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Vanda Margraf (Li Wanda) -- Profile

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MINI PROFILE OF VANDA MARGRAF - LI WANDA

Pictures (my snapshots and my Gif) and highlighted texts link to more information 

Lǐ Wǎndá 李宛妲 (Vanda Margraf) was born on June 18, 2003 in Jǐnghóng, Xīshuāngbǎnnà Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Yúnnán province, China.  

Nicknames :  Vanda, Wǎndá (宛妲), Dá Dá (妲妲), Rainforest Elf / Yǔlín jīnglíng (雨林精灵 / 雨林精靈) the latter from a performance on stage.

Zodiac Signs Gemini / Goat   (yessss:  "greatest of all times" lol ! She is not too sheepish.) "People born in the year of the Goat are often considered artistic, compassionate, and nurturing."

She presently lives in Shànghǎi.

https://weibo.com/u/7497614374

She is the daughter of the late doctor and German biologist Josef Margraf/Mǎ Yōu 马悠 (April 2, 1953-January 26, 2010, passed away from a heart attack) and Lǐ Mínguǒ 李旻果 (a Han native of Yúnnán). Her parents were “ecological volunteers” living and working on the restoration and reconstruction of the Xīshuāngbǎnnà rainforest.

Linda and Vanda at the tomb of their father in Xīshuāngbǎnnà in 2012.Dr. Josef Margraf "Mǎ Yōu" : "Green Hero in China", recorded in 2007 (click on for full program on vimeo, 6'33)
Her father named her "Vanda", after the Vanda orchid, a garden goddess. The flower has a color between blue and purple, which was the color she was born!

"Vanda sanderiana, or more popularly known as Waling-Waling, is an orchid endemic to Mindanao in the Philippines. The Bagobo, one of the indigenous peoples in southern Mindanao, are said to worship this orchid as a diwata. Their name for it, “waring-waring”, means “beautiful goddess”. The Diangans call it “Diwatang Madayaw”, which means “beautiful lady from heaven”.  - Due to deforestation and over-collecting, the waling-waling is critically endangered."

Other vandas (such as the vanda pachara, left) and notes about their care on this Reddit post.
She has two sisters : elder Linda Margraf /Lǐ Líndá 李林妲) born in 2001 and younger "godsister"  Wang Yijie who was a “Super Girl” contestant (she performed on stage an Ave Maria song, alongside Linda, left on the picture, which links to an excerpt of the show where they appeared with their mother and godmother, in 2011).  Vanda also appeared briefly on stage. 
Vanda wanted to study dancing and was sent to school at The Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy where she learned latin dance and jazz dance.

Vanda Margraf first appeared on screen in 2011 and started her acting career at the age of fifteen.
She was first discovered by Director Wong Kar-Wai, who signed her for the first time. After that, she competed in various talent series in China and got immense popularity through it.

She appeared as Wan Yonah (若男 Ruònán) in her debut movie Ip Man 4: The Finale, 叶问4: 完结篇 / 葉問4: 完結篇  when she was only 16 years old. She was nominated for Hong Kong Film Award for Best New performer.

IpMan4 can be streamed on Filmo (paywall)
She appeared in the 2020 film Cry of the Birds 鸟鸣嘤嘤  a movie directed by Tián Zhuàngzhuàng, alongside Wú Yǔhéng , Zhōu Qí  and Zhāng Yǔ (still to be released?)  The film tells the story of educated youth planting rubber trees in Yúnnán in the 1960s.
She got her first main role as Féng Bǎobǎo, in 2024 fantasy action movie Under One Person- 异人之下 (also known as "The Traveller") and sang the interlude Boxwood Shoulder Pole  黄杨扁担  (a version of this traditional song is linked to its title. The snippet from Vanda can be listened to after timestamp 2:04:46 on this bootleg version of the movie -unavailable elsewhere)

Vanda Margraf/Lǐ Wǎndá won 2024 Best Newcomer in a Motion Picture award from iQiyi TV and movie awards		Short synopsis : "Zhāng Chǔlán, who has been hiding his identity as an Inhuman, is caught up in the vortex of fighting between different Inhuman sects." (imDB)
Related Content  drama: 2023  I Am Nobody 
She also appeared in  the January 2025 movie  Detective Chinatown 1900  唐探1900 as Princess DaDa, still in movie theaters. (and to be included on iQIYI streaming platform album)
 Northward  北上   is her first TV drama, shot in Kūnshān, Sūzhōu, Jiāngsū province, from May 31, to October 16, 2023.

Link to table of contents of the companion piece to the drama.

UPCOMING, STILL FILMING or PROJECTS

Our Destiny 我们的命中注定  a youth romance, adaptation of the Korean movie “The Classic”, starring Lín Yī, Wàng Tiānfàng, Guǎn Yuè.  Vanda Margraf plays as Shen Zhuxi. Booting ceremony was on Nov.16, 2024. This project seems to be on hold.


Blades of the Guardians   镖人: 风起大漠 a wuxia movie adapted from the manhua "Blades of the Guardians" (Biāo rén 镖人) by Xǔ Xiānzhé (许先哲).  The projected cast includes Wú Jīng, Cǐ Shā, Yú Shì, Nicholas Tse, Jet Li and Vanda Margraf.

"The series is set during the late Sui dynasty and follows Dao Ma, a skilled swordsman and bodyguard, as he travels through ancient China with his young son Xiao Qi. Dao Ma accepts various missions, including one to escort a man to the city of Chang'an, which turns out to be more dangerous than expected."

Latest news about the project has it that " Yuen Woo-ping directed 《镖人：风起大漠》(The Dart: The Wind Rises in the Desert, original title) was in the selection for Cannes Film Festival in May 2025!"  -- but this big movie project will likely not be released to public before 2026.


She will be starring  in upcoming Hunan TV and Mango TV 36 episodes costume drama The Days of Seclusion and Love 风月不相关. Vanda is FL as  Guān Qīngyuè,  关清越/ Fēngyuè 风月 alongside Dèng Wèi as ML Yīn Gēzhǐ 殷戈止. The drama started shooting in May. It is directed by Gordon Chan and written by Xú Rùn,  from the novel written by Báilù Chéng Shuāng.   Fiming started May 17, 2025.

Short synopsis: "Guān Qīngyuè, a heroic and bloody heroine on the battlefield, had to change her name to Guān Fēngyuè after her father was framed, moving to Ye country. She joined forces with  hostage prince Yīn Gēzhǐ  to fight villains in Lǐ 澧 state, restore peace and clear up the injustice her family had suffered."   -- Following some complications around the shooting early in July 2025, Vanda shared in a short interview,that she learned a lot about life and filming techniques from director Chen Jiashang (Gordon Chan), that she often discussed the play and the character with Deng Wei who was both very caring and focused on the role. She loved the role, her first in costume.

Douban , Weibo &  Baidu pages of the drama
Besides acting, she  also does modeling shoots. In September 2017, Vanda Margraf was featured on the cover of InStyle magazine; to the left, a preparation for an InStyle magazine shoot in 2020. Lounging in a Salvatore Ferragamo flowered silk dress, etc.

Brand ambassador for Guerlain  in 2024:
And for L'Oreal in 2025 (Valentines Day video in February) :

There is a fan account for her on Youtube :

https://www.youtube.com/@AllThingsVanda

but few recent news

Her agency is Jet Tone Film Production (an HK company who has been promoting Vanda with birthday pictures since 2022 and a short film featuring her dancing as Black Swan in July 2024 in 《人间繁花》(video about shooting technique linked).

Social media accounts :

Facebook:   / vandamargraf  (long disused)
Instagram:   / vanda_margraf   (deleted?)
Reddit:   / vandamargraf   
Vanda Official Instagram:   / vanda0618  (deleted?)

Weibo ;  Baidu Baike

X fan account @vandamargraf_ (disused)

 
Links last checked September10, 2025


(Reposted from the Discussion section of the drama Northward where I first created this profile)           

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BBgirl

Looking forward to seeing her CP with Deng Wei. Judging by Looks alone, they are already very compatible . So promising !!!🥰

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ymynym

saw news that she would be in a drama with wu lei and jang chen. got curious and again, you saved me with your profile info! thank you! <3 

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Frost_edelweiss VIP
 ymynym:

saw news that she would be in a drama with wu lei and jang chen. got curious and again, you saved me with your profile info! thank you! <3 

Thanks for liking!  Sometime, when there are more news, I shall have to update that mini profile and to move it to most recently airing from  her...  If you follow her news closely, feel free to keep me posted so that I hunt up some more pix or links to add.  

I just re-checked the links and added one for her July interview that featured on her Weibo social media (I overlooked that one this summer). It is in Chinese so I just summed up what she said in a short sentence. :)

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