Hou Minghao (Chinese: 侯明昊, born 3 August 1997 in Beijing, China), also known as Neo Hou, is a Chinese actor and singer. He is best known for his roles in the film The Devotion of Suspect X; and in the dramas When We Were Young, The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note, A Girl Like Me, Our Times, Dashing Youth, and Fangs of Fortune.
In 2012, Hou Minghao joined SM Entertainment as a trainee, however he returned to China after a year and a half of training.[1]
In July 2014, Hou Minghao participated in the draft competition "Boss Shang's Trainee" and eventually became a trainee of Shang Wenjie's Studio.[2] The studio later established as BG Talent’s agency.[3] On 12 December of the same year, Fresh Teenager Geek officially debuted and released their first album "UP 4 U".[4]
In November 2015, he starred in the black humorous absurd comedy film Frightened Bird, in which he played as Su Niu.[5]
On 10 January 2016, Hou Minghao's Studio announced that he had completed his credits during his debut as a trainee and officially graduated and began to develop his acting career as an independent person.[6] On 22 January, he joined the variety show "Day Day Up" of Hunan TV as "Little Brother", which gained attention and popularity in the program.[7] On 11 July, he released his first single "Super Nanny Dad" for variety show Let Go of My Baby.[8] On 24 September, the web drama series Rakshasa Street started filming in Hengdian.[9] On 4 November, The movie Funny Soccer was released in China, he played Xiao Shuai, an inspirational and funny boy with a habit of cleanliness in the film.[10] On 16 November, the shooting for Cambrian Period began, he was announced as their main lead. On 29 November, he starred in the romantic comedy web movie Angel Institute, playing a punk rock teenager in the film.[11]
On 15 February 2017 Hou was announced as main lead for Inference Notes. On 31 March, he played a high-IQ genius boy, Tang Chuan in the suspense movie The Devotion of Suspect X, which has attracted attention for its performance and interpretation.[12] On 9 May, the web series Cambrian Period was broadcast, where he played a ruthless killer.[13][14] The series achieved 1.3 billion views at the end of its run.[15] On 2 August, the web drama Rakshasa Street was broadcast, where he acted in ancient costumes for the first time, and played Bai Jingxuan.[16] In September, he starred in television series The Monkey King: Land of Beauty.[17] On 3 November, the suspense web series Inference Notes was broadcast where he played the role of Mi Kaka.[18] On 28 December, he was announced as the main lead for the drama series When We Were Young.[19]
On 14 March 2018, he released his first all-English single "You Mean Everything To Me", which he personally planned and prepared for a year, a gift to fans on White Valentine's Day.[20] On 17 April, he was announced as main lead for The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note.[21] On 22 November, the youth campus drama When We Were Young was broadcast, in which he played the role of Hua Biao, a passionate and righteous science genius.[22] The series ended with 1.8 billion views.[23]
On 17 January 2019 Hou was announced as the main lead for drama series Psych-Hunter.[24] On April, he starred in series A Chinese Ghost Story with Zheng Shuang, however due to her controversy’s of tax evasion and surrogacy, the series was banned from broadcast with unknown release date.[25] On 6 June, the adventure drama The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note was broadcast on Tencent Video. He played Wu Xie.[26] The total number of plays of the drama successfully exceeded 4.15 billion views on Tencent Video, becoming the best in the summer program at that time.[27] On 28 June, the film Over Again was released, in which he played the role of the passionate and "daring" teenager Gao Silin.[28]
On 12 June 2020 the drama series A Girl Like Me announced their cast lineup and Hou was one of their lead.[29] On 28 June, he starred in the TV series Reading Class, he played Lu Xingchen.[30] However this series have uncertain release date due to Song Zu'er tax evasion scandal.[31] On 23 November, the suspense detective drama Psych-Hunter was broadcast, in which he played the role of Jiang Shuo, a house buyer with amnesia.[32]
On 18 January 2021, TV series A Girl Like Me was broadcast on Tencent Video, in which he played the role of Rong Xian.[33] By the end, the series has exceeded 1.6 billion views.[34][23] On 4 May, the series Faith Makes Great was broadcast.[35] On 14 June, he was announced as one of the lineup for TV Series Hu Tong.[36] On 14 August, he was announced as main lead for drama series Back From the Brink.[37] On 14 September, the drama Our Times starring him was broadcast on Tencent Video.[38] The series has achieved 1.9 billion views.[39] On 21 October, the TV series People's Property began broadcasting. The series earned 1.6 billion views. On 27 December, Hesong Entertainment officially announced Hou has joined their agency.[40]
On 6 July 2022, Hou was announced as one of the main lead for Young Babylon.[41] On 25 September, Hu Tong was broadcast on various platforms Mango TV, Tencent Video, and CCTV-8.[42] The series has achieved 1.27 billion views.[27]
On 5 May 2023, Hou was announced as one of the lineup for drama series I Am Nobody. On 9 May, the television series Back from the Brink was broadcast, in which he played Tian Yao. The drama is adapted from the novel of the same name by Jiulu Feixiang and was exclusively broadcast on Youku. The number of pre-broadcast reservations for the drama reached 3.39 million, and the popularity of playback on Youku after the broadcast exceeded 10,000, occupying the first place in various lists on Youku for many times.[43][44] On 13 May, he started filming for drama series Dashing Youth.[45] On 28 July, the movie Hidden Strike was launched on Netflix.[46] On 4 August, the urban fantasy drama I Am Nobody was broadcast, in which he played Wang Ye, a Taoist priest.[47] The drama received positive reviews from the critics and audience. The series exceeded 10,000 index heat and achieved 900 million views on Youku.[48] On 1 October, the series Fangs of Fortune started filming with Hou as the main lead.[49] On 5 December, he participated in the TV series Love in Pavilion as cameo and played the role of Demon King Baimu Yaojun.[50]
On 19 February 2024 he participated in filming of I Am Nobody: The Showdown Between Yin & Yang. On 24 February, Hou was announced as the main lead in the TV series The Unclouded Soul, in which he played the role of Hong Ye, the king of demons, who was respected by all demons and feared by the human race.[51] On 29 April, the TV series Young Babylon was broadcast on Tencent Video and Mango TV. The play is adapted from the novel of the same name. It tells the story of a group of young people pursuing love, friendship, dreams and growth in a small coastal town in the southeast of the 1990s.[52] The series earned 503 million views on Tencent Video and Mango TV.[27] On 19 July, the TV series Dashing Youth was broadcast on Youku. It tells the story of Baili Dongjun, who loves to make wine, embarked on the world because of the agreement with his childhood friend Ye Dingzhi.[53] The series exceeded 10,000 index heat and achieved 1.72 billion views on Youku.[54] On 31 August, he was announced as the male lead for TV series Love in the Clouds, playing Ji Bozai. The series is adapted from the novel of the same name by Bailu Chengshuang. It tells the story of Ji Bozai, a polar star abys fighter from a criminal prisoner, who defeated Mingyi, the cold god of war, who had won for seven consecutive years, at the annual "Qingyun Conference" of Hexu Six Realms.[55] On 4 September, the variety show Divas Hit the Road Season 6 was aired on Mango TV, by the end of its run, the show has attracted 4.3 billion views. On 26 October, the drama series Fangs of Fortune was broadcast on iQIYI where he played the role of Zhao Yuanzhou.[56][57] The series exceeded 8,734 index heat and topped many rankings charts in China, and his role as Zhao Yuanzhou's popularity is the first reached 300,000 on Douyin Character List. [58][59][60] The series has achieved 1.24 billion views on iQIYI.[61]
I Am Nobody: The Showdown Between Yin & Yang was broadcast on 18 January 2025, with 13 episodes. The number of pre-broadcast reservations for the drama reached 4.5 million on Youku. The series has exceeded 10,000 index heat and achieved 881 million views.[62][63] On 13 March, he was announced as the male lead for TV series Glory, acted as Lu Jiang Lai, young rising magistrate. [64] On 28 April, Love in Pavilion was broadcast on iQIYI.[65] On July 15, Hou was announced as the mainland for the drama series Key to the Phoenix Heart, he played Xiao Wu Yi, the cold and ruthless commander general of Northern army.[66]
Hou Minghao grew up in the military college.[67] He studied at Beijing Contemporary Music Academy in middle school.[68] He likes reading, baking, motorcycles, and sports, especially basketball. He opened a basketball court called FAD3-AWAY in Hengdian, where many celebrities joined in playing there.[69] He has studied accordion for 8 years , he can also play other music instruments such as drums kit, guitar, and piano.[70]
Endorsements
In 2017, he was announced as brand friend for MG and Kenzo.[71][72] In 2018, he was promoted as brand ambassador for MG, and became brand ambassador for Aquair.[73] In 2019, he was announced as spokesperson for Wetcode, HN-2, Nivea, Mediheal, DHC, Ulike.[74][75][76][77][78][79] On the same year, he became brand ambassador for Avene.[80] In 2020, he was announced as brand ambassador for Mamonde, Furla, also as McDonald's experience ambassador and Geoskincare spokesperson.[81][82][83] In March 2021, he was announced as brand ambassador for su:m37°.[84] On 25 May, he was announced as Nest Global spokesperson. On September, he became brand friend for Montblanc and spokesperson for Little Red Riding Hood. On October, he was announced global spokesperson for ZEAL and spokesperson for HLA.[85][86]
In January 2022, he became brand friend for SergioRossi.[87] On 11 April, he was announced as brand ambassador for Pepsi.[88] On the same month, he was promoted as fragrance brand ambassador for Montblanc. On 28 June, Bamboo Salt announced him as their brand ambassador.[89] On September, he was announced as Yili Xinhuo brand ambassador; as well as Hisense TV and Vidda brand spokesperson.[90] On 26 October, Remy Martin announced Hou as their brand friend. On 11 November, he was announced brand ambassador for Canban. On 29 December, he became brand friend for Dior.[91] In February 2023, Hou was announced as Buttons brand ambassador.[92] On May, he became brand ambassador for Mageline and experience officer for Xiaomi.[93] On 29 July, he announced his own clothing brand FAD3-AWAY. On 2 August, he became brand spokesperson for Mark Fairwhale.[94] On September, he was announced as brand ambassador for Lukfook, Zhuben, and Yili Milk Powder.[95][96][97]
In January 2024, he became brand ambassador for Eggy Party video game.[98] On 24 February, he was announced as spokesperson for Dermalogica facial mask.[99] On 2 March, Freeplus officially announced Hou as their brand's streamlined skin care spokesperson.[100] On 24 April, he was promoted as brand ambassador for luxury brand Montblanc. On 9 May, Marie Dalgar officially announced Hou as their first brand's base makeup spokesperson.[101] On 27 June, Echolac announced him as their brand luggage spokesperson.[102] On 26 August, he was announced as brand spokesperson for skin care Dr Yu.[103] On 5 September, he was promoted as Crocs China spokesperson.[104] On the same month, he was announced as Fila Fusion fashion brand ambassador and Glico brand spokesperson.[105][106] On October, he was announced as MEDM brand ambassador. Later of that month, he became brand ambassador for luxury jewellery brand Fred, and also spokesperson for tea brand Rangcha.[107][108][109]
On 8 January 2025 he was announced as ambassador for national brand Blue Moon.[110] On 4 March, luxury brand Versace appointed Hou as its Fragrance spokesperson.[111] On July 13, he came spokesperson for Yee3.[112]
Recognitions
Huo has appeared on various magazines such as Lifestyle, Men Health, Nandu, Men's Uno, CQ, Nylon, Grazia, Wonderland, Elle Men, and Bazaar.[113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120]
On 3 August 2017, he donated 1,083 seedlings suitable for growing in the desert through the "Million Forest" public welfare project of the China Green Foundation to help protect the environment, he is named as their Young Health Ambassador.[121] During COVID-19 pandemic, Hou donated 200,000 yuan to the medical staff in Wuhan and surrounding cities.[122] An additional of donations went towards ambulance service.[123]
In July 2021, Hou Minghao donated 300,000 yuan to help with flood relief in Henan.[8] On 20 June 2022, PADI AWARE Foundation announced him as their Environmental Protection Ambassador.[124] On 20 December 2023, Hou donated materials like books and sports supplies to students at Tuishan Primary School.[125]
On 8 January 2025, Hou donated to Chinese Relief and Welfare Development Foundation to assist in Tibet's earthquake relief.[126]
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Super Nanny Dad" | 超能奶爸 | Let Go of My Baby OST | [127] |
| "North East Direction" | 东南方 | Angel Institute OST | [128] | |
| 2017 | "Face Mask" | 脸谱 | Cambrian Period OST | [129] |
| 2018 | "You Mean Everything To Me" | 你的意义 | N/A | [130] |
| "In Youth" | 少年时 | When We Were Young OST | [131] | |
| "Companion" | 相伴 | |||
| "When We Were Young" | 人不彪悍枉少年 | |||
| "Sui Yue Bu Dai Ren" | 岁月不待人 | Everlasting Classics | [132] | |
| 2019 | "My Motherland and I" | 我和我的祖国 | Qing Chun Wei Zu Guo Er Chang | [133] |
| "In Youth" | 正青春 | [134] | ||
| "Living like Raging Wave" | 生如狂澜 | The Lost Tomb II: Explore with the Note OST | With Cheng Yi, Zhang Boyu | |
| "Meeting Again in the Future" | 后会有期 | [136] | ||
| 2020 | "Classmate" | 同学 | Beijing Satellite TV 2019 Global New Year's Eve Ice and Snow Festival | with Song Zu'er[137] |
| 2021 | "Howling Wind" | 呼啸的风 | Our Times OST | [138] |
| "Flower Letter" | 花信 | A Girl Like Me OST | [139] | |
| "Wind Flower" | 风花 | with Guan Xiaotong[139] | ||
| "Parallel Tracks" | 平行轨迹 | When We Write Love Story OST | With Yang Chaoyue[140] | |
| 2022 | "Victory" | 战胜 | Beijing Winter Olympics | [141] |
| 2023 | "Enlightenment" | 启明星 | Back From the Brink OST | [142] |
| "Changes of Days & Weeks" | 周天之变 | I Am Nobody OST | With Wang Tianruo[143] | |
| 2024 | "A Trip to Mortal World" | 侯明昊 | Dashing Youth OST | With He Yu, Xia Zhiguang, Bai Shu, Zhang Chenxiao[144] |
| "When The Moon is Lit" | 月半明时 | [145] | ||
| "Yuan Zhou’s Youth" | 远舟的少年 | Fangs of Fortune OST | [146] | |
| "Little Verse" | 小诗句 | With Chen Duling, Tian Jiarui, Cheng Xiao, Lin Ziye, Xu Zhenxuan, Yan An & Lai Weiming[146] |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Networks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Funny Soccer | 笑林足球 | Xiao Shuai | Support Role[147] | |
| Angel Institute | 天使学院的爱情战记 | Xiao Minghao | Huashi TV | Main Role[5][28] | |
| 2017 | The Devotion of Suspect X | 嫌疑人x的献身 | Tang Chuan (Young) | Tencent Video | Support Role[148] |
| 2019 | Over Again | 回到过去拥抱你 | Gao Silin | CCTV 6 | Main Role[149] |
| 2020 | Think Like a Dog | 家有儿女之神犬当家 | Xiao | Netflix | Support Role |
| 2023 | Hidden Strike | 狂怒沙暴 | Assistant Ning | Netflix | Support Role[46] |
| TBA | Frightened Bird | 惊弓之鸟 | Su Niu | [5] |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Networks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Cambrian Period | 寒武纪 | Jian Zi | Youku | Main Role[150] |
| Rakshasa Street | 镇魂街 | Bai Jingxuan | Youku | Support Role[151] | |
| Inference Notes | 推理笔记 | Mi Kaka | Youku | Main Role[152] | |
| 2018 | When We Were Young | 人不彪悍枉少年 | Hua Biao | Tencent Video | Main Role[22] |
| 2019 | The Lost Tomb 2: Explore with the Note | 怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 | Wu Xie | Tencent Video | Main Role[26][32] |
| 2020 | Psych-Hunter | 心宅猎人 | Jiang Shuo | iQIYI | Main Role[50] |
| 2021 | A Girl Like Me | 我就是这般女子 | Rong Xia | Tencent Video | Main Role[153] |
| Faith Makes Great | 理想照耀中国 | Cai Bozhen | Mango TV | Support Role[35] | |
| Our Times | 启航：当风起时 | Pei Qinghua | Tencent Video | Main Role[38] | |
| People's Property | 突围 | Lin Xiaowei | Tencent Video, iQIYI, Youku | Support Role[154] | |
| 2022 | Hu Tong | 胡同 | Tie Dan | CCTV 8, Mango TV | Main Role[42] |
| 2023 | Back From the Brink | 护心 | Tian Yao | Youku | Main Role[43] |
| I Am Nobody | 异人之下 | Wang Ye | Youku | Main Role[47] | |
| 2024 | Young Babylon | 少年巴比伦 | Lu Xiao Lu | Tencent Video, Mango TV | Main Role[52] |
| Dashing Youth | 少年白马醉春风 | Baili Dongjun | Youku | Main Role[53] | |
| Fangs of Fortune | 大梦归离 | Zhao Yuanzhou / Zhu Yan/ Lord Ying Long | iQIYI | Main Role[57] | |
| 2025 | I Am Nobody: The Showdown Between Yin & Yang | 异人之下之决战! 碧游村 | Wang Ye | Youku | Main Role[155] |
| Love in Pavilion | 淮水竹亭 | Baimu Yaojun | iQIYI | Cameo[156] | |
| Cancelled | A Chinese Ghost Story | 只问今生恋沧溟 | Ning Caichen | Main Role[157] | |
| TBA | The Monkey King: Land of Beauty | 好女无双（西游记女儿国） | Tang Seng / Jiang Liuer | Main Role[158] | |
| Reading Class | 阅读课 | Lu Xingchen | Main Role[30] | ||
| The Unclouded Soul | 逍遥 | Hong Ye | CCTV 8, iQIYI | Main Role[159][160] | |
| Love in the Clouds | 入青云 | Ji Bozai | Youku | Main Role[161] | |
| Glory | 玉茗茶骨 | Lu Jiang Lai | Mango TV, Hunan TV | Main Role[162] | |
| Key to the Phoenix Heart | 雀骨 | Xiao Wu Yi | iQIYI | Main Role[66] |
| Year | English title | Chinese title | Role | Networks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Fresh Sunday | 透鲜滴星期天 | Cast member | Hunan TV | [163] |
| Let Go of My Baby | 放开我北鼻 | Tencent Video | [164] | ||
| Sunshine Art Fitness | 阳光艺体能 | Hubei Satellite TV | [165] | ||
| 2018 | Shake It Up | 新舞林大会 | Dragon TV | [166] | |
| Super Penguin League | 超级企鹅联盟 | Tencent Video | [33] | ||
| 2019 | Ultimate Master | 终极高手 | Tencent Video | [167] | |
| 2020 | When We Write Love Story | 平行时空遇见你 | Tencent Video | [168] | |
| 2021 | Dunk of China Season 4 | 这！就是灌篮 第四季 | Youku | [169] | |
| 2024 | Tenday | 十天之后回到现实 | iQIYI | [170] | |
| Go! Dashing Youth | 少年白马醉春风特别企划 | Youku | [171] | ||
| Divas Hit the Road Season 6 | 花儿与少年 第六季 | Mango TV | [172] |
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | FHM 12th Anniversary Night | The Most Potential Newcomer Award | Won | [173] |
| Fashion Up Night | The Most UP Newcomer of the Year Award | Won | [174] | |
| iFeng Fashion Choice Awards | Favorite Icon of the Year Award | Won | [175] | |
| Fashion Dynamic Pioneer of the Year | Won | [176] | ||
| OK Magazine 4th Anniversary Award Ceremony | The New Generation of Actor of the Year | Won | [177] | |
| 2017 | 2nd Golden Guduo Media Awards | Most Popular Actor (Web series) | Won | [178] |
| Golden Bud Network Film and Television Festival | Most Popular Online Drama Actor of the Year | Won | [179] | |
| Weibo TV Online Video Awards | New Artist of the Year | Won | [180] | |
| 2018 | Weibo Night | Enterprising Artist of the Year | Won | [181] |
| Style Anniversary Ceremony | Breakthrough Actor of the Year Award | Won | [182] | |
| 12th Tencent Video Star Awards | Potential TV Series Actor Award | Won | [183] | |
| 15th Esquire China's Man At His Best Awards | Charity Ambassador of the Year | Won | [citation needed] | |
| 2019 | iFeng Fashion Choice Awards | Fashion Dynamic Pioneer of the Year | Won | [184] |
| Sina Fashion Awards | Youthful Idol of the Year | Won | [185] | |
| Madame Figaro Fashion Awards | Public Welfare Idol of the Year | Won | [186] | |
| 2020 | China 2020 TV Literary Pioneer List Star Ceremony | The Most Potential All-round Artist | Won | [187] |
| Boutique Style Festival | The Most Popular Actor | Won | ||
| 2022 | Weibo Night | Enterprising Actor of the Year | Won | [188] |
| 2023 | 8th China Quality Television Drama Awards | Quality New Rising Drama Star | Won | [189] |
| 2024 | Weibo TV & internet Submit Awards | Shining Actor of the Year | Won | [190] |
| iQIYI Scream Night | Enterprising Actor of the Year | Won | [191] | |
| Weibo Night | Most Promising Actor of the Year | Won | [192] |
| Authority control databases: Artists |
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