Jin Xing, China’s Most Famous Transgender Public Figure, Becomes the New Face of Dior

Jin Xing, the most famous transgender celebrity in China, and an accomplished dancer and choreographer, recently made a stunning appearance in a new video campaign for iconic women’s fragrance, Dior J’adore.

Based in Shanghai, Jin Xing is China’s leading figure in contemporary dance, and founded the country’s first independent dance company, Jin Xing Dance Theatre, in 1999. She is also a famous TV show host, and most recently was director and actress in the classic Chinese stage play Sunrise, which showed in Shanghai.

In the video for the French luxury fashion house, Jin Xing reflects on the role of women in modern society, as well her handling of criticism upon her gender-affirming surgery, and the importance of people embracing their true selves.

“Women have a very critical role in modern society, in places as small as a family and as big as a country, therefore, I think it is very important for women to stay independent,” Jin says during the video. “I only hope everyone can live as their own selves, this way we will make the world an abundant place.”

Upon its release on various Chinese social media sites such as microblogging site Weibo and messaging platform WeChat, the campaign has received extraordinary feedback and positive sentiment online.

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“Independent and confident,” reads one of the most upvoted comments on a related post on Weibo.

“Dior is very good at choosing the right person,” writes one user on the video publishing platform on WeChat.

As an outspoken opinion leader and high-profile TV personality in China’s entertainment circle, Jin is a household name who has amassed a huge social media following, including over 13.3 million fans on Weibo.

As a trained dancer and a former army colonel in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in China, Jin Xing was born in the northeastern Liaoning province and studied overseas in the US and Europe, before returning to her home country in 1995 and undergoing a gender-affirming surgery.

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LGBTQ+ groups in China still face legal and social challenges as there is no written protection in the country’s legal system. However, the public perception towards LGBTQ+ communities has shifted quickly in the last few years, especially since more and more young Chinese people now hold progressive views when it comes to this topic. In addition, conversations around LGBTQ+ rights have been taking place across different social channels.

In March, 19-year-old beauty and dance influencer Abbily received enormous support from the public following the announcement of her gender-affirming surgery. In July of 2020, a court in China also ruled that it was illegal for an internet company to fire an employee who underwent a gender-affirming surgery in a landmark case.

Cover image: Screengrab from Dior’s account on Weibo