Yao Chen (right) (XINHUA)

Yao Chen, an award-winning actress starring in some of China's biggest romantic comedies from the past five years, has been listed as one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes magazine this year. The 34-year-old star has used her profile to draw attention to troubling social and environmental issues in China. Her microblogging account had more than 69 million followers as of June 4.

As a microblogger aware of her huge reach and impact, Yao has used the platform to draw attention to issues like pollution, food contamination and human trafficking. Last June she was named a UN Refugee Agency Goodwill Ambassador, China's first, to help spread an understanding of refugee issues in the Chinese-speaking world.