The Jin Xing Show (Photo : SMG Shanghai TV Official/YouTube)
Chinese talk show host Jin Xing is considered the Oprah Winfrey of China. At times she is also referred to as the Simon Cowell and Caitlyn Jenner of China.
If the comparisons cover a wide range of strong celebrities, it’s because Jin Xing – before her gender reassignment surgery in 1995 - was a former male ballet star and army colonel. Although the feminine aspect of his personality was obvious by gaining admission to a prestigious dance troupe within the People’s Army, he then was not your typical effeminate gay although he admits to sensing a different sexuality as early as four years old, according to Hollywood Reporter.
After his admission to the army at nine, over the next 10 years, Jin Xing rose through the ranks both as a ballet dance and soldier. He was an expert in the use of machine guns and placing bombs under bridges.
At 19, Jin Xing left China for the U.S. where he won awards at prestigious dance festivals and he was described by The New York Times as a virtuoso. During the sex reassignment surgery in 1996, she almost lost her leg because of lack of oxygen. She met her husband, German businessman Heinz-Gerd Oidtmann during a flight from Paris in 2004.
Ten years after her sex reassignment surgery, which the government did not object to, she married ad adopted three children.
As judge at China’s version of “So You Think You Can Dance,” the transgender talk show host earned the nickname “Poison Tongue” on social media for her sharp words, often compared to Cowell. The popularity translated into the Chinese talk show host given her own program – “The Jin Xing Show.” It has 100 million viewers a week, making 49-year-old Jin Xing the most popular TV hostess in China.
While Caitlyn’s reality show was cancelled after two years due to poor ratings, its peak viewership of 2.73 million is only a fraction of Jin Xing’s show’s viewers, PinkNews noted.
