Kris Wu, also known as Wu Yifan, is a multifaceted Chinese-Canadian entertainer who has made a significant impact in the Chinese entertainment industry. Born Li Jiahéng, he changed his legal Chinese name to Wu Yifan for personal reasons. At the age of ten, he immigrated to Vancouver, Canada with his mother, where he spent five years before returning to China at the age of fifteen.
During his time in China, Kris attended Guangzhou No. 7 Middle School, where he excelled as a "sports student" and was named captain of the school's basketball team. His team won the China Junior NBA tournament in the South China Region, and he was subsequently offered an NCAA scholarship, which he had to decline to follow his mother back to Vancouver.
In Vancouver, Kris attended Point Grey Secondary School and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, where he again became the captain of the basketball team. At the age of 17, he auditioned for S.M. Entertainment's Canadian Global Auditions and passed, moving to South Korea in January 2008 to become an S.M trainee.
Kris's career began as a member of the Chinese-South Korean boy band EXO and its sub-unit Exo-M. However, on May 15, 2014, he filed a lawsuit against S.M. Entertainment, citing violation of human rights as the main reason. This led to a series of lawsuits and counter-lawsuits between Kris, S.M. Entertainment, and his fellow EXO-M member Han Lu.
Despite the legal issues, Kris has continued to thrive in the Chinese entertainment industry, starring in numerous box office hits and breaking records. As of 2016, he had filmed in nine movies in just two years, solidifying his position as a successful and versatile entertainer.
