Qi was born in 1984 in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province. When she was a little girl, she was nicknamed 'Snow White', as she had exceptionally fair skin and large, bright eyes. When she was still in kindergarten, little Qi showed a talent for acting and was invited to act in a number of TV dramas. At the age of 11, Qi beat nearly 3,000 candidates to be accepted into the dance department of the Art College of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. While studying in college, she also took part in a performance tour and danced in six European countries. After five years of studying, Qi was deployed to work as a professional dancer in the song and dance ensemble of the Jinan Military Region in Jinan, the capital of east China's Shandong Province. At China Central Television (CCTV)'s 2000 Spring Festival Gala, Qi's dance performances won her even more fame. In 2004, Qi gave up her stable job to take the national college entrance examinations in order to improve her acting skills and develop her acting career. She was accepted by both the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy, eventually choosing to study in the directing department of the Central Academy of Drama.

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