"Refusing Exclusive Contracts"...The Surprising Choice of a 20-Year-Old Chinese Worker Discovered as a Model at a Recycling Site

Supported by a Self-Made "Rural Supermodel"
Helps Run Her Boyfriend’s Father’s Recycling Business

A 20-year-old woman who used to work at a scrap collection site in China was scouted as a model and made her debut on a fashion show runway. However, she has continued her work at the collection site. It has become a hot topic that she turned down a full-time modeling contract, stating her reason was wanting to preserve both her livelihood and her dreams.

Everyday appearance (left) and runway debut stage (right) of Leng Minghui (20), who works at a garbage collection site. SCMP

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 27th, Leng Minghui—who goes by the stage name "Chaorenleng"—was born in a rural village in Fuyang, Anhui Province in eastern China. She currently assists with a scrap collection business run by her boyfriend’s father in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Leng first came to public attention in July of last year when a video showing her sorting scrap while wearing work clothes at the collection site went viral.

Her tall and slender physique—standing at 181 centimeters and weighing 50 kilograms—served as the foundation for her modeling career. The contrast between her dust-stained workwear and her striking appearance caused the video to spread rapidly online.

Lu Xianren, a famous "country supermodel" in China who saw the video, recognized Leng’s natural talent based on her figure and looks, and helped support her debut. Lu Xianren became a star by uploading videos of himself walking country roads as a runway, wearing clothes he made himself. Following this, Leng began her professional modeling career by appearing on actual fashion show runways.

In May, Leng received attention for walking the runway at a major fashion show wearing 30-centimeter-high heels, and she has also appeared on several other stages, including the SS26 Shenzhen Original Fashion Week in November last year.

The tall and slender figure with distinct facial features stood out in contrast to the dust-covered work clothes and surrounding waste, capturing the attention of netizens. Baidu

As her popularity has grown, Leng has received offers for exclusive modeling contracts, but she has refused them. She has made it clear that her main work at the scrap collection site is essential for her livelihood, while modeling is a dream she wants to achieve. Therefore, she intends to pursue both simultaneously.

After her parents divorced when she was a child, Leng was raised by her grandparents. At age 15, after losing her grandfather as well, she was forced to drop out of school and took on various part-time jobs, such as assembly line worker and cashier.

Later, she met her current boyfriend’s family, who offered her help. After graduating from high school, she nurtured her dream of becoming a model while working at the collection site rather than entering college.

Currently, Leng has more than 700,000 followers on her Douyin (Chinese SNS) account, where she shares both her modeling activities and daily life at the scrap collection site. In her videos, she says, "One’s means of livelihood and dreams should not be in conflict," but also acknowledges, "I am well aware that opportunities in the modeling field are rare for someone like me, so I have to make twice the effort."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.