[2] In 2002, Yuan won her second Golden Rooster Award for her performance in Pretty Big Feet by Mo Yan, the first film that depicts contemporary western China.

[4] She chose to become a professional drama actress at the National Theater of China after graduation and first attracted the audience and media in the 2001 production of Hurricane.

[citation needed] Yuan rose to prominence in 2005 when she starred in Meng Jinghui's musical drama Amber, which was a hit; touring seven cities in Asia and attracting more than 100,000 audiences.

[5] In 2006, she starred in Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land by Stan Lai, which won critical acclaim and was voted "Best Stage Drama of 2006".

[citation needed] Her performance received acclaim; in an audience poll conducted by the Beijing News, 90% believed that Yuan's Jane did justice to the novel, conveying the character's ‘calm, introverted and persistent personality’.