 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 1 September 2007.
  13. ↑ 《恶作剧2吻》华娱卫视甜蜜放送 "吻"不停. Sohu (in Chinese). 10 March 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  14. ↑ 林依晨：不愿当"偶像剧女王"(组图) (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 7 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "From 1983 to today, 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' lives on". China Daily. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  16. ↑ 林依晨《我的亿万面包》可爱花苞头详解(组图) (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 24 April 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  17. ↑ 林依晨正式签约 勇闯歌坛 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  18. ↑ 林依晨新专辑《幸福遇见》销量好 两天破两万. Tencent (in Chinese). 14 July 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  19. ↑ 林依晨排练舞台剧 大胆讨论性高潮 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 12 November 2009.
  20. ↑ 《我可能不会爱你》热播 林依晨为陈柏霖庆生 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 9 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  21. ↑ 《我可能不会爱你》收视飘红引发热议 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  22. ↑ "'In Time with You' wins big at Golden Bell Awards". People's Daily. 29 October 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  23. ↑ "TV drama King of Lan Ling stars Feng Shao Feng and Ariel Lin". Asia Pacific Arts. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  24. ↑ "Alec Su, Ariel Lin star in film 'Sweet Alibis'". China.org.cn. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  25. ↑ 海峡影视季大奖出炉 《甜蜜杀机》最受大陆观众欢迎. China News (in Chinese). 14 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
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  27. ↑ "Sequel fails to work as romance or drama". The Straits Times. 2 December 2015. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  28. ↑ 《神秘家族》曝揭秘特辑 林依晨陈晓还原真实犯罪现场. ifeng (in Chinese). 11 April 2017. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  29. ↑ 刘烨演机长！《老男孩》搭档林依晨挑战航空剧. NetEase (in Chinese). 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  30. ↑ "Fans excited for Ariel Lin's upcoming costume drama". Yahoo. 13 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  31. ↑ 林依晨父母离婚23年 关系终破冰 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  32. ↑ 母成卡奴小腦中風 林依晨高二扛家計 (in Chinese). Now News. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  33. ↑ 林依晨工作不喊苦 23歲就曾立遺囑 (in Chinese). 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  34. ↑ 林依晨切腦瘤體力差 5年才演一部劇有洋蔥 (in Chinese). Mirror Media. 4 August 2019. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  35. ↑ 「失聯同學」林依晨 上課嘍！ (in Chinese). Liberty Times. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  36. ↑ 近視近七百度林依晨不妥協 保持好眼色 (in Chinese). Keng Shen News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  37. ↑ "Ariel Lin quits acting?". Yahoo News. 5 July 2011. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  38. ↑ "Ariel Lin Attends her Graduate Commencement in London". China Topix. 14 December 2014.
  39. ↑ "Ariel Lin engaged with her boyfriend". Sina Corp. 8 October 2014. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  40. ↑ "Ariel Lin gets married on Christmas Eve in Taipei". China.org.cn. 25 December 2014.
  41. ↑ Lim, Ruey Yan (29 September 2021). "Taiwan actress Ariel Lin is pregnant at last, due to give birth in October". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  42. ↑ Hsia, Heidi (22 October 2021). "Ariel Lin gives birth to baby girl". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  43. ↑ 林依晨新書預購不到一天賣破萬本！ 曝人生重大改變「我不再有可能回到從前」 (in Chinese). 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  44. ↑ "林依晨生了！平安产下儿子升格二宝妈". Lianhe Zaobao. 16 June 2025.
  45. ↑ 《恋爱恐慌症》造型曝光 看林依晨的惊艳变身. Tencent (in Chinese). 22 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  46. ↑ 《234说爱你》定档9.23 林依晨秦昊来袭 (in Chinese). Sina Corp. 29 August 2016.
  47. ↑ 《爱情冻住了》定档4.14 林依晨凤小岳银幕牵手. Sohu (in Chinese). 5 April 2017. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  48. ↑ 有才！林依晨首擔任製片畢業作 獲選遊牧影展閉幕片. ETtoday (in Chinese). 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  49. ↑ "我的情敌是超人"改名"不倒侠" 12.15上映. Mtime (in Chinese). 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  50. ↑ 林熙蕾魔鬼女教練 槓上「七年級生」林依晨. TVBS (in Chinese). 25 August 2003. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  51. ↑ 《我的秘密花园2》. Sohu (in Chinese). 7 April 2007. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  52. ↑ "Seoul Drama Awards 2015 winners list". SBS. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  53. ↑ Yoon Hyun-ji (6 October 2024). "'왕가위 첫 시리즈 '번화'→쿠팡플레이 '소년시대', ACA 베스트 상 수상 (종합)[BIFF 2024]" [Wong Kar-wai's first series 'Flood' → Coupang Play's 'Boyhood' wins ACA Best Award (Comprehensive) [BIFF 2024] [BIFF 2024]]. Xports News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  54. ↑ Charlie Lee (11 September 2024). "【2024金鐘獎】金鐘59完整入圍名單". Harper's Bazaar Taiwan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 8 October 2024.