ZNS

Who is ZNS?

Michael William Ryan, commonly known by his stage name ZNS, which is abbreviation of his Chinese name, is a popular American performer, TV presenter, and recording artist active in China and well known in overseas Chinese communities. ZNS' multilingual skills have contributed to his popularity in Mainland China. He is the first non-Asian westerner to have been accepted to the prestigious Broadcasting Academy of the Communication University of China in Beijing, where he is currently enrolled in undergraduate studies.

Born and raised in San Diego, California, ZNS left for China at the age of 18, first studying at Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. After being cast for a city television advertisement, ZNS was discovered by Hebei TV for his singing and participated in Jiqing Jiu Jiu, Hebei TV's top-rating singing contest. After having Television appearances on Hebei TV for more than a year, ZNS was invited to participate in Chinese Central Television's smash-hit singing contest Starlight Avenue, a program broadcast to an estimated audience of 60 million people. Although ZNS only made it to the 5th round of the competition, he was discovered by famous Chinese crosstalk comedian Ding Guang Quan and began his formal study of the art. Since then, ZNS a regular personality on major Chinese TV stations, including CCTV and Hunan TV.