Song Dandan
Song Dandan is a Chinese actress, best known for her comedic performance through her collaborations with Zhao Benshan on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
Biography
Song was born in Beijing, on August 25, 1961, to an intellectual family. Her father Song Gong was vice chairman of Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Her brother Song Beisha was vice governor of Shanxi and vice chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.She was trained and started as a drama actress. But it was her skit debut, "A Date with Slug," on the 1989 CCTV New Year's Gala that propelled her to fame. Afterwards she costarred first with Huang Hong, then most memorably with Zhao Benshan in many skits on the CCTV New Year's Gala from the 1990s to the 2010s, such as "Anti-family plan Guerilla" and "Yesterday, today and Tomorrow".
On television, Song is known for her roles in sitcoms I Love My Family, directed by her then husband Ying Da, and Home with Kids. Song also has a cameo role in House of Flying Daggers.
Personal life
Song was married three times. Three months after the end of her first relationship, she entered into a marriage with her first husband, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed. The rebound marriage ended in divorce the following year. In 1989, she married her second husband, director Ying Da. The couple have a son, born Ying Rubin, who goes by stage name Batu. They divorced in 1997 after Song confessed that she had an affair. In 2011, Song publicly accused Ying Da of having harmed their son by deliberately remaining estranged from Batu for over 14 years, while showing preference toward his other son from his second marriage.In 1997, following her divorce from Ying, Song met Zhao Yuji, whom she married 28 days after being introduced to him. Zhao, who had served as general manager of Shougang Group from 1985 to 1991, later became a businessman, active in real estate and private equity. Song's stepdaughter from Zhao's previous marriage is the film director Chloé Zhao.
In 2021, Song was among 40 Chinese celebrities who canceled sponsorship contracts as part of a larger boycott against foreign brands that expressed concern about the persecution of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang autonomous region.