Yuan starred in her first film Rhapsody of Spring (1998), which won her the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her subsequent films also earned her awards; Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (1998) earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the Golden Rooster Award and A Love of Blueness (2000) brought her the Best Actress trophy at the Beijing College Student Film Festival. 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. Though Yuan achieved success in films, it is on stage that Yuan has earned most fame and applause. 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. 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. 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". The success of the play led to Yuan's introduction to famous Taiwan musician Yao Qian, who in turn inspired Yuan Quan to start a musical career. In 2007, Yuan released her first album, The Lonely Flower. Yuan also took on the role of the titular protagonist for the 2009 and 2013 drama production Jane Eyre by the National Center for the Performing Arts.[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’. Yuan won the China Golden Lion Award for Drama in 2010 and the Plum Blossom Award in 2012; both are considered high honors in theater. 2014 was a successful year for Yuan, who starred in two top-grossing films Breakup Buddies and The Continent. In 2017, Yuan co-starred Watch drama online for free.