Chinese actor Li Yifeng on his biggest roles yet: Mao Zedong in The Pioneer, patriotic military series The Glory of Youth, and brand ambassador for Panerai and Prada – exclusive interview

• Once nicknamed ‘little fresh meat’, the actor went on to rank above Andy Lau and Angelababy on Forbes’ “China Celebrity List”, and work with top brands Armani, Samsonite, Tencent and Baidu
• He won the Style Icon Asia the same year as Korean stars G-Dragon and Song Joong-ki, and China TV Drama awards for Sunny Happiness and Swords of Legends