Profile | China’s first publicly recognised transgender woman Jin Xing divorces German husband – remarries him 18 years later
- Jin becomes China’s first publicly recognised trans woman following surgery in 1995
- She divorces husband out of necessity for children before remarrying
China’s first publicly recognised transgender dancer has remarried the love of her life whom she was forced to divorce 18 years ago.
Jin Xing, 56, from Liaoning province in northeastern China, is a renowned transgender performer with 14 million followers on Weibo.
In April 1995, Jin underwent gender reassignment surgery in a Beijing hospital, becoming China’s first publicly recognised transgender person.
Her surgery journey was documented in the film Miss Jin Xing of which some in the mainland media said: “Jin Xing revealed her brave, candid, and yet lonely side.”
Due to an error made by a nurse during surgery, Jin’s left leg was compressed by medical equipment for 16 hours causing paralysis – a crushing blow for a dancer.
However, just a year later, she fully recovered, displaying astonishing willpower and appeared on stage in Beijing as a transgender woman.
She later founded the Shanghai Jin Xing Dance Theatre.
In February 2004, Jin met German national Heinz Gerd Oidtmann on a flight from Paris to Shanghai. He fell in love with her at first sight.
Jin told him she used to be a man, adding: “The woman in front of you is a huge challenge for any man.”
She also told him that she had adopted two sons and a daughter.
Jin thought their connection might end, but Oidtmann called her the next night, saying he had come to terms with everything and still wanted to see her.
In 2005, the pair got married and Oidtmann moved to China alone to be with Jin.
However, the couple divorced in 2006 and Jin explained that they did so to resolve the children’s household registration issues and avoid impacting their elder son’s studies.
As a foreigner, Oidtmann had to wait a year to qualify for international adoption.
They continued to co-parent their three adopted children, and in 2018, they secretly remarried in Italy.
On April 11, Oidtmann’s birthday, Jin announced on Weibo that they had remarried.
She chose 13:14 as the time to announce the remarriage, as in Chinese, it sounds like “forever and ever”.
“Forced to divorce in 2006 for the children, we remarried after 18 years, witnessing our journey of love and responsibility,” Jin wrote in an online post.
“True love is never late,” said one online observer on Weibo.
“Jin has lived her life for herself. The perfect love, the gender she wanted, and a career she is passionate about – she’s got it all,” said another.
In 2015, Jin hosted a talk show called The Jin Xing Show, where her sharp wit, fearless comments and sarcastic style were widely loved by audiences.
She promoted gender diversity in the media and at public events, challenging transgender stereotypes.
“Call me brother, sister, or even ‘guy’, if that makes you feel better. My name will always be Jin Xing. I was a male, and now I’m a woman, living my life,” said Jin.
She is also hailed as the “pioneer of Chinese modern dance”.
Jin began her strict dance training at the Shenyang Song and Dance Ensemble at the age of nine.
In the 1990s, after learning modern dance in the United States, Jin returned to China with innovative dance styles and concepts.
She has received many of China’s highest dance honours, including the Wenhua Award, the top government award in the country’s performing arts sector.
