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SHOWBIZ> Theater & Arts
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Unique spirit flies in a modern world
By Chen Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-17 08:09
A new dance adapted from the Chinese classic love story The Peony Pavilion reveals Jin Xing's passion, honesty and bold pursuit for life and love. Shenyang-born Jin began to learn dance at 9 and won a national award at 18. Fed up of "meaningless" technique training, Jin went to the US and Europe to learn modern dance and soon became established as an acclaimed choreographer/dancer. Though technically a man, Jin deep down considered himself a "she". Finally, when he could not bear to be a "him" any longer, Jin underwent a sex change operation at the age of 28, which has made her a hot news item in China ever since. She has never been shy about discussing it, but prefers to focus on her dancing and her happy new life as a woman. She married in 2005 and adopted three kids. "Whatever you are - man or woman - enjoy being a man or woman," she says, her words sounding even more feminine than a natural woman's. "I admire Du Liniang, who dies and returns to life for love. Today's women think too much about love. They are too sophisticated about love. A woman must devote herself to love at least once in her life - even if she gets hurt, so what? Love deserves it." While 42 is definitely not a golden age for a dancer, Jin never hides her age and keeps training every day. "I am well-known abroad but not many people at home see my dancing, except for insiders. I must keep my physical condition so that one day, when more Chinese people come to my shows, they see a perfect dancer. "Of course, I have to admit that once you pass 25, it's more physically challenging to do highly-technical movements. But in my mind, dance is not about showing off techniques, but about expressing emotions and thoughts, communicating with the viewers." An independent artist known for her liberal approach, Jin doesn't "give a damn" about the rules of certain dance competitions and some training schools in China.
"I refuse to judge some contests because I don't think we can simply compare one dance style to another or say this boy is better than that one because he can lift his leg higher. The schools have problems too, even though I myself was trained at such a school. They teach dancers to kick their legs up to the ears but if the movement says nothing, the kick-off is meaningless." Jin's own dance company in Shanghai is open to people from all walks of life. One example is a 32-year-old mother who owns an Internet bar in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, and had had no previous training. "I took her because I found her zest for dance stronger than most professional dancers," says Jin. "When people come to me, I let them stay with us for a week. I want to see why they want to dance and whether they are mentally ready, because dancing is really lonely work, and lastly I consider their physical condition." Jin says a dancer's mental state or reason for dancing is much more important than their physical condition. This summer, she took her company for a vacation to the grassland in Inner Mongolia. On the first day, all the youngsters were like any other tourists and spent their time taking photos of each other. Next day, Jin asked them to leave their cameras behind and go somewhere alone. "Five hours later, each returned quietly, with calm but happy faces. "They told me they enjoyed the pure blue sky, endless grassland, sheep and a few strange herdsmen. It's good to escape from the bustling city, where people jostle each other in terribly crowded subways and feel deeply lonely." The fruits of their grassland holiday will be revealed in a new show due to premiere in New York next September. (China Daily 12/17/2008 page19) |
