Shining personality

No holds barred: Don't expect Jin to shy away from taboo subjects. Photos provided to Shanghai Star

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"The whole world knows what I have been through. This is my unique advantage. Those who come will be prepared to accept whatever I have to say," she says. "That's part of the reason I am confident my show will be a success."

Jin was born in 1967 and underwent transsexual surgery in 1995. She is one of the most famous modern dancers in China, and the founder and director of Jin Xing Modern Dance Company.

She speaks quickly, with a very expressive face and in a voice perhaps a bit too deep for a woman.

Standing gracefully and dressed in a colorful summer dress, the strong muscles in her legs tell of the intense physical training she has undergone as a dancer.

"I won't avoid speaking about my experience, which was extremely important for me. Without it I don't think I would have such confidence in myself."

Jin became a TV celebrity in 2011, when she was one of the judges on the Oriental TV show, Let's Shake It. She has been a judge on a few other TV shows in the past few years, and has gained a loyal following thanks to her acerbic tongue, as she boldly speaks her mind without considering the contestants' — or her own — embarrassment or the consequences for the show.

Jin says she always dreamed of having her own talk show, and friends in the industry have also seen the potential in her, and encouraged her to do it.

It started in 1991, when Jin was the choreographer for a TV station in Italy.

"I was passing by a studio when I saw a woman hosting a talk show," she says. "I told myself that one day, when I am back in China, I would also have my own talk show."

Looking back, Jin still marvels at her own ambition, but says, "Now the dream is coming true."