TRUE TO LIFE

Celebrated Chinese actress is the latest to helm #BeQeelinBeYourself campaign

Qeelin couldn’t have chosen a better face to showcase its yearlong campaign #BeQeelinBeYourself than celebrity mainland Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu.

The campaign aims to get women to think beyond the stereotype, whether in profession or lifestyle, and to inspire them to believe that they can be smart, engaging, creative and fashionable, rolled out in May this year under a series of themes.

The latest is “Staying True” and Zhang delivers the message as she dazzles in a stylish mix of Qeelin jewellery for the campaign images, showing off the many ways women can wear jewellery creatively and still maintain their identity, remaining authentic to who they are and their personality.

This is the first time Zhang has collaborated with the premium jewellery brand, following in the footsteps of Hong Kong actress Gigi Leung who was invited to explore the theme “Timeless Elegance” at the launch of the campaign. In July, star stylist Alvin Goh took on the “Be Myself” challenge and created sizzling looks with supermodel Coco Rocha and Hong Kong actress Josie Ho. At the Cannes Film Festival, Hong Kong actress Karena Ng and Asian actress Ase Wang walked the red carpet adorned in Qeelin.

Zhang trained at the famed Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. The actress shot to fame in 2005 when she starred in Seven Swords and Peacock, the former of which was a martial arts saga helmed by renowned director Tsui Hark, who is celebrated for his action movies. She soon transitioned to international roles, playing the heartbroken daughter of an assassinated Chinese ambassador in the Hollywood action comedy Rush Hour 3 and as a CIA analyst in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

The actress reveals that she takes her roots very seriously and that attachment convinced her to work with Qeelin, a brand that espouses the same values. “It’s about remembering where you come from,” says Zhang. “No matter how far you have travelled, never forget why you embarked on the journey in the first place.”

Zhang eschews blindly following trends and believes that having a style that’s entirely one’s own best represents one’s true self. “Elegance is about being comfortable – that is to say, naturally being yourself,” she adds.

This chimes with Qeelin’s brand ethos that wearing jewellery is not necessarily about the pursuit of luxury, but rather about incorporating jewellery into your own personal style to create distinct natural elegance.