Xu Jiao, who played as Dicky (left) in 'CJ7', is all grown up now. Photos: Handout, Xu Jiao/Weibo
Chinese actress Xu Jiao, who played Hong Kong superstar Stephen Chow’s son in the sci-fi comedy CJ7, has officially graduated from college.
In a recent post on Weibo, Xu shared a series of photos from her graduation ceremony – including a video of her receiving her graduation scroll.
Her post was accompanied by a caption that read: "Seven years (has passed) in the blink of an eye. I have finally graduated!"
Sin Chew reported that the 25-year-old graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Art Centre College Of Design in California.
Many fans left congratulatory messages to the actress in the comments, with many praising her beautiful looks and sense of style.
In 2008, Xu catapulted to stardom after starring opposite Chow in CJ7 – which raked in US$54mil at the global box office.
Her performance also won her a Best New Performer prize at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards.
The actress would go on to star in more shows including Future X-Cops, The Legend Is Born: Ip Man, Starry Starry Night and Wu Dang.
In 2013 however, Xu decided to take a step back from the spotlight and left for the US where she enrolled in a high school in Illinois.
According to the Mr Go star, although she appreciated the recognition she was receiving for her acting skills, adjusting to fame was hard.
"Fame at a young age comes with pressure ... you lose your own private space.
"Your every move in public is followed and becomes a topic of discussion. People use a magnifier to see your flaws," she said in a past interview with South China Morning Post.
A photo of Xu and her mum taken on the day of the graduation ceremony. Photo: Xu Jiao/Weibo
Xu added that fame was also one of the reasons she left for the US to study.
"(By heading overseas) I could strike a balance between fame and maintaining my own space, and between work and study," she told the publication.
Although Xu did take a break from stardom, she did not completely fade out of showbiz.
During study breaks, she would make minor appearances in shows like Ice Fantasy, Midnight Dinner and Love Like The Galaxy.
The actress told South China Morning Post that she hopes to make a feature-length film after graduating from college.
"(I want to make) biographical films which require lots of research and preparation time.
"I also want to make realist films like Dying To Survive, which is based on real-life events and reflects actual social problems," she said.
