Ballet in the People’s Republic has blossomed in recent years, reaching new heights in its shift from left to centre stage.

The National Ballet of China’s recent production The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭 mudan ting) at the Arts Centre Melbourne is an example of the company’s most valued repertoire: original ballets which reflect Chinese culture and its uniqueness. Stylistically, The Peony Pavilion is highly contemporary, nuanced by global languages of dance and design. At the same time however the production retains the kind of nationalistic sentiment that characterises much of the history of ballet in modern China. In this way, China’s leading ballet company – viewed as a pioneer in a growing field – successfully blends creative and ideological practices.

Jin Xing is China’s most celebrated choreographer, dancer, and transgender role model – an outspoken and inspiring figure who as she says ‘is always challenging the boundaries of Chinese society.’ With 350,000 fans on Sina Weibo (China’s Twitter), and an array of regular TV gigs, she’s also a national celebrity, and a symbol of the diversification of popular culture in contemporary China.

It gives me great pleasure to post the following edited transcription from a talk given by Jin Xing at the University of Minnesota on 16 February this year. Colloquial and compelling, the piece reads as something of a manifesto on Jin Xing’s life and dance practice, and has been edited in consultation with the speaker herself.

For those already interested in Jin Xing, get ready for a real treat. For those who haven’t heard of Jin Xing yet, allow us to introduce you to one powerful personality.