SHENZHEN: She may be widely regarded as a versatile actress and pioneering lingerie model, but Ni Hongjie (pic) has not always been confident about her physical appearance.
In fact, the 46-year-old once said she felt ashamed about some of the reactions she received about the way she looked.
In 1999, Ni debuted as a model in China’s first television lingerie advertisement.
Unlike today, when it is normal to feel proud about flaunting your physique as a model, Ni’s entry into the fashion business occurred during a time when social mores were much more conservative.
When her initial lingerie advertisements were aired on national television, Ni became the talk of the town.
In January, on a social media platform where she has 3.3 million followers, Ni revealed that she felt ashamed and helpless over people’s comment about her appearance.
Some even spread rumours that she was a transgender woman, because she wore a scarf in an ad to “cover her Adam’s apple”.
She said in the post: “I want to tell myself in 1999, that you are great, your body is beautiful, and you deserve to be loved.”
Ni said her lack of self-confidence came from her unhappy childhood.
When she was little, both her parents were working in eastern China’s Jiangsu province and she was sent to live with her grandmother, aunt and uncle in Shanghai.
Her uncle was a violent alcoholic, so she went to hide in her boyfriend’s home before marrying him at the age of 21 in 1999 because her old-fashioned family did not support them living together unwed.
She met her husband while studying at China’s prestigious Tongji University.
Ni disappeared from the show business following her hit ad, and re-emerged playing the role of a chivalrous woman longing for love and a home, in one of China’s most popular sitcoms to this day, My Own Swordsman (2006).
In 2009, she had a son.
She invested all the money she saved from acting to support her husband’s business, and even used her public profile to borrow money for him.
Ni realised the relationship was suffocating her and she divorced her husband after he lost his temper when she asked him about his debt.
But Ni still had to bear 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) of his debts incurred during the marriage.
As a result, she accepted more acting jobs, and met her current boyfriend, an executive director, whom she has been dating for 14 years.
Ni said her eventful life had helped her acting. She transformed from an innocent girl who disliked show business to an actress who enjoyed acting.
She has taken part in many critically acclaimed films and dramas in recent years, such as B for Busy, The Crossing, Delicious Romance, and A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower.
She said she regrets missing out on a part in Blossoms Shanghai, the first TV drama directed by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, because of the conflicting schedule with B for Busy.
“I could have worked harder and sacrificed my sleep!” she said.
Apart from her career, Ni enjoys raising 11 cats and two dogs despite being allergic to them. She has also mastered playing the video game Honor of Kings for her son.
This year, Ni joined Sisters Who Make Waves season six, a Chinese reality talent show for female celebrities over the age of 30, and continued to shine on the stage. - South China Morning Post
