Chinese recycling worker turns down modeling offers after runway debut

Leng Minghui, 20, known online as "Superman Leng," drew attention in July 2025 through videos showing her sorting recyclables at her boyfriend’s family business in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province.

Weighing 50 kilograms, Leng stood out for her angular features, slender build, and dirt-stained work clothes. Social media users compared her with Lu Xianren, a 27-year-old model who rose from rural Guangxi to the runways of Paris and Milan, South China Morning Post reported.

After learning about Leng, Lu told her: "You are a born supermodel."

He gave her catwalk tips and introduced her to opportunities in the fashion industry.

Leng sorts waste at a collection station in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. Photo from Leng Minghui's Douyin account.

Leng made her modeling debut at SS26 Shenzhen Original Fashion Week in November 2025, according to Baidu. Wearing an orange outfit inspired by latiao, a popular spicy snack, she drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.

She later collaborated with automaker Chery and Chinese luxury art brand Zhu Bingren Copper.

Several modeling agencies also approached her, but she turned down their offers and continued working at the recycling station.

Born in a village in Fuyang, Anhui Province, Leng was one when her parents divorced and left their hometown. She was raised by her grandparents.

Her grandfather died when she was 15, prompting her to leave school and find work. She held several jobs, including on an assembly line and as a cashier, before meeting her current boyfriend.

His family welcomed Leng into their home and paid for her to complete high school. In her videos, she calls her boyfriend’s 64-year-old father "Dad."

Leng walks the runway. Photo from Leng Minghui's Douyin account

Leng graduated from high school and took China’s national college entrance examination, or gaokao, in the summer of 2025. Her score qualified her for a junior college, but she chose to help run the family’s recycling business as a way of repaying their support.

Leng said recycling provides her with a living, while modeling remains her dream, and she sees no conflict between the two.

Knowing that opportunities in the industry are rare, she spends her spare time practicing her walk, head turns, and poses.

"Only by doing so can I truly shine on the runway," she said.