[2] Xu studied in the calligraphy class in Beijing Children's Palace and learned the Tang poems by heart under the strict education of her father.
[5] She gained wide popularity for her roles in TV series A Sentimental Story (1997), where she played a policewoman who falls for a gangster,[6] and in Cherish Our Love Forever (1998), China's first idol drama.
In 1999, she won the Chinese Filmmakers Association's Best Performance Award for her first major film role in Spicy Love Soup (1997).
She reunited with her Cherish Our Love Forever co-star Li Yapeng in Eternal Moment (2011), a film sequel to their breakout show.
The film, China's first independent production,[10] tackles the delicate relationship between a Chinese father and his daughter, winning her the Golden Rooster Award for Best New Director.
[11][12] Her second directorial effort, Letter from an Unknown Woman (2004), was based on Stefan Zweig's novel of the same name, winning her the Silver Shell for Best Director at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain.
[11][13] Xu then collaborated with Chinese writer Wang Shuo in Dreams Come True (2006), an experimental film shot in one setting.
[15] In 2010, Xu directed and starred in Go Lala Go!,[11][6] which was adapted from Li Ke's bestseller of the same name about a young woman's growth in the workplace.
[32] From 1994 to 2004, Xu Jinglei was in a relationship with writer Wang Shuo, during which she reportedly took a three-year break to be with musician Sanbao.