Actress Hu Jing has been in the spotlight lately after her marriage with Malaysian Business Tycoon Frank Choo.[File photo]

While still attending the academy, Hu Jing earned a role in "Love Story in the Era of Internet." The 1999 film won the Hua Biao Film Award at the Brussels' International Film Festival. But Hu Jing's role in the film was widely overlooked. She was still an unknown.

In 2000, she landed a role in the TV hit series "Palace of Desire". Her talent and natural appeal were eclipsed among a cast that contained many big name stars.

Hu Jing's turning point came in 2001, with the TV series "Empress Dowager Xiao Zhuang." Hu Jing played a lady in waiting to the empress dowager, Xiao Zhuang. Her loyalty and strength of character shone through Hu Jing's delicate features. Hu Jing's star began to rise. She was invited to play in a succession of costume dramas -- "Epic of a Qing Dynasty Prince" and "the Epic of Emperor Kang Xi". The svelte, porcelain-skinned actress acquired the reputation of the "costume beauty".

She was born in Chuxiong, a town in Yunnan province. Hu Jing began pursuing art at ten. She moved north to Beijing, beginning the study of folk dance at the elementary school affiliated to the Beijing Dance Academy. She cultivated her naturally unaffected style during her time at the school. Her unpretentious, unmannered acting is a factor in her popularity.