12 Things To Know About Bai Jingting, From Humble Roots To C-Drama Heartthrob

If you’ve just taken your first steps into the C-drama world after watching Pursuit of Jade, you might be overwhelmed by the number of male Chinese actors who are all popular in their own right. Bai Jingting (白敬亭) is one of them. The 32-year-old (he turns 33 this Oct) rose to international stardom after his lead role as Sang Yan in romance C-drama The First Frost. The story follows Wei Yi Fan (played by Zhang Ruonan) and Sang Yan, former high school classmates who reunite as adults and rekindle their childhood affection.

Filled with tender moments that had us kicking our feet and an undeniably heated kiss scene, it is understandable why the Internet went crazy in 2025. However, there is more to Bai Jingting than his ability to make a kiss scene look good. Read on to find out more.

Bai Jingting’s age, birthday and family background

Bai Jingting was born on Oct 15, 1993, and turns 33 this year.

He grew up in Beijing’s Huairou District and was the only child in a relatively ordinary household — his father worked as a taxi driver, and his mother was a homemaker. On a talk show, he also discussed his family’s situation, sharing that they had to rent houses and constantly move homes. He has described his family as close-knit and has also openly shared that his primary goal in the entertainment industry was to make enough money to achieve financial stability and purchase a house for his parents.

Bai Jingting’s name was supposed to be Bai Yanlong

Surprised? Following Chinese naming conventions, where the first character of the given name is standard across the generation, Bai Jingting’s name should have included the character 岩(yan). 

The plan for his name was simple: his grandfather decided that if Bai Jingting were a boy, he would be Bai Yanlong (白岩龙, the last character standing for ‘dragon’). A girl would have been called Bai Yanfeng（白岩风, the last character standing for ‘wind’). His cousin’s name even followed this naming tradition, being called Bai Yansong (白岩松). 

However, we have Bai Jingting’s father to thank for the name change. As someone who keeps up with the times, he just could not accept having his son named an old-fashioned name like Bai Yanlong. The conception of Bai Jingting’s name had to take another route. Stemming from his father’s belief that a man should be like a mountain, he decided to name Bai Jingting after the JingTing Mountain (敬亭山).

All we can say is… thank you, Papa Bai.

He did not study acting at university

Many actors in the C-entertainment scene start their journey in acting school. Bai Jingting’s path to the screen was a bit more complicated. Before entering university, he initially tried applying to acting schools. After failing to get admitted into every programme he applied for, he opted to pursue a degree in recording with the belief that he’d be able to create more modern music that aligns with his tastes.

Yet, he found himself learning things that failed to interest him. And in the back of his mind, he kept that hope and desire for acting close to his heart. He sent out pictures of himself and even auditioned for K-pop companies such as JYP and SM Entertainment. Among the many he tried for was an alleged scam company. They offered him the opportunity to pay them a hundred thousand Chinese yuan to help him debut. Safe to say he did not go down that route. To quote him: “If I have a hundred thousand yuan, would I need to debut?”

He persisted and continued to make connections with people within the entertainment circle. It was not until an industry insider saw that Back In Time was recruiting actors and shared the opportunity with him that he eventually broke into the industry.

Bai Jingting’s height — and chest measurements that are almost twice his waist’s

In the seventh episode of the show 拜托了冰箱 (season 6), Bai Jingting had his measurements taken by Jackson Wang, another popular name in the C-entertainment industry. At a height of 183cm, his chest is a total of 106cm wide. His waist is 66cm (59cm if you really tighten the measuring tape).

Fun tidbit: when Jackson Wang asked him if he wanted to do a few push-ups to buff up his chest, Bai Jingting confidently replied “No, I’m very confident (in my chest)”. 

He refuses to try the MBTI quiz

In a world where everybody seems to be governed by their MBTI personalities, Bai Jingting has publicly announced that he has never even taken it. He shared that he fears giving himself a label and living according to it. Humans, to him, act differently in different situations. The four letters generated by the MBTI quiz reflect how one acts in all situations.

When asked in a variety show if he is an ‘e’-person (extrovert) or an ‘i’-person (introvert), he said that he is an ‘e’-person: ‘艺’人 (艺 is pronounced as yi and stands for arts). He himself does not know if he is one or the other; the feedback he has gathered from his friends is inconsistent. 

Bai Jingting’s shows and dramas to watch

• The First Frost (2025)
• Mobius (2025)
• Justifiable Defense (2025)
• Destined (2023)
• New Life Begins (2022)
• Reset (2022)
• You Are My Hero (2021)
• Ping Pong (2021)
• New Generation (2021)
• The Ordinary Glory (2020)
• Irreplaceable Love (2020)

You might no longer see him in high-school dramas

While First Frost mostly takes place when the two main characters are adults, they include scenes in school uniforms from their student days. Despite the success of his role as Sang Yan, though, Bai Jingting is not looking to act in any more shows with campus scenes.

He has two main reasons. The first is his personal aspiration as an actor. He expressed the opinion that wearing a school uniform, sitting in a classroom, and acting in youthful scenes as a 32-year-old is not something that he wants to keep doing. The second is his worry about the aesthetics of the show. Some issues he’s concerned about include his skin no longer matching that of a youth, and that the way he acts or conveys the story might break the immersion for viewers if they do not match the teenage character. 

Two more works have been released to the public since The First Frost: Justifiable Defence (a thriller mystery) and Mobius (where he played a detective). Seems like he is sticking to his guns and leaving behind coming-of-age shows.

On the flip side, he is down to keep acting in time-loop dramas

After acting in Reset (released in 2022) and Mobius (released in 2025), both of which featured time loops as a central core of the story, Bai Jingting says he is open to acting in more shows with such a storyline.

He was able to use his experience from Reset and apply it to Mobius, adding his own ideas to ensure that the 2025 character was newer and distinguishable from the 2022’s. This ability to grow and keep making breakthroughs as an actor is something he values highly. Such a fresh and creative subject matter, like timeloops, is something he still wishes to try out if the opportunity presents itself.

He’s a big Mayday fan — and performed with them before

Mayday sang the OST《任性》for The First Frost, and this came with a surprise benefit for Bai Jingting: the opportunity to sing on-stage with them. In an interview with L’Officiel Singapore, he shared that it was actually a dream of his to stand on stage with them. The chance was presented to him after the drama ended, and he spent the time after filming up to the concert continuously practising. 

On stage, he shared that he was “extremely nervous” when singing, because the opportunity meant a lot to him. He is an avid fan of the band; when asked in another interview what other songs he liked from them (apart from 任性), he could not give an answer because he loves too many of them. 

Some of the outfits in The First Frost were chosen by him

Clothes make the man, and Jingting firmly believes in this idea. With his role as Sang Yan, the actor had discussions with the stylist and sent the director messages with his thoughts on Sang Yan’s portrayal. If the stylist could not find the appropriate attire, he would take it upon himself to buy some outfits and bring them to the set. 

An example of an outfit he picked out includes the iconic New Year’s Eve outfit. He found this scene of utmost importance and started discussing the outfit with the stylist and director long in advance. Decked in an all-black ensemble with a trench coat highlighting his broad shoulders, the outfit fulfilled Bai Jingting’s hopes of showcasing Sang Yan’s handsomeness and charm to the audience through fashion. 

If you ask us, he sure nailed those fashion choices.

He loves shoes

If there is one thing Bai Jingting loves, it’s shoes. This is a well-known fact among his fans. A popular clip that circulates in the fandom occurred during a livestream. With his chin resting on his forearm, he visibly perked up when a fan asked to see his shoes and rushed to get them.

When playing a game in a variety show, his opponent threatened to step on his pristine white kicks. He yelled out: “My head can break, my blood can bleed, but my shoe cannot be stepped on!” So do not be surprised when he lifts his leg up during interviews to talk excitedly about the shoes he is wearing that day. 

He is the brand ambassador for several brands — and also has his own brand

Quite a few well-known companies have Bai Jingting representing them as their brand ambassador. These include luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Mont Blanc - and yes, even fast-food chain KFC. He is also the spokesperson for brands such as Red Bull, HBN, New Era, and Salomon. 

Aside from these brands, he is the face of his own; Goodbai. A brand that specialises in lifestyle wear, they stock shirts, pants, and yes, even shoes, for both men and women.